Bay Area’s Bike to Work Day Campaign Kicks Off

The San Francisco Bay Area’s 18th Annual Bike to Work Day held on Thursday, May 10, 2012 is kicking off its campaign to lure in regular cyclists and non-bike riders alike. With biking being an affordable form of transportation, fun, and easy way to achieve better health; Bike to Work Day has become a premier event in the 9 Bay Area counties.

Held during National Bike Month, Bike to Work Day incorporates activities all month. Events include a Team Bike Challenge, presented by Chipotle, where teams clock miles biking all month, for a chance at prizes and bragging rights. There’s also a Bike Commuter of the Year award for dedicated bicyclists who epitomize the health, social, and economic benefits of bicycling in their county.

Biking is a great way to get the 30-60 minutes of daily activity recommended for health. The July 13, 2009 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine reported that men who prefer active commuting, such as biking or walking, cut their risk of obesity in half while significantly reducing triglyceride levels and insulin levels compared to those driving. Employers benefit by encouraging employees to bike; it builds morale, reduces cost and demand for parking spaces, saving $750 per space per year.

On May 10th, hundreds of volunteers staff energizer stations to offer complimentary snacks, official Bike to Work Day canvas bags, bicycle information, and encouragement.

Bike to Work Day is presented by 511.org and Kaiser Permanente, with support from Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Beyond Pix Studios, Clif Bar, Chipotle, Adobe, Typekit, REI and Bike MS. This event is made possible through the cooperation of volunteers, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, traffic congestion agencies, local bicycling coalitions and the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition.

Events are held throughout San Francisco, Sonoma, Solano, Napa, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin and Alameda counties. For a complete list of energizer stations and to register for a chance to win a new Public Bike, tour from Grimes Getaways Bike Tours, or ModCloth gift certificate visit 511.org or www.youcanbikethere.com .

Bay Area Adds More than 15,000 Jobs as Employment Surges

The Bay Area economy created 15,400 jobs in February, raising total employment in the region to the highest level in three years, the state's Employment Development Department reported Friday.

But despite positive job growth in the Bay Area, the net gain statewide was a mere 4,000 jobs.

"California's economy is being led by the Bay Area," said Scott Anderson, senior economist with Wells Fargo Securities. "The Bay Area is certainly the bright spot in the state."

The Bay Area has added jobs for seven consecutive months, and all three major urban centers in the nine-county region are now making significant employment gains. The South Bay added 4,100 jobs last month, while the East Bay gained 3,200 and the San Francisco-San Mateo-Marin region added 7,100, seasonally adjusted figures showed.

"The Bay Area is producing what the world wants," said Jon Haveman, chief economist with the Bay Area Council's Economic Institute. "High-end computer manufacturing, information services, professional and business services are all doing well and creating jobs."

To be sure, the Bay Area has a long way to go to recapture the jobs lost during the recession. Still, the current job trends show the region also has come a long way since the depths of the downturn.

Employment totals in the Bay Area are now at their highest levels since February 2009. The East Bay and South Bay are at similar multiyear highs.

The statewide jobless rate was 10.9 percent last month, unchanged from January. The United States had an unemployment rate of 8.3 percent in February, which also was the same as in January.

In February, the South Bay posted a jobless rate of 8.7 percent, down from 8.9 percent the previous month; the East Bay's was unchanged at 9.3 percent, while the San Francisco area's was at 7.4 percent, worse than the previous month's 7.3 percent rate, a Beacon Economics estimate culled from the EDD figures shows.

The overall Bay Area jobless rate was 8.6 percent in February, an improvement from the 8.7 percent rate in January, according to this newspaper's analysis of the Beacon figures.

Through much of the recovery from the recession, the South Bay and San Francisco regions led in job growth, bolstered by the fast-expanding tech sector. The East Bay, ground zero for the meltdown of the housing market, has lagged.

Now, however, the East Bay has joined the upswing, which bodes well for overall economic prospects in the Bay Area. The 3,200 jobs East Bay employers added in February follow a gain of 9,400 jobs in January.

Despite the improvements, the hunt for employment remains a struggle for some job seekers.

