April 2010 | 1

THE AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION OF THE OAKLAND METROPOLITAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE |

Oakland Business Review

www.oaklandchamber.com | VOL XXXX NO.4 APRIL 2014

Visit www.oaklandchamber.com for more businessopportunities, news and event registration.

The lighting of ‘Remember Them’Page 8

Oakland A’sMayor Quan explains twooptions for new ballparkPage 9

Inside OaklandPolice Chief visits the ChamberPage 7

DR. GARY YEECollege, career and community readinessPage 22

> State of the City – Mayorsays Oakland rising together,growing in many ways

On March 6, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan delivered her“State of the City” address, a public event that packedCity Hall with much of Oakland’s civic leadership.As is customary for State of the City speeches, it was apositive recitation of some of the good news that Oaklandis seeing, as well as an opportunity for the Mayor to voicehow she proposes we tackle continued challenges. Passingout a report with the headline “Oakland Rising Together,” inher speech, the Mayor’s pitch was that Oakland is “booming.”

The next morning, at the invitation of the Chamber, shecame to our offices to speak to Oakland business leadershipin greater depth and to take questions. Her comments werebasically a briefer reiteration of the speech the night before,emphasizing her plan to keep Oakland growing with her new“10K” plan, public safety push, and continued focus oneducation.

In response to questions, she said she and her new CityAdministrator, Fred Blackwell, want to hear of any impedi-ments that are making progress difficult for local businesses.

On the minimum wage debate that is underway across thecity, she expressed a preference for allowing certain kinds ofexceptions within any of the proposals, such as one thatmight allow participants in the Mayor’s summer jobs programto be paid something less than the universal minimum wage.

The Mayor’s remarks and handouts also laid out a quanti-tative description of Oakland’s boom, including:

• Homicides are down 28 percent 2013 vs. 2012, a biggerdrop than in most other major cities in the country.

• Unemployment in the city is back to 2008 levels.• Eleven major housing developments that will generate

1,000 units are under construction; another 15 projectstotaling 7,500 units are in the pipeline.

The Mayor was not afraid to present certain numbersthat are not moving in the right direction over the longerterm, and to voice her continued dissatisfaction with them.For example:

• Homicides may have dropped 28 percent year over yearafter rising for two years. They are now back to where theywere when the Mayor started her term in 2010, but stillunacceptably high.

• Home burglaries are down 1,000 year over year, but upover 1,000 since 2008, and, again, at an unacceptable levelof over 4,000.

All of these trends and many others will be debatedextensively in the course of 2014’s mayoral campaign, andcandidates seeking to replace Mayor Quan are alreadypreparing their own analyses of the numbers. For example,the Mayor highlights the projections of a budget surplus forthe current fiscal year, but others are pointing out that thecity still faces a two-year budget shortfall and growinglong-term liabilities because of structural budget issues.

There is no doubt that this is only the beginning of thedebate over the “State of the City,” as we are only 37 weeksaway from the November elections. �

THE CHAMBER’S SPRING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EVENT –an educational half-day conference and the fifth annual economic

development summit entitled “illuminating ideas: ENERGY andSustainability Summit” – will be held on Wednesday, April 16 at theOakland Convention Center.

The summit will continue the strong tradition of work in the Northern CaliforniaMegaRegion and identify priority economic development goals moving forward – the lastingmessage underscoring that Oakland is ready to capitalize on positive trends in the energy andsustainability sector, and expand the promise in our region for future generations.

> Chamber’s economic development summit set for April 16

– continued on page 2

by Isaac Kos-Read

Economic DevelopmentBrooklyn Basin groundbreaking

Page 6

This year’s Annual Meeting of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber ofCommerce will recognize and celebrate its members, the lifeblood

of the organization. It reflects Chamber members – members of thebusiness community – saluting its own that have contributed bothfinancially and through volunteerism for the betterment of Oakland.

The 109th Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, June 25 at theOakland Marriott City Center.

Bernard Tyson, the chairman and chief executiveofficer of Kaiser Permanente, has been invited to bethe keynote speaker.

The event presents members with an opportunityto celebrate a year of Chamber accomplishments, achance to network with new and award-winningmembers, and a way to show support for the Chamberand our many programs. The luncheon is also one ofthe major fundraising events of the year, providing theChamber with funds to continue those programs and our strong advocacy for local business.

The 109th Annual Meeting and Chamber Awards Luncheon will begin with an 11:30 a.m.registration. The luncheon begins at noon.

To reserve a table or seat, visit www.oaklandchamber.com or contact Ivette Torres at theChamber of Commerce, (510) 874-4800, ext. 319 or at itorres@oaklandchamber.com �

> Chamber will celebrate its members –and 109 years – at Annual Meeting

2014

MEDIA: SFBT | KBLX & KOIT | Berkeleyside | Bay Area News GroupLive Work Oakland

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com2

> Summit – continued from page 1

The half-day event, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to noon, will include akeynote address by the immediate past Chairman of the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission, Jon Wellinghoff, and two consecutive paneldiscussion sessions on “Green Infrastructure and Smart, Resilient Cities” and“Innovative Energy Technology and the Public Private Partnership.” The summitwill also feature an exclusive “Insider Real Estate Update and Forecast Session”with Garrick Brown of Cassidy Turley.

The April 16 summit features presenting sponsor Chevron. See page 1 fora list of all summit sponsors.

This year the Chamber will engage a diverse group of stakeholdersincluding technology innovators, government leaders, small business owners,educators, development planners, and community partners in an innovativehalf-day summit in downtown Oakland. Through a series of dynamic speakersand engaging panel discussions, participants will be invited to revisit a strongregional sector of the East Bay economy as identified by the Chamber-producedOakland Partnership/McKinsey report of 2007 – “ENERGY, sustainability andgreen technology.”

For more information on the April 16 summit, visitwww.oaklandchamber.com or contact Ivette Torres at itorres@oaklandchamber.com or call (510) 874-4800, ext. 319.

SPEAKERS

Keynote speakerJon Wellinghoff, the immediate past chairman of theFederal Energy Regulatory Commission, is aninternationally recognized law attorney and clean techenergy expert, is currently a partner at the law firm ofStoel Rives LLP in San Francisco, and is co-chair of thefirm’s energy team. He has nearly 38 years of leadershipexperience in federal and state energy policy, regulationand project development, and has a particular expertisein the integration of renewal resources into the nation’selectricity supply.

Insider Real Estate Update and Forecast SessionGarrick Brown is director of research in the MarketResearch Department at Cassidy Turley. Brown joinedCassidy Turley in October 2010 and currently serves asthe Western Region director of research. He also acts asthe national director of Retail Research for CassidyTurley and Terranomics (Cassidy Turley’s retail division inNorthern California). He manages a staff of researchersthroughout the Western United States and is responsiblefor producing the firm’s analyses and forecasts for thosemarkets.

PANELISTSConfirmed panelists for illuminating Ideas: ENERGY & Sustainability Summit are:

Green Infrastructure and Smart, Resilient Cities

Arriette Chakos, principal, Urban Resilience Strategies,is a public policy advisor on urban disaster resilience.She currently works on crisis management, communityresilience policies, and multi-sectorial engagement inCalifornia. Her work with San Francisco, Palo Alto, andregional institutions focuses on strategies to improvedisaster readiness and community resilience. She is amember of the Disasters Roundtable at the NationalAcademies of Science and chairs the public policycommittee at the Earthquake Engineering ResearchInstitute.

Mike D’Orazi is the fire chief for the city of Alameda.Chief D’Orazi began his career with Alameda as afirefighter in November 1979. By 1988 he was promotedto lieutenant, and then to captain in 1999. As a captain,Chief D’Orazi served several years as the Fire Departmenttraining director and as an acting div- ision chief until hisretirement in July 2007. During his tenure, Chief D’Oraziwas very active in the comm- unity as well as the localFirefighters Association where he served as president. InMay 2011, Chief D’Orazi returned to the department asfire chief.

Larry Goldzband has been the executive director ofBCDC since August 2012. He has worked for members ofboth the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.Senate, was Chief Deputy Cabinet Secretary for formerGovernor Pete Wilson, and was director of the CaliforniaDepartment of Conservation. In the private sector, hemanaged Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s charitablecontributions program for over ten years, whichprovided almost $20 million in grants annually (mainlyto Northern California-based charitable organizations).

Dan Halperin is director, Distributed Generation, forPacific Gas and Electric Company. He joined PG&E in May2013 as director of Distributed Generation (DG) withinCustomer Care. In this role, he oversees administrationof PG&E’s distributed generation programs includingsolar PV, solar thermal and incentives for other on-siterenewable generation, and has more than 15 years ofutility and solar experience. Prior to joining PG&E, hewas senior director of Project Finance at HelioPower, aCalifornia-based solar developer and installer.

The Green Infrastructure and Smart, Resilient Cities panel

ModeratorRebecca Rubin, founder, president and chief executiveofficer of Marstel-Day, LLC, a rapidly growing environ-mental consulting firm located in Oakland and throughout theU.S. since 2002. The company delivers successful innovationsto clients in the public and private sectors in the areas ofclimate change risk analysis, community resilience, sustain-ability, and natural resource conserva-tion planning. In 2013,Rubin was named by the White House as a 2013 Champion ofChange for Community Resilience and is currently leading asix-region initiative in Virginia on Climate, Environment andReadiness.

Innovative Energy Technology and the Public Private Partnership

Robert Davenport III is managing partner of BrightpathCapital Partners LP, an investment group focused ongenerating both economic and social value, andchairman of Up Communications Services, LLC, aninformation technology and outsourced fulfillmentservices company. Previously, he was president and CEOof Covad International, a broadband services provider inAsia and Europe. He also served as senior vice presidentof Tele-Communications, Inc. (now Comcast) where hemanaged the broadband data business unit.

Susan Robinson is the federal public affairs director forWaste Management. She has worked in the environ-mental industry for over 30 years in roles that span thepublic sector, a nonprofit environmental organization,consultancy, and 20 years in the private sector. Robinsonhas worked for Waste Management since 1999, withmuch of her time interfacing with local governments.She has been instrumental in the company’s implemen-tation of new recycling programs on the West Coast, aswell as Waste Management’s 2009 transition to a naturalgas fleet in the Pacific Northwest.

Richard Sinkoff is the director of environmentalprograms and planning for the Port of Oakland. He leadsthe Port’s efforts to ensure the highest standards ofregulatory compliance and environmental performance;improve responsiveness to environmental concernsraised by the community and Port customers; increasethe Port’s capacity to respond to emerging environ-mental regulations, policies and conditions; and promotethe Port’s strategic alignment efforts. Most recently,Sinkoff served as the Port's environmental manager.

Bob Thronson is vice president of Vigilent and isresponsible for Vigilent’s strategic global partnerships.His professional focus is leading powerful technologiesto broad market success. Thronson has led marketingand/or business development at Genesys (recognizedas the global market leader for four consecutive years),Telera (one of 2003’s top technology acquisitions,purchased by Alcatel), Centex (#4 on the INC 100,acquired by MFS), and Spectrum Services (acquired byIBM).

Innovative Energy Technology and the Public Private Partnership panel

ModeratorEmily Kirsch is co-founder and CEO of SfunCube, anincubator and accelerator helping solar entrepreneurssucceed. SfunCube houses over a dozen solar start-upsemploying more than 145 throughout the U.S. Prior tobecoming a solar entrepreneur, Kirsch worked with VanJones, a former advisor to President Obama, at the Ella BakerCenter where she launched and led the Green Jobs Corps(which was Oakland’s first green-job training program), theClimate Action Coalition (which drafted and securedpassage of the nation’s most ambitious Energy and ClimateAction Plan), and Oakland Solar Mosaic (which pilotedMosaic’s crowd funding model on four sites in Oakland).

April 2014 | 3

> A time of transition

My four months at the Chamber have beenexhilarating for me as Oakland goes throughgrowth and change. With exciting majorprojects moving forward on the waterfrontand in many neighborhoods, with new housingand hotels breaking ground, and with renewedfocus from our civic leaders on reducing theburdens of crime and violence for allOaklanders, there is a sense of hope andexcitement that we each can enjoy!

I am honored to serve as the Chamber’s interimguide between two strong leaders. As we continue

to celebrate the achievements of Joe Haraburda, we are also lookingforward to the arrival of the new President and CEO, Barbara Leslie. Andin the Chamber’s work, the year 2014 is seeing a flood of new ideas, greatdiscussions, and new directions for the priorities and focus of our work.

Public Policy and Public Safety: The Chamber continues to highlightthis work and to set new priorities for 2014 and beyond. We invited MayorQuan to the Chamber to discuss her priorities on March 7. We havelaunched a survey of members about how an increase in the minimumwage would affect their success, and we expect to play a key role in thecity’s debate on this issue. We are strengthening our monthly “Inside

Dan Quigley

by Chamber Interim President Dan Quigley

Oakland” series of policy discussions with a special focus in January, Marchand April on public safety. We supported a celebration on March 8 in EastOakland to honor faith groups, community groups, and individual policeofficers for their work on Operation Ceasefire.

