Cuban National Symphony to Perform in Tampa Bay Area

In its first U.S. tour since Fidel Castro took power in 1959, the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba will perform in the Tampa Bay area in November, including a chamber music concert at the Cuban Club in Ybor City.

“This is significant,” said E.J. Salcines, a retired prosecuting attorney and judge, and Latino elder statesman in Tampa. “The Cuban Club has been the site of a long cultural connection with the musicians and composers and theatrical performers who frequently came from Cuba to perform at the Cuban clubs in Ybor City. I look at this as an important event from a cultural point of view.”

The Cubans will be presented by the Florida Orchestra as part of its multiyear cultural exchange with the island nation, which began in September when a wind quintet from the orchestra performed in Havana.

The Cuban orchestra may play elsewhere in Florida, but tour producer Leonid Fleishaker of New York-based World Touring Entertainment said that contracts have not been finalized. The orchestra will not play in Miami.

“Miami, I don’t think, is in the works,” Fleishaker said. We could not get the right kind of venue on the right date in Miami.”

Cuba’s symphony orchestra will be in the Tampa Bay area at least three days. On Nov. 5, the chamber music concert at the Cuban Club will combine musicians from both orchestras. On Nov. 7, the day after the U.S. presidential election, the entire Cuban National Symphony will perform at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg.

Those concerts are part of a U.S. tour that will begin in Kansas City in October and tentatively include 17 cities in 10 states.

The Florida Orchestra said it wanted to do more than simply present the Cuban orchestra in a single concert.

“They aren’t just coming into town, playing a concert and leaving the next morning,” Florida Orchestra president Michael Pastreich said. “What we’re able to do is have a full-fledged residency where we can embrace the Cuban national orchestra into the fabric of our organization and the fabric of our community.”

Pastreich said it would cost the Florida Orchestra “in the neighborhood of $30,000” as the concert fee to the Cuban orchestra, plus quite a lot more for hotels, food, hall rentals and other costs of the residency.

At the Mahaffey concert, the program will feature Cuban pianist Ignacio “Nachito” Herrera performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, along with Gershwin’s Cuban Rhapsody, Guaguanco by Cuban composer-conductor Guido Lopez-Gavilan and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The conductors will be music director Enrique Perez Mesa and Lopez-Gavilan.

The chamber concert program is yet to be determined. In addition to the concerts, Perez Mesa and members of the National Symphony will offer master classes. Also on hand will be Roberto Chorens, executive director of the NSOC and director of the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory, where the Florida Orchestra quintet members gave master classes during their visit to Havana.

This May, the Cuban cultural exchange will continue with Perez Mesa making his U.S. debut as guest conductor of the Florida Orchestra in a program that includes Cuban music. Stefan Sanderling, the Florida music director, has been invited to guest-conduct the Cuban orchestra in Havana in February 2013. Cuban guest artists and composers are likely to be featured in Florida Orchestra programs. The ultimate goal is to send the entire Florida Orchestra to Cuba to perform as early as the 2013-14 season.

With about 85 musicians on the tour, the Cuban orchestra may have to cope with possible defections. “They know the math,” said Ann Louise Bardach, author of √Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington√ and other books about Cuba. “They’re not all going to go back, because they get some defectors on every tour. They have to figure out what their PR losses are, too.”

At one point in the planning of the tour’s dates in the Tampa Bay area, the Florida Orchestra was concerned about having the concerts flanking the November elections, but in the end decided to go ahead.

“I think a great part of an artistic exchange like this one is bringing together a commonality of our communities entirely divorced from any political gyrations that might go on,” Pastreich said. “So far, this cultural exchange with Cuba has been untouched by politics.”

Roberto Ferrer, a native of Havana and a longtime musician and radio announcer in Tampa, does not think having members of the Cuban orchestra play the Cuban Club is a good idea. “Any other theater or club, OK, but this looks like provocation,” he said.

Nevertheless, Ferrer said he would go to hear the Cuban national symphony even though his family’s business was confiscated by the Castro government.

“There will be some people picketing, that’s for sure,” he said. “But I will go because I’m an entertainer and I can separate music from politics . . . and I’ve learned to forgive and forget.”

Bay Area Mayors, Business Leaders Talk Rays

Two Bay area mayors sat down Tuesday to discuss something of interest to both of them: the future of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, along with Bay area business leaders, met Tuesday to discuss the baseball franchise and how to best approach the future with the team as a regional asset.