Even the information technology sector isn't uniformly hot for job seekers. Gabriel Garcia, a San Jose resident, is finding that IT employers prefer to hire people for temporary contract jobs rather than full-time positions.

"It seems that things are picking up," Garcia said. "But it's been harder than I expected."

Despite the tough times, Newark resident Sarah Babbitt, a mother of two, is not discouraged as she seeks a job in retail or restaurant management.

"I've been looking for work for about two months," Babbitt said. "But I'm confident in my skills. I'll be able to find something."

The region is poised to produce more employment opportunities for job seekers, analysts predicted.

"The Bay Area has long-term fundamentals that are better than pretty much anywhere else in the world," Haveman said. "That is the result of the frontier economy that we have in this region."

CORRECTING and REPLACING Booming Bay Area Specialty Manufacturer Expands to Asia Pacific

Last sentences in fourth graph of release (dated March 21, 2012) should read: IMG is part of IMG Consortium, a $60MM business. IMG's Bay Area location is a $20 million company and expects to reach $60 MM by year 2014 through organic and acquisition growth. (sted Today, IMG is a $60 million company and expects year-over-year growth of 10 percent in 2013).

The corrected release reads:

BOOMING BAY AREA SPECIALTY MANUFACTURER EXPANDS TO ASIA PACIFIC

IMG offers same precision with greater global availability

Integrated Manufacturing Group, LLC (IMG), an engineering and precision machining and fabrication company, today announces it has expanded into the Asia Pacific region through a strategic alliance with Onn Wah Precision Engineering Pte Ltd, (Onn Wah), an Asia Pacific engineering and precision machining and fabrication company. IMG also announces significant local growth in its Bay Area facilities.

The new Asia Pacific joint facilities will operate under the name IMG Precision Technologies (Asia) Pte Ltd. and enable the company to manufacture and fabricate complex critical components and parts at state-of-the-art facilities in Singapore and Suzhou, China.

“We are strategically focused on servicing our global customers as they localize their supply chains. Currently, they need support in high-growth markets including China, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore,” said Kam Pasha, IMG’s CEO. “We’ve spent years aligning with Onn Wah to ensure our partnership offers our global customers access to the same high quality engineering expertise, state-of-the-art precision equipment, machinery, and infrastructure they expect from IMG.”

IMG’s Bay Area growth numbers

IMG’s Bay Area facilities are also looking to hire 15 new employees, including positions with its ever-growing degreed engineering staff. IMG has also recently committed more than $2 million in new equipment, including a new E-Beam Welder machine capable of holding up to 6,000 pounds of metal. This machine will enable IMG to service a growing customer base in the oil and gas, aerospace and defense and semiconductor industries. IMG is part of IMG Consortium, a $60MM business. IMG's Bay Area location is a $20 million company and expects to reach $60 MM by year 2014 through organic and acquisition growth.

“Our growth in the Bay area demonstrates our ability to achieve total cost reduction in production with highest quality results for our customers. Several U.S. OEM’s, based in cities from New York to Houston, are coming to us despite having similar engineering facilities right in their own back yard,” continued Pasha.

About IMG

Integrated Manufacturing Group (IMG) is an engineering and precision machining and fabrication company that manufactures customized and highest quality critical components from prototype through production. It works with OEM’s in the semiconductor, oil and gas, aerospace and defense, food and beverage processing, and government and security industries. The company has a 65-year history, formed as IMG in 2004 to acquire and integrate two leading San Francisco Bay Area precision machining businesses. Global customers include Applied Materials, Boeing, FMC Technologies, L3 Communications, Schlumberger, and the U.S. Government, among others.

IMG strives to be a globally collaborative engineering and manufacturing partner with integrity, quality and reliability, on time delivery, continuous improvement, and total cost reduction as its hallmarks. The company is certified to the most rigorous industry quality standards including AS 9100 C and ISO 9001-2000 as well as committed to the Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) and the Standardized Supplier Quality Assessment (SSQA) program. To learn more about the company, its world-class business processes and management team, visit IMG.