Holiday Parade: At the same time, some work at the Chamber will bereduced. The Chamber has decided not to continue to organize or sponsorthe America’s Children’s Holiday Parade, effective in 2014. We stand readyto assist any groups that may be able to continue to organize the parade,and we celebrate the work of our numerous partners in the 14-year historyof that event.

This decision has been taken after much dialogue with our businessand community partners, and after extensive discussions with theChamber’s Board of Directors. The parade has had energetic participationfrom many directions over its history. But it has also been in need of are-visioning to allow it to connect with and support other partners in theOakland downtown business district. As Oakland’s economy evolvesaround a vibrant technology sector and a cutting-edge arts, music, andmedia culture, we decided that other organizations might be in a betterposition to make this transformation.

And within the context of the Chamber’s work to support its membersand to advocate for policies that strengthen the city’s business vitality,the parade was absorbing an increasing portion of the Chamber’s staff andfinancial capacity.

Thank you for your membership investments and for your support ofOakland’s success. I look forward to finding new ways myself to MoveOakland Forward �

4 | OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com

April 2014 | 5

Women in Business RoundtableEAST BAY

> Help end senior hunger June 7

There is a way to make a difference for frail homebound seniors.By donating to Alameda County Meals on Wheels, you can providea warm, home-delivered meal to local seniors each weekday. Thismeal not only nourishes their bodies, but also enlivens their spiritswith a daily visit by caring drivers. Often, this is the only humancontact the senior has during an entire day.

Sometimes, this can have a huge impact. A daughter of a clientcalled to say that her father, who had been depressed before

receiving Meals on Wheels, was now shaving and getting dressed like he used to. Whenshe asked him what spurred this new energy, he replied “My girls are coming to deliver mymeal, and I want to look good for them!” This daily check-in also provides peace of mindfor families who take comfort that someone is looking after their loved one.

The programs of Alameda County deliver almost 2,100 meals each weekday. The vastmajority of our seniors are over 75 years old, and over half live alone. Many struggle withhow to pay for both food and medicine. Each meal costs approximately $7 to make anddeliver and a year’s worth of meals costs less than a single day in the hospital.

Meals on Wheels is an economical safety net that keeps seniors healthy and livingindependently in their own homes, where they want to be.

How you can help Become a sponsor of “A Taste of Italy,” our 27th annual benefit. The event will be held atthe Kaiser Rooftop Gardens on June 7. There are many benefits enjoyed by our sponsors,with several levels to choose from. Sponsor a table, invite your VIP clients, or treat youremployees to a night they will always remember.

A Taste of Italy is a festive occasion celebrating the food, wine and culture of Italy.Taste creations from the East Bay’s top culinary talents all in one location.

For more information, visit www.feedingseniors.org. �

Cindy Houts is the executive director of Alameda County Meals on Wheels.

by Cindy Houts

Imagine being oldand frail and thatyour body is no

longer strong enough to leave your home or to

cook for yourself.

Community Stewardship: Food Bank’s Suzan Batesonto speak to Women in Business June 6

> Championing the end of hunger

Suzan Bateson wants to end hunger. Asexecutive director of the Alameda CountyCommunity Food Bank since 2001, this isa goal she believes is as ambitious as it isnecessary.

The data about hunger in this community isalarming. One in six residents in Alameda Countystruggles with hunger and nearly two-thirds ofthe people served by the Food Bank are childrenand seniors.

Her vision is also highly contagious. Batesonis armed with a team of professionals, a fleet of

trucks, a warehouse of food storage space and a powerful network ofmember agencies. Additionally, there are thousands of volunteers who flockto the Alameda County Community Food Bank every day to sort fruits andvegetables, answer calls on the emergency food helpline, and even travel toSacramento to talk to legislators.

Bateson is the symphony conductor overseeing these efforts. Underher leadership, the Food Bank is offering comprehensive solutions to theproblem of hunger that combine food distribution, advocacy, nutritioneducation and food stamp outreach.

Suzan Bateson will bring that knowledge and leadership to the East BayWomen in Business Roundtable (EBWIBR) Luncheon on Friday, June 6 at theWaterfront Hotel in Jack London Square. Tickets are currently on sale for theevent, which is part of the EBWIBR “Rising to the Top” speaker series of 2014.

The luncheon will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $35 forChamber members and $45 for prospective members.

by Rosanna Salgado McDonald

Some of the accomplishments thatBateson has realized while in her role forthe past 12 years include significantlyelevating the organization’s operatingbudget and food distribution to meetgrowing needs in Alameda County. In2012, the Food Bank distributed more than23 million pounds of food, more than halfof which was fresh fruits and vegetables.

Bateson has more than 20 years ofexperience in social services and the non-profit sector. She has become a nationallyrecognized and outspoken anti-hungeradvocate and regularly meets with elected officials in Washington, D. C.and Sacramento on issues related to hunger, including the strengthen-ing of child nutrition programs, expanding adequacy and access to thefood stamp program, and preserving vital nutrition safety-net programssuch as the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

In 2005, Bateson was the first Food Bank leader in the United Statesto ban distribution of carbonated beverages, successfully replacing themillion-pound distribution gap with farm-fresh fruits and vegetables.Many Food Banks around the country have followed her lead.

Prior to joining the Food Bank, Bateson served five years as executivedirector of the Volunteer Center of Contra Costa. She previously servedas the community relations manager for the Contra Costa Food Bank.

For more information or to register for the luncheon, visit www.oakland chamber.com or contact Ivette Torres at the Chamber of Commerceat itorres@oaklandchamber.com or at (510) 874-4800, ext. 319. �

Rosanna Salgado McDonald is the institutional giving directorat Children’s Hospital & Research Center Foundation, and theco-chair of East Bay Women in Business Roundtable. She can bereached at RMcDonald@mail.cho.org

WIB

R

EAST BAY WOMEN IN BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE LUNCHEON SPEAKER SERIES‘RISING TO THE TOP”

Alison Best

Suzan Bateson

Margo Dunlap

Sarah Filley

Lori Fogarty

Erin Kilmer-Neel

Dana King

Konda Mason

Dr. Deborah Merrill-Sands

Anca Mosoiu

Angela Tsay

Carol Williams

2014

Save thedates

Feb. 7

April 4

June 6

August 1

October 3

Each time youregister for a“Rising to theTop” luncheon,you will enter adrawing to wintwo roundtriptickets to anySouthwestAirlinesdestination (thewinner must bepresent at theOctoberluncheon towin).

Suzan Bateson

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com6

> Chamber looks at solar start-upsby Eleanor Hollander

CREATING A STRONG ECONOMY

Economic Development

On March 12, the Chamber’smonthly Economic DevelopmentForum was treated to an educationon the state of solar start-ups andbusiness incubators from EmilyKirsch, co-founder of the SFunCube. Sfun Cube stands for SolarFor Universal Need (Sfun) and Kirschco-founded the organization alongwith Danny Kennedy, who is primarilyknown as a founder of the Oakland-based solar company, Sungevity.

As chief executive officer of SfunCube, Kirsch first gave an overview ofthe organization’s mission, which is tosupport solar entrepreneurs, and thenexplained how the unique program atthe Sfun Cube at Jack London Squareencourages innovation and helps start-up businesses scale up. She also answered several questions on a variety of topicsranging from energy provision policy to garnering funding sources from angelinvestors. There were approximately 30 attendees at the event.

Kirsch explained that presently solar accounts for only 1 percent of the totalelectricity supply, but with its abundance and lowered costs of provision the industryis growing very fast. In fact, solar related jobs are growing at eight to 10 times thenational average and there are more solar employees in the U.S. right now than thereare coal miners, cattle ranchers in Texas, or actors and actresses in California. Of the148,000 solar employees in the U.S., 40,000 are employed in California.

Due to the rapid growth in this sector, the Sfun Cube functions as both anincubator and an accelerator for solar companies. The Sfun Cube maintains andprovides 8,000 square feet of Class A office space for its eight incubator companiesand four accelerator clients. The incubator clients pay (discounted) rent and enjoy acollaborative co-working space where staff can share ideas and learn in unexpectedways from one another. The companies in the accelerator have to go through acompetitive process to gain access to starter capital of $10,000 from the Sfun Cube,a suite of business-related pro-bono services in exchange for a 5 percent equity stake.

Kirsch reviewed the activities and goals of some of the companies that are part ofthe Sfun Cube – including the popular company Solar Mosaic that provides a crowd-funding platform for solar installation projects on public and nonprofit buildings suchas churches and schools. Other companies including KwH Analytics, On Grid, andSolar Nexus provide a variety of support for the solar industry including datacollection, customer management systems, and hardware design.

Following the presentation, Kirsch led an engaged discussion where attendeesfirst shared key learnings from the presentation with each other (specifically theirneighbors at the presentation) which spurred audience participation. Following that,some members of the group had a robust round of questions for Kirsch, particularlyon the financial impacts of solar installation at the commercial scale. �

Eleanor Hollander is the Chamber’s director of economic development.

> Brooklyn Basin – Sustainableliving at the waterfront

� Emily Kirsch at theEconomic DevelopmentForum.

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C O M M U N I C A T I O N D E S I G N T H A T R E A L L Y M E A N S B U S I N E S S

Signature Development Group andZarsion America held the recent ground-breaking ceremony for the project, whichis more than 12 years in the making.

California Governor Jerry Brown hasestimated that Brooklyn Basin will deliver10,000 short- and long-term jobs.

When completed, Brooklyn Basin willfeature more than 30 acres of new cityparks and publicly accessible open space.A residential mix of apartments,condominiums, lofts and townhouseswill be built as part of the $1.5 billiondevelopment.

The waterfront community will encompass 200,000 square feetof retail space, the renovation of the Clinton Basin and 5th Avenuemarinas, preservation of a portion of the historic Ninth AvenueTerminal and extensive wetlands restoration. It will serve as a new linkin the San Francisco Bay Trail and eventually connect to Lake Merritt

via bike and pedestrian pathways.“Brooklyn Basin is a key

component to the downtown andwaterfront revitalization effort that’soccurring in Oakland,” said Michael Ghielmetti, president of SignatureDevelopment Group, the project’s lead developer. “We want people torelish the lifestyle that these parks, open spaces, marinas and eventspaces will provide.”

He added that “Brooklyn Basin is the culmination of years ofplanning and community input and will revitalize this part of Oakland’shistoric waterfront,” and that the project should “pave the way formore economic development and jobs for the city.”

If fully built out, Brooklyn Basin will comprise roughly half theunits built in connection with former Mayor Jerry Brown’s 10K plan,which sought to bring 10,000 residents to Oakland’s city center.

Zarsion-OHP I, LLC is the legal entity that holds title to BrooklynBasin. It includes California-based Zarsion America and OaklandHarbor Partners.

Oakland Harbor Partners is comprised of Signature DevelopmentGroup, Signature Homes and Reynolds & Brown.

Signature entities have built a track record for developing high-quality mixed-use projects, residential master-planned communities,new home neighborhoods and commercial and retail properties. TheSignature companies have entitled or built more than 20,000 homesand homesites throughout Northern California, as well as two millionsquare feet of office and retail development. Signature DevelopmentGroup is headed by Michael Ghielmetti. �

Ground has brokenon Brooklyn Basin,

a vibrant newwaterfront

community that willtransform a 64-acre

industrial area onthe Oakland Estuary

just south of JackLondon Square intoa lively residential

neighborhood.

� An artist rendering ofBrooklyn Basin along theOakland estuary.

April 2014 | 7

> Minimum wage – Maximum engaged

The Chamber’s public policy team hasbeen very active on the minimum wageissue, and there are several importantdevelopments to share.

On March 18, the Richmond City Councilmade the first move regionally, voting 6-1to move forward with an increase in theminimum wage from the current state-mandated $8/hour to $12.30 by 2017, goingup in steps ($9 within 30 days of finalpassage; 9.60/hour in 2015; $11.52/hour in2016; and pegged to CPI starting in 2018).

Meanwhile, pending before the Berkeley City Council is an in-crease from $8 to $10.74, with an additional $2.22 per hour for medicalbenefits if the current employer does not already provide them. Then,in 2015, the minimum wage would increase by 55 cents/hour/year tocatch up with the city’s living wage, which is currently around $2higher than the $10.74 proposal.

Here in Oakland, the City Council amended an earlier proposalwhich would have been less aggressive than current state law (andtherefore moot), moving instead to consider a minimum wage of$10.20/hour starting next year, a little over one year ahead of themandate from the new state law signed last year.

There are many groups weighing in on this issue, and theChamber is engaged with all of them.

The East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), acoalition of labor, faith-based, and community organizations, reportsthat they launched their campaign on Feb. 15 for a November 2014 ini-tiative to increase the city’s minimum wage to $12.25/hour startingMarch 2, 2015, and gathered “over 1,000 signatures that day.” Mostobservers expect their initiative to qualify for the ballot.

The Bay Area Council Economic Institute, which is probably theleading nonprofit economic analysis organization in the Greater BayArea, is preparing to do a study for San Francisco. And Oakland citystaff has identified funding to do a study as well.