According to Bay News 9's partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, Foster organized the meeting, which took place at the Tampa offices of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a nonprofit regional marketing and economic development organization.

The community and business leaders used the meeting to talk about how to generate overall interest from area businesses and boost public support of the team. They did not specifically talk about Tropicana Field or any stadium issues.

Last season, the Rays had the second lowest ticket sales in Major League Baseball.

The overall goal for both mayors is to make sure the team stays in the Bay area, officials said.

"Irrespective of any other discussion,'' Buckhorn said, "the most important discussion is that the Rays are financially healthy, that they're successful, that they've got a great team coming up in 2012 and we need to support them."

Other attendees at the meeting included Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce president Bob Rohrlack, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce president Chris Steinocher, St. Petersburg chamber chairman David Punzak, Tampa Bay Partnership president Stuart Rogel and partnership chairman Vinny Dolan, the chief executive of Progress Energy Florida.

Chamber of Commerce presidents from Tampa and St. Petersburg said they are hoping to bring more people to their annual Rays' luncheon in an effort to generate more interest in the team this upcoming season

Bay Area Could See $5 a Gallon Gas by Summer

We may see $5 per gallon gas by summer. Prices have already soared 18 cents per gallon in just the last month, to an average of $4 per gallon.

A USC business school report estimates that for every penny increase in a gallon of gas, as much as a billion dollars is pulled from our economy. So another $1 increase in gas could sap $100 billion in other spending.

AAA says the price of a gallon of regular unleaded is 20 cents higher. Gas prices hit $4 last year, but the rise this time has been rapid and unusual for February.

Higher pump prices put a squeeze on the budget, and there's already an indication consumers are thinking about ways to cut back on spending.

"If you spend more money on gas, you're not going to spend more money buying some other goods," Belmont resident Alex Kholodenko said.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) will do First Pressure Test in Mountain View and Antioch, Calif. in May

That could impact the economic recovery.

The benchmark oil price, known as West Texas Intermediate, hit $105 per barrel Monday. One year ago, it was $89, an increase of $16 a barrel. The Department of Energy says a $20 increase leads to a four-tenths of a percent drop in the gross domestic product and a one-tenth of a percent increase in unemployment.

Terry Connelly, Dean Emeritus of Golden Gate University's business school, says reduced consumer spending creates a domino effect.

"So what happens to the stocks of Walmart, Target and so forth," he said. "We've had a nice run-up in the stock market. Then you start seeing stock analysts start downgrading these stocks. They're not going to be making as much money in this quarter because of higher gas prices. That affects people's 401Ks, so you get a feedback loop."

Analysts are predicting gas prices could hit $5 a gallon as a result of escalating tension with Iran over its nuclear program. Iran already has blocked oil shipments to Great Britain and France.

A significant chunk of what we pay for gas is taxes. The federal government tacks on 18.5 cents per gallon and states and counties add more. California has the highest average gas tax at more than 64 cents per gallon, including the federal tax. New York is close behind. Oil rich Alaska has the lowest gasoline tax.

Bay Area College Baseball Preview

This has the makings of a special season for Bay Area college baseball.

Stanford is ranked No. 2 nationally by Baseball America and is the preseason pick to win the Pac-12. Cal has most of its College World Series team back from last season. San Jose State was picked to finish second in the Western Athletic Conference coaches poll, and USF is coming off a West Coast Conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance.

Stanford coach Mark Marquess, now in his 36th year, can't recall the Bay Area baseball scene ever being as strong.

"This is unusual that we have so many teams that could go to postseason play," he said.

Stanford has three potential first-round draft choices returning in pitcher Mark Appel, shortstop Kenny Diekroeger and third baseman Stephen Piscotty. All three, who are on the initial watch list for the Golden Spikes Award, given to college baseball's best player, are from the Bay Area: Appel from Monte Vista of Danville, Diekroeger from Menlo School and Piscotty from Amador Valley.

Appel is a power pitcher whom some project as a potential first pick in the draft.

"I don't know if I've ever had a pitcher who threw harder," said Marquess, who has had a number of pitchers go on to notable major league careers. "And he's filling out, getting bigger and stronger."