SOURCE: Integrated Manufacturing Group, LLC

HDR Remodeling, Announces Consistent Business Growth

HDR Remodeling Company, one of the most trusted remodeling services in the East Bay, is announcing that it has been experiencing consistent business growth.Although many businesses have been forced to close their doors due to unfavorable economic times, some businesses, like HDR Remodeling Company, have made it through and are growing. HDR Remodeling’s growth, which started last fall and has continued through the first quarter of 2012, comes from consumer confidence in the economy and consumer desire to invest in current homes, rather than look for new ones.

“We are very pleased to see consistent growth trends in our business and the industry as a whole,” Jim Tibbs, Creative Director of HDR Remodeling, said. “When people start making strategic investments in their homes, there is a direct benefit to the service providers and suppliers, but there is also a longer term impact that helps to stabilize and improve the health of the real estate market.”

East Bay home remodeling company, HDR Remodeling expects that the growth will spill over into summer, and it has been particularly busy in the Berkeley, Oakland, Piedmont, El Cerrito, Albany and Alameda areas. HDR Remodeling believes several factors have influenced thegrowth of business in the Bay Area, all of which involve growing confidence in job stability and a thriving technology industry. The approaching retirement of the baby boomer generation is also seen as a reason since this period is the ideal time to make improvements while their health permits. Homeowners are also deciding to invest in their own properties instead of buying new ones.

For more information about any of HDR Remodeling Company’s services, call 510-984-3755 or view the home remodeling company on the web at http://www.hdrremodeling-eastbay.com. HDR Remodeling’s office is located at 2952 Sacramento St. in Berkeley.

About HDR Remodeling 

HDR Remodeling is dedicated to providing clients with personalized service to give them more healthful and beautiful living spaces at reasonable budgets. The company is certified with Build It Green as a East Bay remodeling contractor and also has been awarded “Green Check” by the Sierra Club Green Home Initiative. HDR Remodeling designs and transforms homes to improve the comfort of clients while integrating green building practices.

Croton Martial Arts Instructor Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing Students

A Westchester County jury today found an internationally known kung fu instructor with a studio in Croton guilty of felony sex abuse toward four female victims...Read More

Bay Area Economy is Rebounding

The Bay Area economy has bounced back from the recession, but experts warned Monday that long-term challenges still loom.

The region also must figure out how to expand the benefits from the economic rebound beyond the well-paid and highly skilled workers in the industries that are rebounding most strongly.

Those assessments emerged from meetings Monday at Stanford University and in San Francisco that are part of a wide-ranging effort by leaders in business, labor, politics and academia to improve the struggling California economy. The group, known as the California Economic Summit, is attempting to find solutions that don't depend on marching orders from federal or state politicians.

"The can-do spirit is there," George Shultz, the former U.S. secretary of state who is co-chair of the leadership group from the economic summit, told this newspaper. "Rather than wait for people in Sacramento or Washington to solve things, we can grapple with the problems ourselves."

The gatherings, which include the Bay Area Regional Forum meeting in San Francisco, will be used to develop an economic plan for the state and its urban centers that will be presented at the first-ever California Economic Summit in May.

"We want to be stewards of California and set aside our differences," said Julie Meier Wright, a leader of the management team for the summit, which will be held in the South Bay. "By collaborating, we can determine what is best for the state." Wright is former secretary for trade and commerce in Gov. Pete Wilson's administration.

The attendees at the San Francisco meeting received an update on the Bay Area economy and were told that the short-term rebound can't mask ongoing perils for the region.

"It's great to see that the Bay Area has recovered and that we are growing the region's GDP and job market," said Alex Maasry of McKinsey, a consulting firm that prepared the latest Bay Area Economic Profile.

But he added that the region's economy faces not merely continuing problems from the downturn but structural challenges as well."

To be sure, the Bay Area job market for technology, knowledge industries and high-end manufacturing has surged. But these industries don't always produce huge numbers of jobs, and job growth hasn't benefited all parts of the region's economy.

"It's almost a tale of two economies," Maasry said.

The Bay Area's 9 percent jobless rate is still worse than the national rate of 8.3 percent, according to McKinsey's research.