The California Restaurant Association is also active here inOakland on the issue, meeting with city leaders and proposing someinteresting concepts for consideration by our elected leaders – Whatif employees start out the current state minimum wage for 90-180days and then increase to a higher wage once past that initial period?Should there be exceptions for businesses under a certain number ofemployees or those where employees are already making well overminimum wage with tips, like many of Oakland’s hot new restaurants?

A couple of weeks ago the Chamber had the opportunity to speakwith several Oakland City Councilmembers about the issue, notingthe value of a Council-driven policy rather than one put on by initia-tive leading to more “ballot-box budgeting.” To continue the Cham-ber’s leadership on this issue, we have developed and e-mailed out toall Chamber members a survey – please respond by Tuesday, April 8 –and encourage other Oakland businesses to do the same. If you haveany further input or questions, please contact me at ikos-read@oak-land chamber.com. �

Isaac Kos-Read is the Chamber’s new public affairs consultant.

Public PolicyREPRESENTING THE INTERESTSOF BUSINESS WITH GOVERNMENT

by Isaac Kos-Read

Security & Fire, and a member of the Oakland Chamber Public PolicyCommittee.

Blackwell and Chief Whent tag-teamed what amounted to a previewof the city’s new comprehensive public safety plan – SAFER Oakland(which was publicly released the day of the event as part of theagenda for the April 8 special meeting of the Public SafetyCommittee that will be held at Oakland Technical High School).

SAFER stands for:• Stop violent crime.• Assure school success and invest in prevention.• Fund jobs and promote workforce readiness.• Engage communities and build healthy neighborhoods.• Renew the Oakland Police Department.SAFER is derived from multiple source documents and work by city

staff to see what’s actually worked from the past and is working today.Both speakers from the city emphasized the positive trends we are

seeing, while at the same time the still completely unacceptable levelsof crime were evident (see table). For example, while it is welcome newsthat homicides were down 28 percent last year – the largest drop in 45years, Chief Whent pointed out that a more accurate and stronger indi-cator is the drop in non-fatal shootings, noting that the difference be-tween a homicide and non-fatal shooting could be where the bulletstruck or how far the nearest hospital was. Last year, non-fatal shoot-ings were down 16 percent, and are already down 36 percent this year.Nevertheless, the rates are too high, and there still are not enough po-lice.

Roither pointed out that crime is not waiting for more police orthe perfect public safety plan, andwhat she’s seeing is communitiestaking action on their own that willcomplement the work of the city.

Building on the theme that “jobsstop bullets,” Fred Blackwell closedby reminding everyone that “Wecan’t underestimate that intersectionbetween opportunity and publicsafety,” referencing the My Brother’sKeeper initiative recently proposedby President Obama. �

Isaac Kos-Read is the Chamber’snew public affairs consultant.

Isaac Kos-Read

> Inside Oakland: Public safetyprogress is real and challenging

The Chamber’s Inside Oakland forum on public safety inMarch saw a packed house. The Mayor even made a surprisedrop-in visit to support her team – new City AdministratorFred Blackwell and Interim Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent.

To provide the private sector perspective, we had Amy Roither,director of business development for Oakland-based Detect All

by Isaac Kos-Read

� At the Inside Oaklandbreakfast (left to right) –Chamber Public AffairsConsultant Isaac Kos-Read(Kos Read Group), guestspeakers Interim PoliceChief Sean Whent and CityAdministrator Fred Blackwell,breakfast sponsor RuthStroup (Ruth StroupInsurance Agency), guestspeaker Amy Roither, InsideOakland Chair Jackie Ray,and Public Policy Chair DavidTucker.

Metrics

Homicides(& Non-fatalShootings)

Police Staffing& Recruitment

Unacceptable StatusQuo

Multi-year averagesfor violent crime andhomicides are all 3x to6x state and nationalaverages

• Budgeted for 675 in FY14, though estimated need is 850-1,100• 5.32 monthly officerattrition• Not enough from the community andmultilingual (e.g. 8%from Oakland)

Positive Progress

• Homicides down28% in 2013; largestdrop in 45 years• Non-fatal shootingsdown 16% last year;down 36% first part ofthis year

• 612 officers on thestreet today – a fewaway from lowest inhistory• 47 – largest in history– graduate next week;up to 62 more in a fewmonths• 46% of officers overthe last 4 academieswere bilingual

Public Safety: Progress v. Status Quo

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com8

The “Remember Them:Champions for Human-ity” monument in HenryJ. Kaiser Memorial Parkhas added a new feature.On March 31, the light-ing of the monumentwas celebrated. Thelighting was madepossible by a donationfrom PG&E, with theinstallation completedby Energy ConservationOptions, a local energyefficient servicescompany.

The lighting of themonument was held onCesar Chavez Day –Chavez is among the 25humanitarians featuredon the monument.

Six 24-foot poleshave been affixed in theRemember Them site,with each featuring an

area light (37 watts) and 3-6 spotlights (each with 20 watts). Thelighting system contains high efficiency fixtures and will run atonly 25 percent of the wattage installed for a traditional outdoorlighting system.

The lights are controlled by motion and dimming sensors,with the spotlights remaining on only when people are presentwithin the monument area. When no one is present, the arealights will dim and spotlights will go into standby until the spaceis occupied, resulting in a long-term energy savings and reducedimpact on the environment.

The accent lighting added gives the monument a natural lookand feel after dark, helps make the monument a gathering placefor community members, and is an added element for publicsafety.

“We are proud to collaborate with the Remember Themmonument and Oakland Chamber of Commerce,” said Alicia Bert,manager of Bay Area Government Relations for PG&E. “Thisartistic milestone in our own backyard is an inspiration to theOakland community and to PG&E. One of our company’s corevalues is diversity, and this celebrated monument truly capturesthe power and beauty of diversity. The Remember Them monu-ment deserves to be appreciated both day and night, and we areso pleased to help shine light on this special gathering place.”

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is thefunding agent for the Remember Them monument, which wasdedicated in May of 2013. �

> PG&E helps shine light on ‘Remember Them’ monument

Colliers International recently held its sixth Charity PokerTournament to benefit its charitable foundation, Links forLife California, at the new University Club high above CalBerkeley’s Memorial Stadium. More than $21,000 wasnetted for Links for Life, which provides grants to help localorganizations that make a difference in the lives of Bay Areachildren. Since its inception in 2007, Colliers’ Links for LifeFoundation has given nearly $600,000 to 167 differentqualifying charities in the Bay Area.

The 130 participants who attended the popular eventwere comprised of Colliers’ brokers and their guests. Theydonated more than 60 giveaways valued at approximately$15,000.

Ken Meyersieck, managing director of Colliers’ Oaklandoffice, said, “I think we can all agree we are proud of thecontribution we are making to Links for Life. It was theculmination of a lot of hard work and the generouscontributions of our friends throughout the industry.” �

> Colliers Internationalcharity tournament contributes $21,000

April 2014 | 9

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

The team has been on fire the last fewseasons, and the fans have been thereevery step of the way, turning out inincredible numbers and provingthey’re the best baseball fans in thecountry. Who can forget the fans’20-minute standing ovation twoyears ago, when our American LeagueWest Champions ended their thrillingseason right here in Oakland?

Meanwhile, we’re making good on the promise I made toMajor League Baseball and the A’s ownership when I becamemayor three years ago: we have two exciting, viable sitescoming online for them to choose for a new ballpark. One isat Coliseum City, a complex destination venue in the spiritof L.A. Live. There is enough room on this site to build anew facility for each of our three teams, and the Raidersare already in negotiations with the world’s third largestreal-estate firm as an investor.

And the other option for the A’s is a gorgeous waterfrontsite on Port of Oakland property just west of Jack LondonSquare, a huge space calledHoward Terminal – twice thesize of AT&T Park. A group oflocal business leaders havebanded together to carry thatproposal forward and they’remaking strong headway.

And right now is anexciting time because theclock has begun ticking, andit’s truly time for the Leagueto make a decision.

We aim to make ColiseumCity the largest transit-oriented development inCalifornia. The Raiders arenegotiating for their ownstadium on or near the site ofthe existing O.Co Coliseum,and I'm expecting we’llannounce a deal around latesummer this year. That means

> Let’s go, Oakland!Editor’s note: The following story was written by Oakland Mayor

Jean Quan regarding attempts to keep the A’s in Oakland

there’s a finish line in sight and a pressing, real need for usall to come together and make a new A’s ballpark happentoo. Fortunately, our site-specific plan and EIR will be doneright around the same time, streamlining any work we needto do to make that ballpark happen.

Meanwhile, the group advocating for Howard Terminal –they’ve named themselves Oakland Waterfront BallparkL.L.C. – is making their own progress. The Board of PortCommissioners has exhausted all the proposals for maritimeuse at the terminal site, and I believe they will enter intoexclusive negotiations with the group to develop the sitefor a potential ballpark. The gorgeous renderings with initialideas definitely spark the imagination.

Oen when we talk about finding a new Oakland homefor the A’s, people ask us about the team’s owner, Lew Wolff,who for years said he was determined to move the team toSan Jose. I’ll let him speak for himself: in December theOakland Tribune reported that “in a departure from years ofdeclaring that he had exhausted all his options in Oakland,Wolff told this newspaper, ‘That doesn't mean there isn’t aplace in Oakland where you could do something.’ The mostlikely location, he said, ‘would be where we’re at right now.On land controlled by (the city and county).’” This is justweeks aer he told the San Jose Mercury News in Septemberthat a downtown stadium in either San Jose or Oakland

could help him "unlock thefan base." And almostimmediately aer werecently concludednegotiating a two-year leaseextension, Mr. Wolff beganasking for a 10-year lease.

We hope the A’s ownershave been noticing theincredible loyalty, enthusiasmand dedication of Oaklandfans. We’ve had an amazinglast two seasons, with fanspacking O.Co night aernight and bringing the bestenergy in all of baseball tothe A's stunning drivestoward the World Series.

Either way, I'm lookingforward to the first pitch thisseason, and to the years ofOakland A’s baseball to come.This will be the year we go allthe way! �

The Honorable Jean Quan isthe Mayor of Oakland.

This is an exciting timeto be an Oakland fan –whether you’re thinkingabout the Oakland A’s, or the city they call home.

� Option 1 Top – ColiseumCity, a complex destinationvenue with enough room tobuild a new facility for eachof Oakland’s three teams.

� Option 2 Bottom – HowardTerminal, complete withviews of the estuary.

Mayor Jean Quan

Courtesy of City of Oakland

Courtesy of Manica Architecture

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com10

> Waterfront baseball stadiumgains momentum

The A’s are the only Major League baseball teamthat still shares its home field with an NFL club.While the A’s are seeking a 10-year lease extensionat O.co Coliseum, negotiations are continuing withthe Oakland Raiders for a new football stadiumthat could mean demolishing the existing stadium.

There is good news; support for a waterfrontbaseball stadium is gaining momentum with thesupport of local heavy hitters that are working for aballpark to be built at Howard Terminal at the Portof Oakland.

Doug Boxer, the son of U.S. Senator BarbaraBoxer, is part of Oakland Waterfront Ballpark, LLC,which also includes Don Knauss, the chief executiveofficer of The Clorox Company; T. Gary Rodgers, for-mer CEO of Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream; MichaelGhielmetti, president of Signature DevelopmentGroup, which is behind the Brooklyn Basin masterplan; and Seth Hamalian, a developer seeking to

build a high-rise residential tower in Oakland’s Uptown District.The group recently sent a letter to the Port of Oakland requesting exclusive

negotiating rights to develop a world-class stadium and other amenities on the50-acre terminal site. Approval from the Board of Port Commissioners is ex-pected in the near future.

In the meantime, the city of Oakland is on the move. Forbes.com andNextdoor.com listed Oakland’s Uptown as one of the top 10 neighborhoods inthe U.S. for Hipsters. The BART extension to Oakland International Airport isnearing completion. Oakland’s restaurant scene is burgeoning and tenant de-mand in the Oakland metropolitan market is increasing.

“More and more residents are moving to Oakland on what feels like a dailybasis,” said Trent Holsman, senior vice president with Colliers International inOakland. Holsman added, “The living environment is changing the landscape,restaurants and bars are expanding, and new locations continue to open. Weexpect to see a continued demand in the office sector as well. In the last 12months there has been over $1 billion worth of Institutional Office buildingsales.”

A waterfront baseball stadium for the A’s would serve as a crowning jewelfor the city of Oakland. City development is flourishing. Much of the develop-ment is along the estuary and is already underway. Jack London Square has beenundergoing a $350 million revitalization with new housing, restaurants and of-fices. Next to it is the $1.5 billion Brooklyn Basin project, which will feature morehousing, retail and commercial space, parks and marinas.

There is another option for a new stadium. A different group has proposedthe Coliseum City project. This proposed project would be built south along In-terstate 880 where the A’s ballpark currently is located. Boxer’s group is all forwhatever keeps the A’s in town, he said. “If it happens at the Coliseum site, we’dbe happy, too,” he said, “but the waterfront site [along the estuary] is an oppor-tunity to build something wonderful.”

Let’s play ball! Go Oakland A’s!

About Colliers InternationalColliers International is the third largest commercial real estate servicescompany in the world, with more than 13,500 professionals operating out ofmore than 482 offices in 62 countries. Colliers International focuses onaccelerating success for its clients by seamlessly providing a full range ofservices.