In addition to Diekroeger and Piscotty, the Cardinal has a number of returning starters off last year's super regional team, including first baseman Brian Ragira, second baseman Lonnie Kauppila and outfielders Austin Wilson, Tyler Gaffney and Jake Stewart.

Brett Mooneyham, a left-hander who missed last season because of a finger injury, will join Appel in the starting rotation with A.J. Vanegas and Dean McArdle competing for the third weekend starter's slot. The closer's role is up for grabs.

No. 22 Cal is coming off an incredible 2011 season, a story that began with the threat of the program's elimination and ended with a trip to the College World Series. The Bears are also loaded with experience in the field, led by returning Pac-10 player of the year Tony Renda (Serra), who also is on the Golden Spikes Award list. Renda, a junior, says the team has some unfinished business.

"Last year was a great year, a Cinderella story," he said. "But the fact of the matter is we didn't win a (national) championship."

In addition to Renda at second base, catcher Chadd Krist, first baseman Devon Rodriguez and third baseman Mitch Delfino are returning starters. Shortstop Derek Campbell and a group of five outfielders also all saw plenty of playing time. Justin Jones (9-6, 2.93) is the No. 1 starter, followed by Kyle Porter and Matt Flemer (St. Mary's). Logan Scott (Serra) is the closer. But as coach David Esquer is quick to point out, you need more than four pitchers.

"You need eight," he said. "The key is our second-line pitching. The thing we do best is something that is the least reliable, offense. I think our defense is pretty solid, but we've got to develop on the pitching side."

San Jose State went 35-26 last season. Coach Sam Piraro, in his 25th year, has 16 players who have been in the program three or more years. Former Spartans player Mark O'Brien, after 10 years as coach at Santa Clara, has been added to the coaching staff.

Piraro calls Zack Jones (Santa Teresa) "My most dynamic player. He'll be a high draft choice. Scouts want me to start him, but he will be my closer if we have a chance to win three games in a week as opposed to one. He can also hit and could be my starting shortstop, but I'm not going to play him in the field."

Piraro is also high on catcher Kyle Gallegos, a Chabot transfer out of California High, outfielder Tim Quiery (Serra), his best offensive player, and speedy outfielder Andrew Rodriguez (Logan). Pitcher/shortstop Mike Aldrete is the son of the former major league first baseman and Stanford standout.

USF is hoping to build off last season's success. Santa Clara has a new coach in Dan O'Brien, previously at UC San Diego. Saint Mary's is looking to turn the corner with the bulk of its starting lineup returning off last season's 27-28 team.

Savory and Sweet Catering, Offering Catering Menus and BBQ Catering throughout the Bay Area

Savory and Sweet Catering, offering catering menus and BBQ catering throughout the Bay Area, introduces the Mardi Gras Small Bites menu for those with the hankering to get a little wild. Taste the excitement of big brass bands and street parties with Savory and Sweet’s newest, limited-time menu.

The Mardi Gras Small Bites catering menu includes smoked pork mini roll sandwiches and Creole wings, both $2.75 per person; andouille sausage and onions at $1.95 per person, .50 cents extra for a baguette; Cajun spinach dip with sour dough cubes for $1.95 per person; Louisiana deviled crab cake with a lemony aioli at $3.95 per person; International cheese display with assorted crackers and dried fruit at $6.95 per person; spicy crab fondue with sliced baguettes for $4.95 per person; New Orleans almond and chocolate florentine cookies at $1.25 each; Bourbon pecan pies, $15.00 each; and kings cake for $22.50 each.

“I have had Savory and Sweet's food at business events on several occasions. I've enjoyed all of them. It's one thing for someone to know how to cook, but it's another thing to know how to run a successful catering business. I was really impressed with Leanne's professionalism. The food was great; the price was very competitive. On top of that, her business is green certified! I love supporting local and green businesses. I highly recommend hiring Savory and Sweet for your events!” Katy K. of San Jose said on Yelp.com.

For more information about the Mardi Gras Small Bites menu or any of Savory and Sweet Catering’s products or services, call 408-598-3197 or view the catering service on the web at http://www.savoryandsweet.com.