Those attending the two gatherings were told that the primary challenges facing California's economy are the statewide educational system, funding gaps for transportation and transit, the business climate, and environmental regulations and red tape.

"The question is how to solve these problems without compromising our high environmental standards and quality of life," Wright said.

At the forum in San Francisco, panelists representing the Bay Area's primary urban centers laid out their primary goals for economic improvement.

"We are not looking for handouts, we are not looking for relief," said Russell Hancock, president of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. "We don't want a government that embarrasses us. California is becoming a laughingstock."

Hancock also would like to see tax reform and for the California congressional delegation to use its clout more effectively.

Karen Engel, executive director of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, said policies must be crafted to keep homegrown businesses from moving away.

"Only about 5 percent to 6 percent of our annual job growth comes from relocations into the East Bay," Engel said. "We want to be a region that once a business starts here, it will want to stay and continue to grow here."

For the statewide effort to be successful, California's diverse and sometimes competing urban centers may have to take a more cooperative approach.

"It will be very important that there is coordination among the regions," said Laura Tyson, a professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, a top economic adviser to former president Bill Clinton and one of the key players in the California Economic Summit.

Sports Promoters Unleash Piracy Lawsuits Against Bay Area Businesses

Inside the rustic Seabreeze Tavern along the beach in Aptos, the remote controls for three TVs rest on the bar. Owner and manager Rich McInnis leaves them there for the "regulars," who have carte blanche to choose what they want to watch as long as they keep drinking beer.

One night in April 2009, a click from one of those remotes landed McInnis in a legal quagmire over piracy accusations that is repeating itself in federal courts across the country.

A tavern regular decided to order a United Fighting Championship bout, without the Seabreeze paying the commercial fee for a pay-per-view event. McInnis wound up months later staring at a lawsuit that asked him to fork over $160,000 in damages for an event that ordinarily would cost about $800.

From bakeries and taquerias to corner bars and mom-and-pop restaurants, sports promoters of pay-per-view events have unleashed an avalanche of such lawsuits from San Francisco to Arkansas. They argue that business owners are sapping their profits by stealing the televised signals outright or failing to pay the commercial fee to show an event that's typically 20 times the amount to order at home.

The top 10 stories in Bay Area sports in 2011

The legal tactics have sparked criticism from small-business owners, who say the lawsuits are abusing the court system and a veiled attempt to squeeze money from people who cannot afford to pay lawyers and defend themselves. In the Bay Area, hundreds of the lawsuits have been filed over the past few years, from Sandra Lemus' La Palapa restaurant in Santa Rosa to Lien Nguyen's Yen Nhi eatery in East San Jose.

McInnis is a rare example of a target who fought back -- and won without paying a dime.

"I have no idea if I showed the fight," he said during a recent interview in his bar overlooking Rio Del Mar Beach. "But if they had just sent me a bill, we wouldn't be clogging up the courts. They sued me for $160,000. I thought that was ridiculous for one fight."

The lawsuits typically are filed by three major players with licensing rights for pay-per-view events, which generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year in revenue: Campbell-based J&J Sports Productions owns rights to HBO boxing events; Joe Hand Promotions licenses the popular UFC fights; and G&G Closed Circuit is another boxing promoter.

The legal muscle behind the claims is Pasadena lawyer Thomas Riley. The lawsuits rely on a 1980s-era federal copyright law that was designed to crack down on the rampant theft of emerging satellite and cable technology, with harsh penalties for stealing the signals.

Nothing blocks business owners from ordering a fight from Comcast or DirecTV at a residential rate, which is closer to $50 to $100 a pop. But that's not an excuse, as many bar and restaurant owners have discovered the hard way, even when they try to argue that cable or satellite providers share the blame for confusion. Business owners must pay the sports promoters separately, before showing a pay-per-view event, or risk being sued for piracy.

Riley did not respond to requests for comment. Joe Hand Jr. declined to comment, saying only, "The lawsuits speak for themselves."