For additional information about Colliers International in Oakland visitwww.colliers.com/oakland. �

Catherine Arlin is the operations manager at Colliers International,Oakland.

The baseball seasonhas begun and you

can already smell hotdogs and popcorn

and hear the crack ofthe bat. The grand

old baseball traditioncontinues with onelooming question –

will Oakland hold onto their beloved A’s?

by Catherine Arlin

� How much longerwill the A’s play atO.co Coliseum?They’re the onlyMajor League base-ball team that stillshares its home fieldwith an NFL club.

Oakland A’s right-fielder JoshReddick began his offseasonwith a simple message from hisemployers.

“Get healthy. That was it,” Red-dick told radio station 95.7 TheGame. “[Manager] Bob Melvin toldme he wanted me to get healthyand come into spring training 100percent, and I’ve done that.”

Reddick underwent surgery onhis right wrist in October, sixmonths after he initially injured it inHouston. In between, Reddicklanded on the disabled list twiceand struggled at the plate whiledealing with lingering effects thatare no more.

“It’s been fantastic,” he said. “Igot the surgery like I wanted, andeverything’s gone to plan. They saidI was ahead of schedule with mygrip strength and everything, sothat was good to hear. It felt goodto get back on the field and hit aninside fastball again. It felt good tonot have any issues there, so I’mready to get back to 100 percent.

“That’s my strong point of my at-bats, those inside fastballs where Ican turn on them. If I’m not able to do that, obviously the numbers aregoing to go down, the production’s going to go down. A lot of people aredoubting what kind of player Josh Reddick really is now, but I’ve got thismindset of proving a lot of people wrong and showing them who I amand that the 2012 form was more me than the 2013 form.

“When I was rehabbing the wrist and not being able to work out, Ifocused on my legs, and that’s one thing I learned when I was in Boston.Dustin Pedroia told me, ‘When you go home, you focus on your legworkouts. Don’t worry too much about upper body. Do it, but don’t tryto get all big muscle, big bicep kind of guy. Your legs are what’s going toget you through a strong season.’ That’s what I’ve really focused on sinceI signed with Oakland.” �

> Reddick is back, healthy again

� Josh Reddick is lookingforward to more home runcelebrations in 2014.

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

April 2014 | 11

> SaveOaklandSports – Working to keep our proteams in Oakland

There are various stadium developmentsincluding the effort by a business group ledby former Oakland Planning CommissionerDoug Boxer to lure the A’s to HowardTerminal where his group envisions a stunning waterfront stadium.

SaveOaklandSports believes the best way to convince the teams – aswell as the NFL, MLB and NBA – to stay is to purchase tickets and corporateboxes and demonstrate that the East Bay has the financial wherewithal tosupport these franchises and has unique assets. Oakland is the center ofthe Bay Area and the East Bay’s population and economy. The Warriors haveenjoyed 69+ consecutive sellouts and attendance is up for the A’s andRaiders.

The business community in Alameda and Contra Costa counties is key.These teams provide tangible benefits of jobs and tax revenue but also acivic pride that can’t be measured in dollars. Please consider joining SOSand/or signing our petition of support on our website. Contact the teamsdirectly to provide leads for ticket/suite purchases, attend games, write cityand county officials to express support for the effort to keep the teams.They listen to constituents.

Together, we can rally to keep the Raiders, A’s and Warriors and ensurethat Oakland remains the “City of Champions.”

Let’s Stay Oak-Land! �

Bryan Cauwels is president of Save Oakland Sports; Jim Zelinski is co-founder and vice president of media relations, and Chris Dobbins is anOakland School Board Director (District 6), a member of the ColiseumJoint Powers Authority, and co-founder and president emeritus of SaveOakland Sports.

Bank of America is proud to support the Oakland A’s.At Bank of America, we’re connec�ng our resources and people to the things that make life be�er in ourcommuni�es. Bank of America is the proud presenting sponsor of the Little A’s program which provides10,000 deserving youth and their chaperones of non-profit organizations the opportunity to attend anOakland A’s game free of charge. Our mission is simple: to help the Bay Area thrive.

Visit us at bankofamerica.com

Life’s better when we’re connected®

Save Oakland Sports, Inc. (SOS) – www.saveoaklandsports.org – a grassroots group composed of a diversecross section of sports fans, community leaders andbusiness owners – has now secured formal nonprofitstatus as part of its effort to support the regional gameplan to retain the Raiders, A’s and Warriors in Oakland.

SaveOaklandSports hopes to use its status as a 501(c) 3 nonprofitorganization to bolster its contribution to the effort by city of Oaklandand Alameda County officials to retain these civic treasures.

Founded in February 2012 at the Denny’s restaurant on HegenbergerRoad near Oakland International Airport, SaveOaklandSports isdedicated to working with city and county leaders to help convincethese teams to stay long-term and create a game plan to build newworld-class stadiums without using general fund money.

SOS also works with other groups such as LetsGoOakland,BaseballOakland, the Oakland Fan Pledge, Green Stampede, the “BlackHole” (Raiders) and the Oakland Raiders fan club. SaveOaklandSportshopes to increase awareness among the public about the importance ofretaining all three teams and why we believe new stadiums for theRaiders and A’s would benefit the East Bay economy for generations.

In February 2014, SaveOaklandSports hosted its First Annual East BayBusiness Summit to show the Oakland A’s, Oakland Raiders, and GoldenState Warriors that Oakland remains the best location for all three teams.Rick Tittle of the sports radio station 95.7 “The Game” emceed the eventwhich drew approximately 150 people including business, political, andcivic leaders. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan updated the group about hereffort to retain all three teams and her vision for Coliseum City. EdMcFarland from JRDV gave a visual presentation of Coliseum City andresponded to questions.

At present, only one of the three teams – the Raiders – has stated itwants to stay, but owner Mark Davis has said he wants a new stadiumdeal this year or he will explore other options.

The Raiders lease at O.co Coliseum runs through the 2014 season;the A’s lease ends aer its 2015 season, and the Warriors lease is throughwith the 2016-2017 season.

� Members of theRaider Nation – hopingfor a new footballstadium in Oakland.

GOOD LUCKStay and Build a new

Field of Green & Gold Dreamsin your home: Oakland.

by Bryan Cauwels, Jim Zelinski and Chris Dobbins

Good luck in the 2014 season!

ABC Security Service, Inc.

www.saveoaklandsports.org

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com12

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

> A’s possess a ‘vast wellspring of capable working parts’

While other teams in their division have loaded up with expensive stars at the expenseof shortcomings in other areas, general manager Billy Beane and staff have constructeda club with no discernable weaknesses. They possess pitching, power, defense andspeed, and perhaps even more important, versatility and depth.

The good news for 2014 is that the A’s came to spring training in February lookingas strong and deep as ever, even while other A.L. West teams continued to add high-priced talent. Seattle signed former Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, while theTexas Rangers added multi-skilled outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and power-hitting firstbaseman Prince Fielder. Yet the A’s still entered the season as the division favorite.

The bad news for Oakland is that their versatility and depth will be tested to winit a third straight year, perhaps more so than at any point in 2012 or 2013. Midwaythrough spring, it was learned that talented young starting pitcher Jarrod Parker wouldbe facing his second Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and would be out forthe year. Moreover, the A’s found out another young and productive starter, A.J. Griffin,would miss the start of the season with elbow soreness.

For many teams, losing two pitchers who combined to win 26 games a yearago would be catastrophic, particularly when you add the fact that Oakland also lost18-game winner Bartolo Colon to free agency and traded away gied but o-injuredle-hander Brett Anderson to Colorado.

But the A’s just might survive it, based on their pitching reserves. Reliable,durable le-hander Tommy Milone will replace Parker in the rotation, and long reliever

Jesse Chavez, who figured to find work hard to get in a deep bullpen, will tentatively assume Griffin’s spot until he’s readyto pitch again.

“This is why we didn’t trade Milone in the off-season when people were saying we had too much starting pitching,” said A’s assistant general manager David Forst. “The

need for (pitching) depth is always there.”The A’s still have it. To replace Colon, Oakland signed free agent le-handed two-

time All-Star Scott Kazmir, who revitalized an impressive career in Cleveland last year.

� The A’s are countingon big offensive numbersfrom outfielders JoshReddick (left) and YoenisCespedes in 2014. Both hadsub-par seasons in 2013.

by Carl Steward

The Oakland MarriottCity Center

Wishes the A’s a great2014 season!

Go A’s!

1001 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607(510)451-4000 | www.marriott.com/oakdt

The OaklandAthletics havecompiled the bestrecord in MajorLeague Baseballthe past twoseasons and wonthe AmericanLeague West twoyears in a row bybuilding the mostcomplete teampossible within theconstraints of theirmodest budget.

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

April 2014 | 13

In addition to Milone and Chavez, hard-throwing young right-handers Sonny Gray and DanStraily fill out what should be a solid enough rotation, even without Parker and Griffin. Oakland alsohas an option with le-hander Drew Pomeranz, acquired in the Anderson trade and a pitcher whohas started.

That starting staff will be backed by what could be the strongest and deepest relief corps inbaseball. Jim Johnson, who has led baseball in saves the past two seasons in Baltimore, was signed toreplace departed free agent closer Grant Balfour. The set-up cast is diverse and efficient – right-handers Ryan Cook, Dan Otero and Luke Gregorson and le-hander Sean Doolittle, who will bejoined in mid-season by Eric O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty, acquired from Atlanta, is recovering from TommyJohn surgery but is regarded as one of the top le-handed set-up men in the game when healthy.

Around the diamond, the A’s have retained their familiar productive nucleus. Josh Donaldson,who blossomed into a star at third base a year ago, leads an offense with plenty of punch from top tobottom. Multi-dimensional Coco Crisp was re-signed to lead off and play center field, and he’ll beflanked by le fielder Yoenis Cespedes and right fielder Josh Reddick, two players looking to bounceback from subpar 2013 seasons.

Brandon Moss, who hit 30 home runs last season, will be the primary first baseman, EricSogard and Alberto Callaspo will share second base, and Jed Lowrie, who had a terrific all-aroundseason, will be the shortstop, with impressive top prospect Addison Russell waiting in the wings atTriple-A Sacramento. The A’s have three reliable catchers in Derek Norris, John Jaso and StephenVogt, so there are no issues behind the plate, either.

Oakland also strengthened its bench with the acquisition of fiery veteraninfielder Nick Punto and versatile outfielders Craig Gentry and Sam Fuld. Inshort, general manager Billy Beane strengthened what was already a veryproductive everyday core.

Of course, one of the reasons it all works so well is that the A’s have one ofthe best managers in the game, Bob Melvin, manipulating the pieces. Melvin

has compiled a .560 win percentage in 2 ½ seasons at the Oakland helm and is now regarded as the best managerthe team has had since Tony La Russa, who will enter baseball’s Hall of Fame this summer.

No question, the A’s will face a stiff challenge with one starter lost and another whose season may bejeopardized, but it shouldn’t be a knockout blow. Oakland is not a team that succeeds via a handful of stars, butthrough its vast wellspring of capable working parts. �

Carl Steward is a sports columnist for the Oakland Tribune and Bay Area News Group.

While other teamsin their divisionhave loaded upwith expensivestars at the ex-pense of shortcom-ings in other areas,general managerBilly Beane andstaff have con-structed a club withno discernableweaknesses. Theypossess pitching,power, defense andspeed, and perhapseven more impor-tant, versatility anddepth.

Carl Steward

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com14

Local Little League teams are organ-ized and run exclusively by volunteers– elected board members and offi-cers, managers, coaches, umpires,auxiliary and field workers. This year’sgoal with the Wells Fargo sponsorship of“Take the Field with the A’s” program is toinvolve our local communities insupporting volunteerism and the qualities that youth sports help build inchildren – qualities like team building and discipline.

The program celebrates Bay Area youth team sports by giving kids amemorable experience at the ballpark. Bay Area Little League teams cansubmit their teams for selection by the Oakland A’s Community RelationsDepartment.

The selected youth baseball and soball teams can then run out on thefield with the A’s starting lineup for the National Anthem and then get theplayer’s autograph and a souvenir A’s tee shirt. There are 12 Sunday homegames during the 2014 season, allowing 12 Little League teams to take thefield.

There are many Little League teams in the East Bay, and although leaguesmay assess a registration fee – used to purchase uniforms and equipment –the fee cannot be a prerequisite for playing. The Little League philosophy doesnot permit any eligible candidate to be turned away, but the rules require thatevery child plays in every game.

We at Wells Fargo are proud to support the great work that Little Leaguesdo, and to echo their efforts of supporting and promoting local youth sportprograms, we will be presenting to the Oakland A’s community fund $12,000to support future Bay Area youth programs.

Giving back to the community is ingrained in the culture of Wells Fargoand our team members. One of our priorities in that endeavor is supportingvolunteerism. In fact, last year in the Bay Area alone, Wells Fargo Bay Areateam members volunteered more than 87,500 hours in their local

> Wells Fargo and Oakland A’s let Little Leaguers meet their heroes

communities. We are continuously finding ways to involve the broadercommunity.