About Savory and Sweet Catering

Enjoy delicious food and exceptional service from Savory and Sweet Catering. Savory and Sweet Catering, founded in 1993, provides outstanding catering services to the San Francisco Bay Area. They are a certified green business and take great pride in delivering fantastic food and service while remaining environmentally sustainable. They work with their clients to develop a catering menu that features locally grown, organic ingredients wherever possible. Savory and Sweet Catering offers a wide range of catering options, including everything from summertime BBQ catering to formal wedding catering. As a full-service catering company, they can provide everything you need to make your next event a success!

Hair Salon, Pack-and-Ship Business Open in Apollo Beach

Master hair stylist Paula Dumond of Riverview, formerly with A Peaceful Harbor Day Spa, has opened her own shop, Bay Area Salon, at 105 Big Bend Road, next to Elsberry Nursery Center. She is offering a complete array of hair services for men, women and children, and is looking for a second stylist to join her venture.

For an appointment or information, call (813) 951-0385.

Richard Wyche, also of Riverview, has opened Bay Area Pack & Ship at 105 Big Bend Road. The authorized DHL, Federal Express and U.S. Postal Service shipping center also features Budget truck rentals and moving, packaging and shipping supplies.

For additional information, call (813) 671-3161, or visit www.bay areapackandship.com.

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Get more involved, grow professionally

The South Shore Young Professionals Association has begun hosting an evening social event from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month. The organization provides networking opportunities that foster professional and social growth and civic responsibility. Proceeds from the monthly 50/50 drawing will benefit the group's Relay For Life team.

New nonprofit group needs partners

LifeCare of SouthShore recently opened in Ruskin to assist those dealing with unexpected pregnancies. Director Karen Brooks is seeking donations of cash and supplies from the business community for this pro-life organization. For information, call (813) 645-0491 or emailkaren@lifecareofbrandon.com.

Experienced agent joins Keller Williams

Lisa Levendofsky recently joined the Keller Williams team in Sun City Center. She was previously broker-owner of Burnt Store Properties in Punta Gorda. As a resident of Burnt Store Marina for almost 20 years, she was the No. 1 agent in that area for many years. She is currently a resident of the Renaissance community in Sun City Center.

To reach her, call (813) 699-1716.

South Bay Hospital gets certification

The Joint Commission has awarded its Gold Seal of Approval to South Bay Hospital for its Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement programs. South Bay underwent a rigorous on-site survey last December, when the commission evaluated the hospital for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

Bay Area Native has Front-Row Seat to Vietnam's Economic Growth

Fred Burke has watched gleaming high-rises and Mercedes-Benz sedans replace squat shacks and bicycle taxis in this communist country that has embraced capitalism at a frenetic pace.

"It was just desolate," he said of conditions in 1991, when he first arrived in the Southeast Asian country after working in China. "The streetlights weren't on. There wasn't a coat of paint put on (buildings) since the U.S. military pulled out. There were literally lepers on the street. You could openly see people suffering from malnutrition."

The Bay Area-born partner at Baker & McKenzie law firm came to Vietnam not long after the government's doi moi economic reform began -- and before the United States lifted its trade embargo against the country of about 90 million people. The changes eventually set off a scramble to get rich. While still a nation with a lot of poverty, Vietnam has one of the world's hottest economies that has created a host of newly minted multimillionaires.

Burke, a Stanford University graduate who provides legal advice to domestic and international companies, recently spoke with the Mercury News about doing business in Vietnam. Here is a transcript of his remarks, edited for brevity and clarity.

Q You were among the pioneers to first go to China as it was opening up in the 1980s. Why did you move to Vietnam as China was beginning to explode with opportunities? and Shanghai most of the time from 1981 to 1991, when I started coming to Vietnam. Vietnam was just opening. I ended up getting sucked into Vietnam. We had hundreds of lawyers in China but we had no one in Vietnam. The climate is nicer and it's on a more human scale. People are very friendly here. People ask me, after the war, is there resentment? No. Americans are generally pretty outgoing and down to earth and doing good things here. It's always been an open place. It's not an entitlement culture where people expect the government to give them handouts. Every Vietnamese looks in the mirror and sees a millionaire. They want to better themselves and they want to work hard.

Q In the years you have been here, how has America's relationship with this country evolved? Vietnam finds itself between China, the emerging global giant, and the United States, the dominant super power.

A Nobody wants to be completely dependent on China for everything. There is obviously some tension with China. Everyone in Vietnam is nervous about China. But it's not the old Cold War, when you have to choose sides. Countries like Vietnam wisely chose a multilateral foreign policy so they can trade and be friends with everyone.