But the sports promoters clearly take the issue seriously, warning about piracy on their websites. In court papers, companies such as J&J have said that theft of the signals costs them millions of dollars a year. And whenever there is a blockbuster event, such as a Manny Pacquiao title fight, they send teams of investigators into bars and restaurants, armed with smartphones to photograph and video scofflaws.

A review by this newspaper of dozens of cases shows the sports promoters typically win their lawsuits, usually because those accused never show up in court to defend themselves. The result is a "default judgment" that gives Riley's law firm the right to go after them for money.

However, the lawsuits are drawing more scrutiny. Judges are refusing in most instances to give J&J and Joe Hand anything close to the six-figure damage awards they seek. In the Bay Area, lawyers are lining up to defend cases, concerned that simple misunderstandings over how to order the events can cost people their businesses.

"These people are hardworking and facing a situation that is very difficult for them to fight," said Sayuri Sharper, a lawyer with Silicon Valley's pro bono project.

A San Francisco judge, in a case against House of Chicken and Waffles in Oakland, recently slashed a demand for damages from $100,000 to $5,000. Two years ago, a San Diego judge, confronted with a similar six-figure request from Joe Hand, slammed the tactic, calling it a "shoot for the moon" approach.

James Ware, Northern California's chief federal judge, said that even when an owner admits wrongdoing, he tries to "ensure that they are given an opportunity to pay damages without jeopardizing the continuation of their business."

Nguyen, who owned a Vietnamese bar and restaurant, is still fighting her case. She had ordered a mixed martial arts fight through DirecTV but said she did not realize there was a larger fee for her business. She then received a letter demanding $170,000.

"I was shocked," she said. "I didn't do anything wrong. I'd rather give the money to poor people."

Lemus, who owns the small Santa Rosa taqueria, said she is in the same boat. "We don't have the money they are asking for," she said.

Down at the Seabreeze, McInnis no longer lets his regulars order pay-per-view events. In fact, after he settled his case with Joe Hand last year for no damages, he laughed when they asked if he would be willing to televise UFC bouts.

"It's been a lot of sleepless nights," he said. "There is no way I'll ever show a UFC fight at the Seabreeze."

Bay Area Adds Nearly 14,000 Jobs in January

The Bay Area economy zoomed out of the starting blocks in January by adding nearly 14,000 jobs, according to a new state government report issued Friday.

Meanwhile, employers nationwide added 227,000 payroll jobs in February, although the U.S. jobless rate remained unchanged at 8.3 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Last month's upswing follows a gain of 284,000 jobs in January. The two months of steady hiring nationwide are a strong indication that robust job growth in the Bay Area will continue.

"The economy is gaining momentum," said Brad Kemp, director of regional research with Beacon Economics. "I do think things are turning the corner."

In contrast to the Bay Area and national trends, California struggled in January, a report released Friday by the Employment Development Department showed.

Statewide, employers cut 5,200 jobs, although the jobless rate improved to 10.9 percent in January, down from 11.2 percent in December and the lowest rate since April 2009.

"The Bay Area is leading the state, it has been running ahead of the state, and the gap has even widened," said Jeffrey Michael, director of the Stockton-based Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific.

Perhaps the most encouraging development in the Bay Area employment picture was the gain of 9,300 jobs in the East Bay, which accounted for two-thirds of the 13,800 jobs added in the Bay Area in January.

"What is striking about the numbers is the job growth in the East Bay," said Michael Bernick, a San Francisco-based research fellow with the Milken Institute, and a former EDD director. "The South Bay has had dramatic job growth, the San Francisco metro area has had high job growth, but the East Bay has been lagging."

The East Bay upswing means all three of the Bay Area's major metro areas are poised to expand in tandem.

"The good news is no longer limited to the South Bay, which is growing strongly," Michael said. "The San Francisco area is showing solid growth. It's been a tough four or five years for the East Bay, but this month was a big positive."

The East Bay's jobs uptick follows a string of economic calamities over the past two years, including the shutdown of an auto plant and solar factor, and the continuing consequences of the housing meltdown.

"This January number is encouraging for the East Bay, although you have to see how it plays out," Michael said. "But it's time for the East Bay to come around."