Wells Fargo has a long-standing relationship with the Oakland A’s,and in past years the company sponsored the Teacher Awards Programand School Supplies Programs with the A’s in which we had theopportunity to honor teachers who are shaping lives and inspiring mindsday in and day out.

Wells Fargo understands the importance of supporting youth sportsand the impact that role models have on kids. This is an example of howWells Fargo supports youth sports while keeping us connected with ourlocal communities. Thank you to those who work with children at thelocal Little League level and for volunteering their time to make thecommunity a better place.

Applications for the 2014 season are now available; emailcommunity@athletics.com for more information. �

Micky Randhawa is the East Bay president of Wells Fargo.

by Micky Randhawa

� A local Little Leaguerenjoys a once-in-a-lifetimemoment on the field with A’scatcher John Jaso and threeumpires as part of WellsFargo’s “Take the Field withthe A’s” promotion.

> Newcomers to watchThe Oakland A’s will have a number of new players this year as theydefend their American League West title. Here are just a few to keepyour eyes on.

Craig Gentry – This speedy outfielder might be the perfectsubstitute when Coco Crisp needs a rest in center field. Over the lastfive seasons with Texas he batted .280 in 323 games and wassuccessful in 56 of 66 career stolen base attempts, which is thesecond highest mark in Rangers history. He had a 156-game errorlessstreak from April 2012 to August 2013.

Luke Gregerson – This right-handed reliever has appeared in atleast 70 games in four of his five seasons with San Diego and 61 ormore games in all five. His 363 games pitched over the last five yearsare the most in the majors over that span. Last year he allowed a .203opponents batting average.

Jim Johnson – This right-handed closer was acquired by the A’sfollowing the 2013 season aer racking up 122 saves in 360 games inparts of eight seasons with Baltimore. He leaves the Orioles rankedsecond on the team’s career saves list and joins Rollie Fingers (1977-78) as the only pitchers in Major League history to lead the majors insaves in back-to-back seasons.

Scott Kazmir – A two-time American League All Star with TampaBay in 2006 and 2008, this le-handed starting pitcher led theleague in strikeouts in 2007 and at the age of 23 became theyoungest AL strikeout champion since 22-year-old Frank Tanana withthe Angels in 1975. Although he didn’t qualify among league leaderslast year with Cleveland, he had the seventh best strikeout per nineinning ratio among AL pitchers with 150 or more innings pitched.

Eric O’Flaherty – A le-hander reliever, O’Flaherty underwent“Tommy John” surgery on his le elbow on May 21, 2013 and hopes tojoin the team at mid-season. His career mark is 20-9 with a 2.85earned run average in eight seasons with Seattle and Atlanta and hasposted a 1.45 ERA in 161 appearances over the last three seasons,which is the lowest mark among Major Leaguers with 125 or moreinnings pitched. �

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

April 2014 | 15

A utility player in the purest sense, McCartywas a first baseman and outfielder, and waseven called upon to pitch. After completing hiscareer he became a Red Sox analyst on local TVfrom 2005-2008 and then moved back toOakland.

Representatives of Oakland BusinessReview (OBR) caught up with him recently forthis question-and-answer report.

OBR: What do you watch for when youattend a Major League game?

McCarty: I still watch for guys that I playedwith or against, although their numbers arediminishing every year. I do catch myselfwatching the pitchers for tips on what theymight be throwing and any patterns they mightfall into as far as pitch selection.

OBR: What do you see as a former player that a regular fan might not?McCarty: I see the things mentioned in the previous question, but I

also watch for player positioning or last minute shifts that may indicatehow they will pitch a certain player or little moves made by the catcher orinfielders that might be signs for pick off plays. Former players also seemto have a gut sense of when certain things will happen like when a batteris likely to get a hit or not based on how comfortable he looks in thebatter’s box against a pitcher.

OBR: What’s important to look for?McCarty: I think the main thing for casual fans to do is have a good

time. Baseball is fun and I want the fans to enjoy watching the game. Thatbeing said, if fans really pay attention to the finer points of the game suchas pitcher/batter matchups and the strategy involved then they can taketheir appreciation of thegame to a whole new level.

OBR: What aspect of thegame do you miss the most?

McCarty: I miss the

> Former MLB player looksback on his career Dave McCarty, anassociate with Lee

& Associates inOakland, had a

15-year career inMajor League

Baseball, includingstints with the A’sin 2003 and with

the Giants in 1995-96. He earned a

World Series ringwhen the Boston

Red Sox won it allin 2004.

> Did you know?• Third baseman Josh Donaldson finished

fourth in the American League Most ValuablePlayer balloting in 2013, batting .301 with 24home runs and 93 RBIs in 158 games.

• A’s outfielder Coco Crisp hit a career high22 home runs and stole 21 bases last season tobecome the tenth player in Athletics historywith 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in aseason.

• Reliever Sean Doolittle allowed just twoor 32 inherited runners to score last year, whichwas the lowest mark in the Major Leagues.

• This season the A’s celebrate the 25thanniversary of the 1989 World Championship.

• The A’s bullpen ranked third in theAmerican League last season with a 3.22earning run average (ERA), ranked third inopponents on-base percentage, fourth inslugging percentage and fih in opponents’batting average.

• The A’s starting pitchers compiled a 3.56earned run average last season, which rankedsecond in the American League.

• Reliever Dan Otero compiled a 1.38 earnedrun average in 33 games with the A’s last year.He ended the season having not allowed ahome run in 51.1 innings.

• When playing at Stanford University in2004, A’s shortstop Jed Lowrie was a nationalsemi-finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy,presented annually to the nation’s topcollegiate player.

• Starting pitcher Scott Kazmir runs theScott Kazmir Foundation, which benefits theChildren’s Dream Fund and other organizationsthat assist ailing children.

• Pitcher Sonny Gray spent most of lastseason’s games with Triple-A Sacramento, butaer making two relief appearances for the A’sreturned in August and finished the season inthe starting rotation with a 5-3 record and 2.08earned run average against the Detroit Tigers inthe American League Division Series.

Josh Donaldson

Coco Crisp

Sean Doolittle

� Dave McCarty, who won aWorld Series ring with the BostonRed Sox, is now an Oaklandbusinessman.

competition and the joking around, but the thing I miss most is thecamaraderie of being with my teammates.

OBR: Is there a new member of the A’s or a player from last year thatyou see great things from?

McCarty: I’m excited to see what Sonny Gray is going to do. He hasincredible stuff that can make big league hitters look overmatched, and ittakes a special guy to do that. �

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com16

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

Both Doolittle and Johnson have been winnersof the prestigious Roberto Clemente Awardpresented by Major League Baseball andChevrolet. The award was established to honorClemente’s legacy and to officially recognizelocal club nominees. Last year Doolittle andJohnson were two of the 30 club finalists for theannual award (Doolittle for the A’s, Johnson forthe Baltimore Orioles), which recognizes a MajorLeague player who best represents the game ofbaseball through positive contributions on andoff the field, including sportsmanship andcommunity involvement.

Clemente, the 15-time All-Star and Hall ofFamer, died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve

1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earth-quake victims in Nicaragua.

For the last two years, Doolittle has supportednumerous local and national charities while a member of the A’s, includingFreedom Alliance, an educational and charitable organization that supportsand honors military service members and their families. He has visited andsupported veterans at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto and at Walter ReedHospital in Washington, D.C. He also has donated numerous signed itemsfor Memorial Day and Fourth of July silent auctions, which led to a $5,000donation to Freedom Alliance.

Along with other A’s relievers, Doolittle created the A’s Relief program,which honors local heroes in the community with a monthly donation to acharity of each recipient’s choice. He has recorded public serviceannouncements for GovX, the largest military and government exclusivee-commerce site which offers ticket discounts to military members andfirst responders.

“We’re proud to take the lead in offering this terrific program to our fans inthe military and first responder communities,” Doolittle said about the GovXprogram. “These men and women sacrifice so much for our country andcommunity, and it is the least we could do to express our gratitude. As a proud

> Doolittle and Johnson – Giving back to the community

> Salvation Army to hostOakland A’s luncheonThe Salvation Army of Alameda County will hold a luncheon to honorthe 2013 American League West Division champion Oakland Athleticson Tuesday, April 22 at the Hilton Oakland Airport (1 HegenbergerRoad). The event begins at noon.

This is the second consecutive year that The Salvation Army hashosted this event. Last year, more than 150 A’s fans were inattendance.

Vince Cotroneo, the A’s radio play-by-play announcer, will be themaster of ceremonies.

“Obviously it’s great to recognize the success the Oakland A’shave had on the field,” says Capt. Dan Williams, Salvation ArmyAlameda County Coordinator. “But it’s their work in the communitywhich makes them a great partner to us. We’ve had players and theirwives contribute to our programs by volunteering and donating. Youcan tell they care a lot about what The Salvation Army does and theycare about the Oakland community.”

Tickets for the luncheon are $75. Tables of ten can be purchasedfor $1,500 and include preferential seating. Sponsorshipopportunities are also available. Proceeds from the luncheon will gotoward the work of The Salvation Army of Alameda County andparticipating chambers of commerce.

For more information about the luncheon, contact Caroline Babinat (510) 383-9300 ext. 203. �

Oakland A’s reliev-ers Sean Doolittleand Jim Johnson

weren’t even bornwhen Hall of

Famer RobertoClemente was

making his magicon the baseball

field. But both ofthem have learned

all about himsince.

� A’s pitcherSean Doolittle.

member of a military family, I know first-hand the dedication it takes.”Johnson was involved with multiple charities during his eight

seasons with the Orioles. He worked with the Miracle League ofManasota, an affiliate of the National Miracle League Association thatjoins more than 200 communities around the world to provideopportunities for disabled children to play baseball. The Manasotachapter is located in the Sarasota, Florida area, the Orioles’ springtraining home and Johnson’s off-season residence. In 2011, Johnsonstarted the Birdland Golf Classic event, which over the last two years hasraised $50,000 that went directly to the Miracle League of Manasota.

In large part due to the success of the Classic (along with additionaldonations from the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates), the MiracleLeague was able to open the first Miracle League Field in the Sarasota-Bradenton area last December with a groundbreaking ceremony whichJohnson attended.

Johnson’s work with children with disabilities continued in theBaltimore community He was involved with the Challenger League inMaryland and Virginia. Last season he taught baseball to more than 40players from the Orioles Advocates Challenger League at Lake WaterfordPark in Pasadena in a Fantasy Camp for Kids. The clinic providedChallenger Baseball players the opportunity to learn baseball skills fromMajor League players. Each participant also received autographs, ticketsto an Orioles game and a personalized Orioles jersey.

Johnson’s efforts over the years have stretched beyond just children.In 2013, for the second consecutive year, the Orioles hosted a group ofwounded soldiers and other active military groups and their families in acatered private suite for each Orioles home Sunday game. Johnson gotinvolved personally by contributing $1,000 to the program for thesecond consecutive year, in addition to meeting with the soldiers on thefield pre-game. �

Let’s Go A’s!

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

April 2014 | 17

But Oakland finally reaped ahandsome reward for their effortswith Harden. In a move that didn’tmove the needle at the time, the clubfinally traded the pitcher to theChicago Cubs in 2008 for fourplayers, one of which was anathletically raw catcher named JoshDonaldson.

Donaldson, just a year youngerthan Harden, languished in theOakland system until 2012, when hewas moved from catcher to third

base. It looks like a genius move today. In a very short time, Donaldsontransformed himself from a player who looked like he might not makethe major leagues to one of the league’s all-around best at his newposition.

> After a brilliant season,Donaldson wants it all

General manager Billy Beane knew he had a skilled athlete, but thatathleticism didn’t manifest itself until Donaldson was able to establishhimself as an everyday player. The bonus was that he demonstrated atenacity to improve both offensively and defensively, and it resulted inthe emergence of a star-quality player few saw coming, even Beane.

“From the time he took over, he showed a lot of promise,” Beanesaid. “But he just hasn’t stopped. He just kept getting better and better,and he’s been an absolute grinder out there. To think how far this guy’scome in a year, and to now hear chants of MVP, that’s just so impressive.”

Indeed, Donaldson assumed the starting job at third in the secondhalf of 2012, and while he hit just .241, he exhibited power at the plateand terrific range at his position. Then it all came together in 2013, whenhe hit .301 with 24 home runs and 93 RBIs. He raised his on-base andslugging percentages by nearly 100 points, and was the most durableplayer on the team, playing in 158 games.

He also progressed defensively to the point where he was one ofthe best glove men in baseball at third base. The combination of his all-around proficiency earned him the fourth-place spot in the AmericanLeague Most Valuable Player voting.

Now, because of his limited service time, Donaldson is arguablythe best bargain in baseball, with his contract recently being renewed for2014 at the league minimum –$500,000. Donaldson doesn’t seem toremind, because he knows bigger financial rewards are coming down theline if he can replicate his 2013 season.

Fully recognizing how far he’s come in less than two years, hisgoal is to now exceed what he did last season. He says playing every dayhas allowed him to develop a consistency he could never get at catcher,and that the move “changed everything.”

“My expectations two years ago were to be the best catcher Icould be and do the best I could to make the team,” he said. “Myexpectations now are to do everything I can to get this team into theplayoffs and World Series.”