Q Describe your work as a member of the Prime Minister's Advisory Council on Administrative Reform.

A The first three years of that was a huge reform that dealt with existing administrative procedures. The idea was to suggest simplifications or elimination of red tape. In December 2010, they issued a list of 4,700 directives from the prime minister. Baker & McKenzie was involved with at least 300 of those. Some of the red tape was eliminated and we are continuing to implement these reforms to cut red tape. But frankly, there is a lot of skepticism about how effective it was. Meanwhile, government ministers were up to the same monkey business, creating new regulations that need to be vetted. Vietnam is suffering a trade deficit and one of the responses has been a bit of protectionism in the form of new regulations to protect local businesses from overseas competitors. You see some Vietnamese companies asking for protectionism.

Q It wasn't long ago that investors were stepping on each other to get a piece of the action in Vietnam. Are you seeing a pullback amid the global downturn?

A I don't see a lot of people pulling out of Vietnam. For a lot of these multinationals, their business in Vietnam is growing faster than anywhere else. I hear that again and again. Even though there are troubles here, it's better than everywhere else. There is also manufacturing coming in from China. Companies are finding China's coastal regions becoming expensive and they are looking for alternatives.

Canon started with a small factory here 15 years ago. Now it's their biggest printer factory in the world. Victoria's Secret is very big here. The garment sector isn't producing cheap T-shirts; it's high-quality work that takes a lot of skilled knitting. It's the same for the furniture industry. Clients come to Vietnam for the high-end furniture. The craftsmanship is here. Nokia just announced it is going to open up a big smartphone plant outside of Hanoi. Intel (INTC) (which opened a $1 billion chip factory in Ho Chi Minh City in November 2010) was a big coup. They've been investing here. They've been a good corporate citizen. The one thing that didn't meet their expectations was the education of engineers coming out of school, so they've put a lot of resources into training.

Q With so much focus on the economic problems of the United States and Europe, Asia is almost assumed to be the new frontier of economic growth and stability. Yet the Asian Development Bank has warned that Asia's rise is not preordained -- and that nations such as Vietnam, as well as China, will need to make tough political choices. Do you see dangers?

A Some people do. A lot of people believe their own propaganda that the world is beating a path to their doors. No matter what they do, the foreigners will keep pouring money in. On the other hand, I do think the Vietnamese government, if nothing else, is very quick to see when the tide is turning and make necessary reforms.

FitCustomShirts is Giving Advice on How to Look Good

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Partnership Launches First-of-its-Kind Website to Help California Businesses

California's leading business organizations today announced that they have joined together to launch a first-of-its-kind business-oriented website aimed at providing accurate and easy to understand information about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Health Law Guide for Business, tailored specifically for the business community, will help business owners navigate through all 2,409 pages of the health care law with one simple website www.healthlawguideforbusiness.org .

"The Health Law Guide for Business is a practical and fact driven website that houses the most current information regarding the new health care law. It was created by California businesses for California businesses, it will be an important resource for those interested in the law's business-specific provisions like colleagues, employees and the media," said Dr. Micah Weinberg, senior policy advisor to the Bay Area Council. "Corporate leaders can use the Health Law Guide for Business to learn about the provisions in the law that will have the greatest impact on their bottom lines."

The website, funded by The California Endowment, was created by a partnership that includes the Bay Area Council, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, California Small Business Development Centers, Pacific Business Group on Health, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Small Business Majority, Small Business California, and The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce to address the need of California's business community to stay informed of the implementation of and to help address misinformation about the law.

With a law that includes as many levels of benefits, complexities and details as the health care law, it's understandable that many California employers remain confused about what the law means to them and how it will impact their business. A report by Pacific Community Ventures, Health Care and Small Business: Understanding Health Care Decision Making in California, found that out of the 804 California small business employers surveyed, 43 percent said they are more likely to offer health insurance after learning of key benefits -- like tax credits -- made available by the health care law.

"Health happens with information and The Health Law Guide for Business accommodates the 21st Century demands of running a business," said Emily Lam, the senior director of health care and federal issues for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. "With little time for employers to sift through the law's content to locate what's most significant, the site offers a user-friendly format that highlights key areas of the law that are important for business, including tax credits, cost savings and information on health and profit benefits associated with wellness and prevention programs."