The East Bay's job gains were led by a surge in an array of industries, according to a Beacon Economics analysis. Administrative support and temporary employment gained 2,200 jobs, retail added 2,100, construction was up 1,500, health care gained 1,400 and the tech-heavy professional scientific and technical services sector added 1,200 jobs.

In the South Bay, administrative support and temporary employment was up by 1,000 jobs, while professional, scientific and technical services gained 900.

Unemployment rates in the Bay Area have improved steadily. The South Bay jobless rate of 9.1 percent in January was down from 10.8 percent a year earlier. The East Bay jobless rate was 9.6 percent, compared with 11.1 percent a year ago, and the San Francisco-San Mateo-Marin region's rate was 7.5 percent, compared with 8.9 percent in January 2011.

The state's annual revision of previous estimates for job trends provided additional sparkle for the region's economic picture.

The Bay Area had 6,800 more jobs during 2011 than analysts thought initially, according to the EDD revision.

The South Bay had 1,600 additional jobs and the San Francisco metro area had 4,200 more jobs compared with the original data. The East Bay job market was a bit weaker than thought, with 800 fewer jobs.

"The strength in high-tech areas supports the finding that the state economy is continuing to recover with the largest gains in technology and foreign trade and in the urban coastal regions," said Steve Levy, director of the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

With the gains in January, the Bay Area has now added jobs for six straight months.

"This is a trend and not a bend," Kemp said. "The Bay Area is doing better than most regions."

Bay Area Home Remodeling Picks up as Economy Mends

In another sign of an improving economy, residential remodeling is picking up in the Bay Area after several lean years, helped along by homeowners who are deciding to fix up places they can't sell because of the housing crunch.

"There is an awakening," said Rick Evans of Bauman Builders in San Jose. Last year "was like a switch that flipped."

Fueling the upward trend is growing confidence in job stability and a booming tech stock market that helps pay for new kitchens, bathrooms and landscaping. Few homeowners are borrowing for the work, builders say.

"It's all cash, nobody's borrowing anything. It's savings or stock money," Evans said. He said his clients "are employed someplace in the tech sector --the eBays, the Googles, and I'm sure there's a whole boatload of Facebookpeople about to do the same thing."

The Bay Area and coastal cities up and down the state are having what is "among their better years in the last five," said Mike Winn of the California Building Industry Association.

Jennifer and Julien Schreyer are remodeling the kitchen of their Oakland home, paying cash from savings and investments for the job.

"The economy is getting a little bit more stable, we are feeling a little more secure, and the stock market is going up a little so we could sell some stock," said Jennifer Schreyer, a real estate agent whose husband works for Pixar. "The economy had a lot to do with it."

The Schreyers have been waiting for the right time to redo the kitchen of the home they bought seven years ago.

"It was a little scary to take those steps to do something substantial," Jennifer Schreyer said, but a new kitchen was a lifestyle essential. "I love to cook; my husband is French; our two boys were born in Paris, and they love to cook."

Jim Tibbs of HDR Remodeling in Berkeley, which is doing the Schreyers' kitchen, said some of his clients are remodeling instead of moving up. "People seem to be staying in their homes longer, opting for improving the home they're already in as opposed to selling and taking on a heavier mortgage at a larger home," he said.of Harrell Remodeling in Mountain View, which is doing the job. "I think people are giving themselves permission to take the leap. The uncertainty is starting to clear a little."

But a lot of homeowners are spending more cautiously than they were before the crash, said NAHB economist Stephen Melman. "The projects aren't quite as robust. They're looking for value versus the big-ticket projects during the boom."

"Instead of a whole new $150,000 kitchen, people will replace appliances and refurbish cabinets. They're more likely to do the bathroom than kitchen because it's less expensive," Melman said.

R&R Development of San Jose, which has seen business increase in the past few months, is starting on an outdoor kitchen for Donna Hecke's Almaden home in San Jose. Hecke and her husband, who works in high tech, have been remodeling their home a little bit at a time, saving up the money for each project. "We don't do anything until we have the money saved," she said.

Contact Pete Carey at 408-920-5419.