Donaldson derives 2014 motivation from the fact that despite hisbrilliant season, he was le off the A.L. All-Star team and then hit .143 inthe playoffs against the Detroit Tigers.

“We've got more to do here,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind seeingDetroit again in the playoffs, but this time in the (seven-game AmericanLeague Championship Series).”

The A’s, meanwhile, would simply like to see Donaldson approachhis 2013 performance level. If he does, it’ll make that playoff rematchmuch more likely. �

Carl Steward is a sports columnist for the Oakland Tribune andBay Area News Group.

The A’s spent severalyears trying to mine a

pitcher named RichHarden, who had the

talent to become a stafface but suffered a seriesof injuries that derailedhis career. Still just 29years old, Harden has

been out of baseball fortwo years.

Kent Alexander

Brady-Harbord-Payne

Insurance Brokers

(510) 444-5645, ext. 9

Semajh Bilaal

Connexion@JLP

(510) 614-3000

semajh@connexionjlp.com

Graig Brooks

Sigma Beta Club

(510) 432-1429

Marvin A. Clark

Sigma Beta Club

(510) 867-8436

marvin@1stbuilding

maintenance.com

Victor O. Dominguez

Surf Clean

Carpet & upholstery

cleaning

(510) 383-3563

www.surfcleaners.com

Cynthia Dorsey

Oakland Chamber

Toastmasters

(510) 919-6830

procd@aol.com

Wendy Gershaw

Combined Worksite

Solutions

(510) 333-5902

www.combined

worksite.com

Dawnn Hills

The Guardian Life

Insurance Company

of America

(925) 983-2901

dawnn_hills@glic.com

Tara Johnson

D.I.V.A.S. with S.O.L., Inc.

Diversity Is Victory

Among Sisters with

Soldiers of Life, Inc.

(510) 777-1765

www.divaswithsol.org

Cory and Gail Nott

Referral Institute

(510) 986-4775

cory@referralinstitute

oakland.com

Chadwick Spell

Prescott Joseph Center

(310) 621-2833

cspell@telepacific.com

Kelly S. Wright

State Farm Insurance

(510) 488-3505

www.kellyswright.com

The following members of the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee wish the Oakland A’s a successful and winning season.

� A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson has turned into one of thebest glove men in baseball.

by Carl Steward

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com18

The Oakland A’s offer a variety ofprograms for local children. Hereare just a few of those community-oriented activities

YOUTH BASEBALL PROGRAMS

A’s AmigosThe A’s Amigos program gives our community bilingual Spanish-speakingchildren of nonprofit organizations the opportunity to interact withbilingual-speaking A’s players. Participants are able to learn about thevalue of sportsmanship and hard work from their role models. In additionto the pre-game chat, each child receives a game ticket and an A‘s cap.

A’s Amigos is sponsored by Kelly-Moore Paints and XFINITY.

Take the Field with the A’sThe Take the Field with the A’sprogram selects youth baseballand soball teams to joinOakland A’s players on the fieldduring the national anthem,giving the youth a chance to liveout their Major League dreams.Each participant receives anautographed baseball, tee shirtand ticket to the game.

Wells Fargo is the sponsor ofTake the Field.

Race Around the BasesChildren 14 and under areinvited onto the field aer everySunday day game to run thesame bases that the A’s do. A’smascot Stomper is present tocheer the participants on asthey round the bases.

Race Around the Bases issponsored by Chevrolet.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Home Run ReadersTeachers and administrators canenroll the Oakland A’s HomeRun Readers Program to worktogether in promoting theimportance of literacy andencourage reading in theclassroom. Help your studentsset reading goals and worktoward exciting rewards.

Students who achieve theirgoals receive free A’s giveaways,

an entry into a drawing to be one of six schools visited by an A’s player orcoach, and an invitation to the Oakland A’s Home Run Readers Day at O.coColiseum.

More than 100 Bay Area schools participate in the program.

> The A’s – Staying activein the community

Take the Field with the A’s

A’s Amigos

The Oakland Athletics Community Fund awards onescholarship each season to an undergraduate student whois majoring in journalism or broadcasting. This $3,000scholarship is intended for qualified tuition or required expenses suchas fees, books, supplies and equipment for courses of instruction at aqualified educational institution. The recipient will possibly receive theopportunity to intern with the A’s Broadcasting Department.

Bill King is the former legendary voice of the A’s who passed away in2005. He broadcasted A’s games for 25 seasons and his trademarkexclamatory phrase, “Holy Toledo,” became a familiar part of the Bay Areasports scene.

The purpose of the scholarship is to support a student who plans topursue a career in journalism or broadcasting. �

> The Bill King Scholarship

Oakland A’s infielderJed Lowrie, acquiredfrom Houston prior tolast season, had hisfinest year at the platein 2013. Lowrie batted.290 with 45 doubles,two triples, 15 homeruns and 75 runs battedin, setting an Athleticsrecord for doubles by aswitch-hitter and anOakland record for hits

by a switch-hitter (175). He also equaled Brent Gates’ Oakland record forbatting average by a switch-hitter, established in 1993. His doubles rankedsecond in the American League. �

> Jed Lowrie makes history

‘Mathletics’Since the “Mathletics” program inception in 2003, more than 200,000Bay Area and Northern California students’ grades first through eighthhave participated. The program is sponsored by Ross Dress For Less andComcast SportsNet California.

The A’s design and distribute thousands of Mathletics workbooks thatutilize simple formulas for calculating statistics of A’s players to studentsin hopes to promote the importance of math among Bay Area youth.Students who are in the first through eighth grades, complete theworkbooks correctly and submit the answer sheet to the A’s will earn twoticket vouchers to a game.

Science of the GameChevron and the Oakland A’s have partnered to bring Science of the Gameto students in the first to eighth grades. Students have the opportunity toearn two free ticket vouchers to an A’s game by learning about baseballand the roll that science plays through this workbook program.

Green Stampede Homework ClubOn select game days elementary school students from across Oaklandcome to O.co Coliseum to receive help with their homework from tutorsand aids. Aer the students have finished they are able to sit in the standsand watch the game.

On the last meeting of the spring and fall sessions an A’s player willvisit and sign autographs for the students as a way to congratulate themfor all of their hard work. �

A Whole NewBall Game

Go A’s(510 452-4565

233 Broadway, Oakland CA 94607www.innatthesquare.com

Let’s Go A’s!Good Luck

in 2014

Visit us on the web at www.thecloroxcompany.com

Just win,A’s

Full Court PressCommunications

April 2014 | 19

SPECIAL SECTION Oakland A’s

The Oakland A’s Community Fund supports charitable organizationsin improving the quality of life for people throughout the Bay Area.Specifically, the fund endeavors to improve educational programs, aid theunderprivileged, assist in crime and drug prevention, promote healthawareness, and champion children and senior welfare. The CommunityFund believes in the need to invest in the community’s future.

The following are examples of Community Fund events:

Golf ClassicCurrent and former A’s players attend the Oakland A’s Community FundGolf Classic, which raises funds for the A’s Community Fund through thetournament and silent and live auctions. For information, contact DetraPage at (510) 563-2241.

Root Beer Float DayThe 15th annual Root Beer Float Day will be held on Wednesday, July 23.All proceeds benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Since

2003 the A’s haveraised more than$353,000. Prior to thegame, A’s players,coaches andbroadcasters, alongwith local and nationalpersonalities andcelebrities, serve rootbeer floats in theEastside Club.

Holiday partyOakland A’s pitchersSean Doolittle and A.J.Griffin made the 2013holiday season specialfor a group ofdeserving children atthe A’s CommunityFund’s annual holidayparty at the OaklandZoo, presented byRound Table Pizza andAquafina. Doolittle andGriffin signedautographs and tookphotos with 200students from HowardElementary School inOakland, a reward forthe students’ excellent

attendance andclassroom behavior.Each child received awrapped gi,

courtesy of Good Tidings Foundation, and the day also included facepainting, arts and cras, and a visit by Santa and A’s mascot Stomper.

Silent auctionPurchase game-used Major League Baseball authenticated memorabiliaincluding jerseys, baseballs, bats, line-up cards and other items at O.coColiseum every game day. �

> The A’s Community Fund –Benefiting people around the bay

� A’s manager Bob Melvin signs auto-graphs and scoops ice cream at MUGRoot Beer Float Day.

� A’s pitchers Sean Doolittle (left) and A.J.Griffin meet a young guest at last year’sHoliday Caravan at the Oakland Zoo.

First basemanBrandon Moss ledthe 2013 Oakland A’swith 30 home runsand finished secondwith 87 runs battedin despite spendingmost of the lastseason in a platoon,becoming the 19thplayer in Oaklandhistory to hit at least30. He ranked sixthin the AmericanLeague in sluggingpercentage and tiedfor eighth in homeruns. �

> Leading the field

Brandon Moss

100 Filbert Street • Oakland, CA 94607510.444.7959

GO A’S!

Go all the way and

we’ll throw you a parade.

Building OaklandTogether

Pipelines, Grading, Paving, Concrete,Landscape, Mechanical, Materials

In Oakland since 1926Phone: (510) 632-7676

www.MandHcorp.com

For some players, like Oakland A’s second baseman EricSogard, the beginning of a love for baseball cannot be tiedto a standout memory – he has played his entire life. AnArizona native, Sogard reflected on his beginnings and saidthe sport has always been in his family.

“[Our dad] was always coaching us, up until about college, so he’smy main influence,” Sogard said. “I remember playing Wiffle ball in thebackyard with my dad and brother, pretending to be Major Leagueplayers, just going at it and having fun. We actually have a video of it,so it’s fun to go back and watch that sometimes.”

On a string of nostalgia, Sogard reminisced about his freshman yearat Arizona StateUniversity and hisfavorite early baseballmemory – a 2005College World Seriesgame. “It was anelimination game,”Sogard said. “JeffLarish had already hittwo homers; [we were]down by one with oneout to go. He took thefirst pitch dead centerto tie it up. It was themost emotion I’ve everhad on the fieldgrowing up.”

All memories aside,Sogard said his love forbaseball has notraceable beginning. “Ithink it’s always beenthere,” he said. �

> Eric Sogard reminisces

Eric Sogard

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com 20

SPECIAL SECTION Leadership Oakland

> Leadership class discovers landuse and transportation

Following Dr. Walker’s introduction, thegroup investigated some of Oakland’sdevelopment and urban planninginitiatives with a housing panel,consisting of Chris Pattillo, landscapearchitect and chair of the OaklandPlanning Commission; Jeffrey Levin,policy director for East Bay HousingOrganizations; and Ray Connell, landacquisition manager at Summer HillApartment Communities. The paneldiscussed a broad array of topics rangingfrom Oakland’s vision and the role ofdevelopment in this vision, to the fourmajor Specific Plans in the works, and thechallenges facing future development inthe city. One critical takeaway was theimportance of the city developing a

focused plan and sticking with it, giving developers the confidence tomake long-term plans and investments.

With this knowledge as a base, the class undertook a development“charity,” analyzing the feasibility of developing three different parcelsin three Bay Area cities. While the parameters were simplified, theexercises were based on real parcels and the real zoning codesgoverning these parcels. Participants were surprised by the detail of thezoning codes and the broad array of constraints on development, not tomention the math involved. Participants noted the challenge of makingdevelopments “pencil out” where height restrictions and minimumparking requirements limit the saleable or rentable space on a parcel.

After getting energized by a sumptuous lunch, the class delved intothe future of transportation in Oakland. A panel of transportationprofessionals included Tess Leggy, deputy director of Planning & Policy,

Alameda CTC; Iris Starr,manager of TransportationPlanning & Funding, city ofOakland; and Joel Ramos,regional planning director ofTransform and Director,SFMTA. With numerouspublications in the topic of politics of transportation, moderator JasonHenderson, Ph.D., fostered a healthy discussion with the group. Keytopics included upcoming funding opportunities (Measure B) andovercoming barriers to transportation projects.

These ideas were then put into practice with a thought-provoking“Complete Streets” charity. Groups were asked to develop alternativestreet designs given conflicting goals and geometric limitations whileminimizing transit operating costs. The members appreciated the detailthat goes into optimizing street designs and enjoyed getting an informalunderstanding of how different modes overlap.

At the end of the day, Leadership Oakland participants had a deeperappreciation for the trade-offs and interactions between land use andtransportation.

�

Kiran Bawa is the manager of special projects at AC Transit; GrayDougherty is a partner at Dougherty + Dougherty Architects LLP;Jonathan Fearn is the director of development at Summer Hill Apart-ment Communities; and Stephen Newhouse is a transportation plan-ner at AC Transit.

On March 14, LeadershipOakland hosted a forum

about Oakland’s“Transportation and

Environment.”Dr. Richard Walker,

professor emeritus atUC Berkeley, set the stage

for the day, providinginsight into Oakland’s

history and how the city’sdevelopment patterns

have contributed to thecurrent state of thetransportation and

development pattern.