One of the most helpful features of the website is a "tax credit calculator" that helps employers estimate savings available under the law. With videos, interactive surveys and an easy to use format, the online tool includes numerous elements to serve a variety of preferences for gathering and retaining information.

The Health Law Guide for Business website reflects the most significant updates and developments in the process to implement the health care law in California. In 2010, California became the first state in the nation to enact legislation creating an Affordable Insurance Exchange as required under the federal health care law. Starting in 2014, the California Health Benefit Exchange will allow individuals and small businesses to compare health plans, get answers to questions, find out if they are eligible for tax credits for private insurance or health programs, and enroll in a health plan that meets their needs. The Exchange is separated into two separate programs, the Individual Exchange and the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). The SHOP will allow small businesses to band together to create a large purchasing pool so that small business owners will have access to the same lower rates that large employers have enjoyed for decades.

"Small businesses will discover that the most value from using the website will be a greater understanding of the changes in our health care system that have already gone into effect and allow them to plan for those that lie ahead," said Scott Hauge, president of Small Business California. "Until 2014 when the California Health Benefit Exchange is fully functioning, the Health Law Guide for Business will allow them to access key updates, milestones, information on key benefits and news."

About Health Law Guide for Business:

Health Law Guide for Business (The Guide) -- established by the Bay Area Council, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, California Small Business Development Center, Pacific Business Group on Health, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Small Business Majority, Small Business California, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and The California Endowment -- is a first-of-its-kind website devoted to informing California's business community about business-specific provisions of the health care law. As an information hub for California businesses, the media and employees, The Guide provides accurate information on the health care law that's most important for employers to run and operate their businesses. Learn more by visiting: www.healthlawguideforbusiness.org .

About The California Endowment

The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Headquartered in downtown Los Angeles, The Endowment has regional offices in Sacramento, Oakland, Fresno and San Diego, with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment challenges the conventional wisdom that medical settings and individual choices are solely responsible for people's health. The Endowment believes that health happens in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention.

Walmart Confirms it Wants to Sell Groceries in San Ramon, Pleasanton

Add San Ramon to the growing list of the Bay Area cities that could become home to Walmart grocery stores. 

The city announced Feb. 3 that Walmart's construction division was taking bids for tenant improvements at the former Le Asia site on Alcosta Boulevard. The news release ended months of rumor and speculation about Walmart opening a store there. 

The City of San Ramon received building plans last September from an unknown applicant seeking to open a grocery store on Alcosta. Pleasanton and Hayward also received similar anonymous plans for vacant buildings that would house grocery stores. 

Walmart confirmed in January that it intended to open grocery-only stores in a former Circuit City building in Hayward and a former Nob Hill grocery store in Pleasanton. 

San Ramon officials said Walmart had yet to confirm its plans, but a Walmart spokeswoman did on Monday confirm plans to open a grocery store in San Ramon. "The Neighborhood Market will feature a wide variety of products, including fresh produce, meats and dairy products, dry goods and staples, in addition to pharmacy, health and beauty, pet supplies and household supplies, in a convenient shopping environment," said Delia Garcia, a Walmart spokeswoman, in an email to the Bay Area News Group. " ... By using currently vacant property, the Neighborhood Market will help re-energize the existing shopping center, draw customers to neighboring businesses and ultimately give a boost to the local economy."

Opening dates for the three Bay Area locations have not been announced, but each store is expected to employ about 95 people, Garcia said. Walmart's plans have not gone over well with everyone. 

Resident Barbara Kellogg had been inquiring with the city since August, when she first heard about plans for a Walmart store. She was told the city was not in negotiations with the Arkansas-based company. 

Kellogg said she presented the city last week with a contractor's bid submitted on Walmart stationary, and then saw the news release the city sent out about Walmart's plans. A San Ramon resident for the past 10 years, Kellogg is concerned about Walmart's business practices and that the company would expand in the future by opening a super Walmart in the same location. "I don't think this is over and I will fight this," said Kellogg, who is part of a group of at least 10 residents that have voiced their opposition to Walmart. "Our group is about to get a whole lot larger." Plans in all three cities have been approved; however, San Ramon has not issued permits yet.

Bay Equity Names Paul Chevez Director of Finance

Bay Equity Home Loans, one of the San Francisco area's most respected and successful mortgage lending institutions and recently ranked No. 5 on the San Francisco Business Times list of the "Top 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies" in the Bay Area, announced today that it has named Paul Chevez its Director of Finance.

In his new position Chevez will be responsible for cash flow, budgeting, cost analysis, internal and external financial reporting, audit and tax preparation and investments. In addition, he will also oversee Bay Equity's accounting department, and negotiate warehouse lines of credit and working lines of credit with banks.

"In our search for a finance director we placed a strong emphasis on experience, and we got that in Paul Chevez," said Jon McGovern, managing director of Bay Equity. "Paul has a proven track record in driving business growth through operational and structural improvements, and he will play a significant role in streamlining and strengthening our financial structure and procedures."

Prior to joining Bay Equity Chevez was Director of Business and Corporate Development for Got Appraisals, a national appraisal management company.

Formerly he capped a 14-year-career with CMG Mortgage, Inc., a mortgage bank based in San Ramon, California, as its Chief Financial Officer/Director of Secondary Marketing.

About Bay Equity

Bay Equity is a full-service wholesale and retail mortgage lending institution founded in June 2007 and headquartered in the heart of San Francisco's Financial District, one of the very few mortgage lenders actually located in the City by the Bay. Bay Equity also has operations centers in Pleasanton, California and Portland, Oregon and more than a dozen retail branch offices on the West Coast. In addition, Bay Equity has wholesale account executives covering the 10 Western States. To date the firm has funded more than 9,000 home loans totaling more than $3 billion and has grown to more than 190 employees.

BayArea Systems is providing Green Virtual Server Solutions

Bay Area Systems, premier Information Technology (IT) consulting provider in San Francisco Bay Area, is on the forefront of providing cost-effective IT outsourcing solutions for small businesses.

Launching February 1st 2012, Bay Area Systems will start providing Green Virtual Server Solutions utilizing Citrix Systems' XenServer. The solution and services aim to provide small business owners with fast deployment, excellent energy savings (having one server in place of 5 to 10 servers and/or workstations), easy testing, management, as well as cost saving.

Through utilization of Citrix Systems' XenServer virtualization technology, BayArea Systems helped deployed web server farms, clustered database servers, remote desktop workstations, and cloud computing platforms. When businesses need Virtual Private Network (VPN) access and remote desktop services; rather than adding individual workstations to be used for remote office desktop connection needs, virtual workstations offer the same experience with greater efficiency. Clients praise our virtual machine solutions that are space saving (often one server can serve the needs of 10 servers and/or workstations, reducing the need to have these physical machines scattered around in the office); energy saving in terms of electricity needs as well as cooling requirements; easy deployment - adding a server or workstation is much faster than having to order an additional machine, and often may not be of the same exact specification; fast recovery - by utilizing the cloning feature, essential virtual machines can be cloned and quickly replaced should a catastrophic software error occurred.

Citrix XenServer provides one of the most stable platforms for virtual machines, and the multitude of tools available making cloning, clustering and failover available to support critical business needs. The time it takes to restore a cloned Microsoft Exchange Server in Citrix XenServer could be as little as 2 hours, compared to having to rebuild a physical server, reinstall Operating Systems and Exchange Server, setup accounts, and can easily take 1 to 2 days and tens of thousands of dollars to restore.

Bay Area Systems have fully tested and deployed Citrix XenServer solutions to solve customers' growing needs of testing new Operating Systems as well as program upgrades. It is much more convenient, and cost-effective, to use a virtual machine to test system integration, software upgrades, patches, and new installations before deploying into the production environment. Efficient resource sharing and distribution in Citrix XenServer also ensure a much better performance for individual virtual machines than purchasing separate physical units.

The combination of cutting-edge, professional services of BayArea Systems and production proven virtual machine solutions provided by Citrix XenServer will serve to deliver energy saving, cost-effective, cutting-edge, fast and complete services to BayArea Systems customers.

Citrix XenServer from Citrix Systems is the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter - bringing cloud computing to businesses of all sizes.

For almost a decade, Bay Area Systems has provided cost-effective computer systems and network support and services to small businesses all around the San Francisco Bay Area. BayArea Systems LLC has become a pioneer in providing customized technology solutions that are efficient, cost-effective, and improve bottom line of small businesses. BayArea Systems' business model is based on their passion to provide the best customer service experience in the industry, and building long-term business relationship with their customers.