Miss DanethaOakland, CA 94611Danetha DoeEmail: danetha@missdanetha.comWebsite: www.missdanetha.comFinancial Services

Monster Pho3905 BroadwayOakland, CA 94611Phone: (510) 332-1788Thuyen “T” TranEmail: care@monsterpho.comWebsite: www.monsterpho.comRestaurant

Oakland Police Foundation248 3rd St., Suite 604Oakland, CA 94607Phone: (510) 238-6102Barbara MedlinEmail:info@oaklandpolicefoundation.orgWebsite:www.oaklandpolicefoundation.orgNonprofit

Parenti & Associates, Inc.1091 Industrial Road, Suite 270San Carlos, CA 94070Phone: (650) 596-9500Fax: (650) 232-5728Chris LarmoreWebsite: www.parentiinsurance.comInsurance Agents & Brokers

Pastry From Above828 6th Ave.Oakland, CA 94606Phone: (510) 214-8290Fax: (510) 839-0693Cicily DinkinsEmail: order@pastryfromabove.comWebsite: www.pastryfromabove.comBakery

Pollock & Associates, APC5464 College Ave., Suite BOakland, CA 94618Phone: (510) 420-0707Fax: (707) 222-2510Jennifer PollockEmail: Jennifer@stanpollockcpa.comWebsite: www.stanpollockcpa.comTax Consultants

Ports America1599 Maritime St.Oakland, CA 94607Phone: (510) 464-8698Fred CastonguayEmail: corporate@portsamerica.comWebsite: www.portsamerica.comStevedoring

Premier Business Centers1999 Harrison St., 18th FloorOakland, CA 94612Phone: (510) 496-4600Bertie MentzerEmail: bmentzer@pbcenters.comWebsite: www.pbcenters.comExecutive Suites

Wedgewood Wedding & Banquet Center10051 Doolittle DriveOakland, CA 94603Phone: (510) 569-5555Fax: (510) 562-6159Mike ZandonellaEmail:metrosales@wedgewoodbanquest.comWebsite:www.wedgewoodbanquet.comHospitality

Wells Fargo – Private Mortgage Banking1901 Harrison St., 17th FloorOakland, CA 94612Phone: (510) 446-5142Karen WhiteMortgage Banking

� Speakers at LeadershipOakland’s land use andtransportation session included(left to right) panelists ChrisPattillo, Ray Connell and JeffreyLevin; and opening speaker Dr.Richard Walker.

by Kiran Bawa, Gray Dougherty, Jonathan Fearn and Stephen Newhouse

Acta Non Verba: Youth UrbanFarm Project7631 MacArthur Blvd.Oakland, CA 94605Phone: (510) 686-1717Kelly CarlisleEmail: info@anvfarm.orgWebsite: www.anvfarm.orgNonprofit

Alternative Technologies1050 Heinz Ave.Berkeley, CA 94710Phone: (510) 848-4411Fax: (510) 848-4491Chris FrostEmail: info@alternativetechs.comWebsite: www.alternativetechs.comInformation Technology Services

Alternatives In Action3666 Grand Ave., Suite AOakland, CA 94610Phone: (510) 285-6290Fax: (510) 285-6924Ali MedinaEmail:amedina@alternativesinaction.orgWebsite: www.alternativesinaction.orgNonprofit

Bank of the Orient360 12st St. Oakland, CA 94607Phone: (510) 834-0731Fax: (415) 338-0669JungHyun (John) Han Website: www.bankorient.comBank

Bright Now! Dental (Oakland)8105 Edgewater Drive, Suite 250Oakland, CA 94621Phone: (510) 568-6272Fax: (510) 636-1942Denise HookerEmail: Oakland-a@BrightNow.comWebsite: www.BrightNow.comDentist

Color Print1570 Gilbreth RoadBurlingame, CA 94010Phone: (650) 697-7611Don Landers IIIWebsite: www.colorprint.comPrinter

dealsnapt4190 Douglas Blvd., Suite 300Granite Bay, CA 95746Phone: (510) 387-7584Joyce HooksEmail: jhooks@dealsnapt.comWebsite: www.dealsnapt.comMarketing Services

Ecstatic DanceHistoric Sweet’s Ballroom1933 BroadwayOakland, CA 94612Phone: (510) 206-8617Donna CarrollEmail: Info@ecstaticdance.comWebsite: www.ecstaticdance.comEntertainment

Girls Incorporated of AlamedaCounty510 16th St.Oakland, CA 94612Phone: (510) 357-5515Fax: (510) 318-5937Marjorie WinklerWebsite: www.girlsinc-alameda.orgNonprofit

K to College7730 Pardee LaneOakland, CA 94621Phone: (510) 569-5862Benito Delgado-OlsonEmail: info@ktocollege.orgWebsite: www.ktocollege.orgNonprofit

Metropolitan Golf Links10051 Doolittle DriveOakland, CA 94603Phone: (510) 569-5555Fax: (510) 562-9176Shelley HaraEmail: metro@playmetro.comWebsite: www.playmetro.comGolf Equipment & Supplies

> NEW MEMBERS

April 2014 | 21

SPECIAL SECTION Small Business

OAKLAND A’S vs SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

> Join us for ‘Battle of the Bay’ July 8

The Chamber has reserved asection at one A’s game thisyear that should be of particularinterest in the Bay Area. OnTuesday evening, July 8, joinChamber members and staff atO.co Coliseum for the Battle ofthe Bay – the A’s versus the SanFrancisco Giants.

And then, just to make thegame even more enticing, theChamber has acquired reservedseats on the Plaza Level (seconddeck) overlooking third base.The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

Tickets for the A’s-Giantsshowdown are just $45 perperson ($55 for non-members)and the ticket price isguaranteed – even as regular ticket prices will increase for this greatrivalry.

To reserve tickets for the A’s-Giants game – always a sellout –visit www.oaklandchamber.com or contact Ivette Torres atitorres@oaklandchamber.com or at (510) 874-4800, ext. 319.

Help the Chamber cheer the A’s on to victory! �

The Oakland A’s, theAmerican League WesternDivision Champions for thepast two years, have startedtheir quest for anotherdivision title in 2014. Andthe Chamber is alreadymaking plans to help cheerthem on to more victories.

STOPWASTE AWARDS

> Two Oakland businessesamong StopWaste award winners

On March 13, local public agency StopWaste celebrated the 2014StopWaste Business Efficiency Awards recognizing 12 businessesfrom Alameda County for outstanding achievements in wastereduction. Among the winners are two Oakland companies: TheSacred Wheel, a cheese and specialty shop with restaurant on ShattuckAvenue, and America’s Best Coffee Roasting Company on 50th Avenue.Like the rest of the awardees, these businesses represent very differentindustries, but have one thing in common – they all have takeninitiatives to cut waste in their operations, and in turn have improvedtheir companies’ efficiency.

DITCHING DISPOSABLE DISHESJena Davidson and hermother Bernice foundedThe Sacred Wheel aboutthree years ago, focusing onthe sale of cheeses andspecialty foods while sellingsandwiches and hot food onthe side. As the restaurantpart of the business grew, sodid the amount of trash fromdisposable dishware such asdrinking cups and straws,napkins and soup bowls.Distressed to see so muchmaterial go to waste, theowners decided to switch toreusable dishes and utensilsfor food eaten at the café,and offer some items, suchas straws, only on request.

The Sacred Wheel gothelp with the transitionfrom Clean Water Action, anonprofit organization thathas joined forces withStopWaste in an effort toreduce the use of disposablefood service ware. With a payback period of only three months, TheSacred Wheel is now saving $2,600 per year in avoided purchasesof disposable service ware, and $1,100 per year in reduced garbagecollection service. In addition, the company diligently keeps allcompostable and recyclable materials out of the garbage, and hasreceptacles for food scraps and recycling for their customers as well.

The Sacred Wheel received the award for Waste ReductionExcellence by a Restaurant.

MULTIPLE BENEFITS FROM REUSABLE TRANSPORT PACKAGINGAmerica’s Best Coffee Roasting Company, a specialty coffee roasterwith 19 employees, successfully eliminated two recurring sources ofwaste from their production process. First, they replaced cardboardboxes – used to send roasted coffee beans to customers for furtherprocessing and packaging – with reusable plastic bins, cutting coststo purchase new boxes and the costs to recycle the old ones. Next, thecompany stopped bagging coffee for one particular large customer inthick plastic bags, each holding five pounds of coffee, and now usesreusable bulk containers instead, preventing waste from over 1,000plastic bags each week. The change has not only reduced purchasingand disposal costs for these packaging materials, but also helps saveon labor costs, both for the company and their customer.

America’s Best Coffee Roasting Company received the award forWaste Reduction Excellence in Food Processing.

Other industries represented by the winners of the 2014 StopWasteBusiness Efficiency Awards include manufacturing, eco-social mediainnovation, building materials suppliers, compost producers andresidential and commercial property management.

For the full list of winners and their accomplishments as well asphotos from the awards event, visit www.StopWaste.Org/Winners. �

Michelle Fay is a program manager at StopWaste.org.

by Michelle Fay

� Sacred Wheel founder JenaDavidson switched fromdisposable dishes to reusableones for meals served at thecafe.

� Oakland A’s managerBob Melvin will be lookingfor you at the Oakland A’s-San Francisco Giants gameon Tuesday, July 8.

| OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com

Names in the news

• Wendel, Rosen, Black& Dean LLP has announcedthe election of Richard Wax-man as its new managingpartner. Joining the firm in1989, Waxman most recentlychaired Wendel’s TransactionDepartment. He represents anumber of medium-sizedbusinesses with all aspects ofgeneral business counselingin the East Bay and beyond.

In addition, Wendel,Rosen, Black & Dean LLPadded Tammy France as firm-wide human resources man-ager. France joins WendelRosen after seven years ashuman resources manager atSedgwick LLP in San Fran-cisco.

• For the seventh con-secutive year, Kaiser Perma-nente has been given thehighest ranking for customersatisfaction in California,

ahead of all other health plans in the state, accordingto the recently released J.D. Power 2014 U.S. MemberHealth Plan StudySM. Kaiser Permanente out-performed seven other health plans in California,scoring 756 on a 1,000-point scale, 76 points higherthan the average health plan score in the state. Theorganization performed particularly well in four keyareas: customer service, provider choice, coverage andbenefits, and information and communication.

• Jeff Hirsch, who has served in the hospitalityindustry for more than 25 years, has been named gen-eral manager of the Homewood Suites of Oakland.He previously served as general manager of theHoliday Inn – Walnut Creek, the Larkspur LandingHotel in Milpitas, the Truckee Tahoe Lodge in Truckee,the Holiday Inn Express in Mill Valley, Grover Beachand Santa Cruz, and most recently the Hilton GardenInn in Yuma, Arizona.

• The League of Women Voters of Oakland’s23rd annual All-City Luncheon will be held on Tuesday,April 29 from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Pavilion atScott’s Seafood Restaurant in Jack London Square. Theluncheon’s theme, “Building Citizens for the Future,”will be explored by California Chief Justice Tani GorreCantil-Sakauye, in conversation with Bay Area journal-ist Belva Davis. Making Democracy Work Awards willbe presented to the Bay Area Urban Debate Leagueand to Maryann Wolfe, social studies teacher at Oak-land Technical High School. Advance reservations arerequired – www.lwvoakland.org or (510) 834-7640. �

Richard Waxman

Tammy France

22

First, Oakland’s local leader in theCommon Core movement, deputysuperintendent Maria Santos, wasrecognized in the national publicationEducation Week as being one of 16“leaders to learn from.” Her innovativeprofessional development framework toimplement the new Common Corecurriculum across the entire district hasbeen amazing. Stanford Universityprofessor Kenji Hakuta was quoted as

noting that “What has set her apart as a leader for English learnersis her focus on balancing the content and the language expertiseand putting the content upfront, rather than in the background.That has helped to position Oakland’s transition to the commoncore very well.”

To learn more about what makes her work important as aneducation “best practice,” see http://leaders.edweek.org.

Second, I was asked to brief the Department of Education’ssecondary and career technical education leadership on ourexperiences with Linked Learning in our high schools. I joined thesuperintendent from Porterville school district, and a team ofeducators from San Diego’s Kearney High School in theEisenhower Executive Offices within the White House to share the

importance of the fullimplementation of careerpathways for our secondarystudents and the preliminaryexciting findings.

Kevin Taylor, currentexecutive officer for high schools, and former McClymonds HighSchool principal, has led the school board through a thoroughexamination of the challenges and opportunities of our highschools. His high school team has craed a long-term strategicinitiative that is centered on college, career, and communitysuccess for every one of our high schoolers. You can see that planon our district website (www.ousd.k12.ca.us).

Third, you may have heard the important announcement byPresident Obama of his “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, backedwith $150 million from various philanthropic organizations,including several in the Bay Area. The focus of this work is to helpbridge economic disparities that impact the life chances of Blackand Latino males, by creating community-wide economic andeducational opportunities. This focus resonates not only withcareer pathways in our high schools, but with our groundbreakingwork that is advanced through our Office of African AmericanMale Achievement, headed by executive director ChristopherChatom.

As a direct result of that effort, David Johns, the executivedirector of the White House initiative, spent an entire day in ourschools, spending much of the time at Oakland High Schoollearning about what we are doing and how it is impacting ourAfrican American young people. During the visit, students in theManhood Development class engaged in a candid conversationwith Johns that allowed their voices to be heard at the nationallevel. As Johns observed, “There is so much alignment betweenthe conversations in Washington, D.C. and the work that is beingdone on the ground here in Oakland.” �

Dr. Gary Yee is superintendent of the Oakland Unified SchoolDistrict.

> Oakland graduates – college,career and community readyby Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gary Yee

The OaklandUnified School

District’sdetermination

to transform ourhigh schools hasgained national

attention thispast month.

SPECIAL SECTION Education

� Maria Santos (standing)meets with James Harris (vicepresident of the School Board)and parents at ElmhurstMiddle School in Oakland.

April 2014 | 23

Keeping you connected and informed

> APRIL4 | East Bay Women in

Business Roundtable luncheon|11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.“Small Business Innovators: Connectionwith Community,” featuring successfulsmall business owners – Sarah Filley(PopUpHood), Erin Kilmer-Neel(Sustainable Business Alliance &Oakland Grown), Konda Mason (ImpactHUB Oakland), Anca Mosoiu (TechLiminal), and Angela Tsay (Oaklandish),Waterfront Hotel in Jack London Square

7 | OCYP Lunch-n-Learn |noon - 1 p.m.“Building a Great LinkedIn Profile” withpresenter David Mitroff, founder & CEOof Piedmont Avenue Consulting, bringyour own lunch

7 | Oakland Chamber Young Professionals (OCYP)committee meeting |5:30 - 7:30 p.m.Spice Monkey Restaurant, 1628 Webster St.

9 | Ambassador Committeemeeting |noon - 1 p.m.

15 | Nonprofit RoundtableCommittee meeting |2:30 - 4:30 p.m.

16 | “Illuminating Ideas:Energy & SustainabilitySummit,” |7:30 a.m. - noonOakland Convention Center, featuringkeynote address by the immediate pastChairman of the Federal EnergyRegulatory Commission, JonWellinghoff, and two consecutive paneldiscussion sessions on “GreenInfrastructure and Smart, ResilientCities,” and “Innovative EnergyTechnology and the Public PrivatePartnership.” Summit will also feature“Insider Real Estate Update andForecast Session

16 | East Bay Women inBusiness Roundtablecommittee meeting|noon - 1 p.m.

16 | Oakland Chamber Young Professionals (OCYP) mixer |5:30 - 7:30 p.m.Somar Bar and Lounge, 1727 TelegraphAve.

17 | Chamber 101 |7:30 - 9 a.m.Learn how to maximize your Chamberbenefits. Free marketing andnetworking opportunities. Specialoffers available

All events held at Chamber offices, 475 14th Street, unless otherwise noted. Call 874-4800 to confirm dates and times. Meetings are open to all Chamber members.

NonprofitRoundtableMeeting| APRIL 15

24 | After Five Reception |5:30 - 7:30 p.m.Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar, JackLondon Square, Harbor View Room

25 | Inside Oakland BreakfastForum |8:30 - 10 a.m.“Blight & Oakland’s Response” withBrooke Levin, Kim Luqman, SteveSnider and David Tucker

> MAY7 | OCYP Lunch-n-Learn

|noon - 1 p.m.“Using Yelp for your Business” withpresenter Dominique Ferrar, bring yourown lunch

14 | Ambassador Committeemeeting|noon - 1 p.m.

14 | Economic DevelopmentForum |3 - 4:30 p.m.featuring a discussion on Measure B,

Economic Development SummitHalf-day morning event

| APRIL 16

The purpose of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamberof Commerce is to promote commerce and industry,to advance economic growth and to enhance thequality of life in the city of Oakland.

OBR OAKLAND BUSINESS REVIEW (ISSN 1092-7220)is published monthly at $100.00 a year by theOakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, 47514th Street, Oakland, CA 94612-1903. Membershipdues include subscription. Periodicals postage atOakland, CA. Contents can’t be reproduced withoutpermission. POSTMASTER: Send address changes toOAKLAND BUSINESS REVIEW, 475 14th Street,Oakland, CA 94612.

EditorHANK MASLER, (510) 874-4808hmasler@oaklandchamber.com | www.oaklandchamber.com

Design/Production EditorCARTER DESIGNS

The articles published in this publication do notnecessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the OaklandMetropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEChair of the BoardSHANNON PEDDERBRAND: CREATIVE

Vice ChairMARK EVERTONWaterfront Hotel

DAN COHENFull Court Press

CHARISSA FRANKFMG Architects

DAVID TUCKERWaste Managementof Alameda County

ZACK WASSERMANEx Officio CorporateCounselWendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP

KEN WHITEFidelity Roof Company

Immediate Past ChairJOHN NELSONmurakami/Nelson

BOARD OF D IRECTORS

KIM ARNONEKatovich & Kassan LawGroup (representingWomen in BusinessRoundtable)

HARMINDER BAINSSecuritas

ALICIA BERTPG&E

ALISON BESTVisit Oakland

DAVE CANNONBarney & Barney LLC

GREG CHANEast Bay MunicipalUtility District

CYNTHIACHIARAPPAChildren’s Hospital& Research CenterOakland

JOHN DOLBYCassidy Turley

SOLOMONETS-HOKINColliers International

RON FORESTMatson NavigationCompany

JOHN GOODINGThe Quadric Group

STAN HEBERTCalifornia State University, East Bay

MICHAEL HESTERMcGuire & Hester

VICTORIA JONESThe Clorox Company

PAMELA KERSHAWPort of Oakland

MICHAEL LEBLANCPICÁN Restaurant

KEN LOWNEYLowney Architecture

KEN MAXEYComcast

ED MCFARLANJRDV Urban International

IKE MMEJEAlta Bates SummitMedical Center

SAM NASSIFCreative HospitalityCorporation

NATHANIELOUBRE, JR.Kaiser Permanente

HILARY PEARSONSungevity

MARK PHILLIPSChase

CHUCK RAMANUJAMBank of America

MICKY RANDHAWAWells Fargo

KEITH TURNERSafeway

ELÑORA TENA WEBB,PH.D.Laney College

RICHARD WHITEFitzgerald Abbott &Beardsley LLC

AFTER FIVE RECEPTIONScott’s Seafood Grill & Bar

| APRIL 24

Oakland ChamberYoung ProfessionalsMixer at Somar Bar

| APRIL 16

April24

No charge for Chamber members.$15 for non-members. 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

After Five Reception

Scott’s Seafood Grill & Bar

Jack London Square, Harbor View Room

“Funding the Transportation ExpenditurePlan in Alameda County” with theAlameda County TransportationCommission and a panel of localagencies, Matt Davis (Port of Oakland),Rachel Flynn (City of Oakland), ACTransit, and BART

15 | Chamber 101 |7:30 - 9 a.m.Learn how to maximize your Chamberbenefits. Free marketing andnetworking opportunities. Specialoffers available

20 | Nonprofit RoundtableCommittee meeting |2:30 - 4:30 p.m.

21 | Oakland Chamber Young Professionals (OCYP) mixer |5:30 - 7:30 p.m.Holy Names University, 3500 MountainBlvd.

22 | After Five Reception |5:30 - 7:30 p.m.ConneXion at Jack London Park, 520 3rd St., suite 109

CHAMBER 101Maximize your Chamberbenefits

| APRIL 17

24 | OBR Oakland Business Review | www.oaklandchamber.com

Small Business Development Center

> Product positioning – The battle in the mind of your customer

Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of articleswritten by Gerry Baranano, who is principal of The RevLaunch

Company, an entrepreneur in residence for the Tech Futures

Group, and an Alameda County Small Business Development

Center (SBDC) business advisor. The series will cover the unique

challenges companies face when introducing innovative

technology products in the marketplace.

The first article covered the different kinds of technologicalinnovation – disruptive technologies that disrupt existing

industry or create new markets and customers versus sustainingtechnologies that innovate along known requirement sets and can result inbreakthrough products. It’s the difference between poker (disruptive technology)whereby you introduce new value propositions and either create new markets or re-shape existing markets; and chess (sustaining technologies) whereby you innovatealong established improvement trajectories and along dimensions historically valuedby customers.

Think of the iPod as disrupting the music industry and its process of purchasingmusic as it then existed; or think of the original personal computer that created anentirely new market of non-experts using computers, computers for the masses.

How to position these two different types of products can be difficult andrequires a combination of white board work and deep conversations with potentialcustomers.

And, it may be the most important thing you do for the success of your productand company.

Let’s start by defining positioning: Positioning is how you differentiate yourproduct in the mind of the customer. It is how people think about your product. Itoccurs in the mind of your customer. It is NOT buzzwords, advertising slogans, publicrelations, branding, feature/benefit comparisons, value propositions.

A succinct description of the key goal of positioning is to create a space inside thetarget customer’s head called the “best buy for this job.” This is a combination of theideas contained in Al Reiss and Jack Trout’s influential 1981 book, “Positioning: theBattle for your Mind” with the ideas from Harvard professor Clayton Christensen. Irecommend reading the Positioning book as well as books by Clayton Christensen.

In positioning, your first responsibility is to find a window in the mind of thecustomer, a unique hole in the product category where your product competes.

Consider what is already in the mind of your customer regarding your productcategory and the “job” your product would be hired to do. There is a fire hose ofinformation aimed at customers every day. Your piece of information, part of theestimated five exabytes of data per day, must make it through the brain’s tinybandwidth capability of around seven pieces of data at a time. That is difficult.

Having been bombarded with untold number of messages per day, the customer’smind likely has another product or company occupying the product category spaceyou wish to occupy.

The first product to occupy that space in the customer’s mind enjoys a bigadvantage. In a sense, the customer has “imprinted” on that product and thatcompany. Think of Kleenex or FedEx.

Perhaps your product is so innovative that it creates a new category. That caserequires creating a new category in the mind of the prospect. It is very difficult to pulloff and requires a different set of rules. This case is not part of this discussion andmay be covered in a separate article.

In either case you must find out what is in the mind of your prospect in terms ofthe job your product performs best. How is this done?

The short answer – it’s a discovery process. It cannot be done exclusively in aconference room with a white board. White board work may be necessary but it isinsufficient to accurately figure out how to position your product. The answers arenot in the building; they are out there with the customer.

This discovery process requires talking to many customers, ifpossible putting your product in the hands of potential customersand watching how they are using it. It requires more listening thantalking, more description of product capabilities than marketingspin, more humility than boastfulness.

The next article will show the rules for positioning and thefollowing article will cover the concrete examples of how to find,engage, and talk to prospects about the job you believe your newproduct does best. �

by Gerry Baranano

> Sequestration takes its toll on small businessesAccording to a recently completed annual report compiledby the California Small Business Development Centers(SBDCs) from client surveys, small businesses felt the bruntof reduced funding for support services in 2013.

The California SBDC is the largest technical assistanceprovider to small businesses in the state and is part of anational network of more than 1,000 centers which arefunded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration.Through its 44 centers, the California SBDC provided freeone-on-one consulting and low-cost trainings to more than65,000 of California’s 3.5 million small businesses in 2013.

Despite the four percent increase in service demand over2012, an eight percent cut in federal funding due to seques-tration and scarce local public and private match fundingreduced the program’s capacity to serve entrepreneurs.

“Last year’s federal budget cut was significant and it hada dramatic negative impact on our ability to provide servicesto our small businesses,” said incoming California SBDCState Chair Jesse Torres. “It’s a testament to our centers andadvisors that, even with reduced funding, we were able tohelp small business clients access more than $343 million inloans and equity to start and grow their business, as well ascreate and retain 8,030 jobs in the state.”

According to the report, in 2013, the combined numberof direct client consulting hours dropped by 18 percent, from101,788 hours to 83,225. The number of new jobs took asimilar dip, and Torres said the year-over-year changes sug-gest an obvious correlation with reduced funding levels,particularly without a safety net of matching state funding.

The last time the California SBDC had state funding wasin the 2010/11 fiscal year which increased 2012 economicimpacts substantially. Torres is hopeful that momentum fora renewed commitment from state and federal partners in2014 will have a similar result.

“With the lifting of sequestration, the California SBDC isin a position to bring vital federal resources into the state forsmall business support,” he said. “We are fortunate to havekey partners such as the Governor’s Office of Business andEconomic Development and legislators on both sides of theaisle that believe as passionately as we do that small busi-nesses are the state’s most valuable job creator and eco-nomic driver. With secure state match, we can expand ourservices and give our entrepreneurs and small businessesthe help they need to succeed.”

“The U.S. Small Business Administration’s ongoingcommitment to entrepreneurial development andenhanced technical assistance service to the 3.5 millionsmall businesses in California are top priorities,” said U.S.SBA Regional Administrator Donna Davis. “We workdiligently for small businesses at every stage to providemore access to capital, counseling and contracting

opportunities. I am also thrilled to report thatthe SBA had an all-time record year of lendingfor small businesses and entrepreneurs inCalifornia last year.”

For more information on theCalifornia SBDC or to find a Small BusinessDevelopment Center near you, visitwww.californiasbdc.org.

Gerry Baranano

To learn more about the business counseling, technicalassistance, seminars,online courses andother services offeredby the ACSBDC, visitwww.acsbdc.org.