
The Evolution of Leadership Styles
Several factors, including lockdown and generational differences, influence managers
The pandemic, the rise of Gen Z and new cultural norms have all contributed to a shift in the values we expect from modern leaders. Understanding these trends — and the strategies required to keep up — is crucial for any leader who wants to retain employees, inspire their best work and even continue their own career.

A Piece of the Pie
Family business spotlight: The Fruit Bowl has been providing peaches and more to Stockton for 76 years
Over the course of summer and the first weeks of fall, over 60 varieties of peaches and nectarines pass through The Fruit Bowl, a 76-year-old produce stand on the rural outskirts of Stockton.

Submersibles That Run Deep
Family business spotlight: World leader in marine tourism is buoyed by family values
The Mayfield siblings grew up in the charmed nautical world of their father’s imagination. At the Sub Sea Systems workshop in Diamond Springs, power tools whir as two generations work side by side to build custom submersibles that resemble something out of a Jules Verne novel.

A Fire in the Sky
Family business spotlight: From Macy’s Fourth of July to the Space Needle, Pyro Spectaculars produces more than 400 fireworks shows a year
The show producer opens his laptop, and with a touch of the keyboard the magic begins. Music swells, and a spectacular vision of multicolor sparkling flowers explodes in the night sky, along with golden starbursts and shiny cascading waterfalls.

Gambling on Gaming
Family business spotlight: How an Auburn-based company cornered the gambling market
In his lifetime of entrepreneurship, Don Whitaker has managed to mostly avoid competitors. “You try to find a niche where you have no competition,” Whitaker says of his approach to business. He found his niche market with Ceronix, which he started in 1984 out of his Auburn home.

Pipeline to Success
Family business spotlight: Ramos Oil delivers bulk oil to farms, ranches, construction companies and more
The oil industry doesn’t typically evoke warm-and-fuzzy words like kindness, compassion and unconditional love. That is, unless, you’re speaking of the Ramos Oil Company.
Sponsored
![[pictured L-R]: Carter, Julie, and Gary Crisp](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/crisp_1222_photo_1500x785.jpg?1669939035)
Crisp Imaging
INDUSTRY LEADER BRINGS SERVICE EXCELLENCE TO SACRAMENTO
Leading reprographics company Crisp Imaging now brings its superior services and products to the Sacramento market with the acquisition of Century Graphics. They’ll be taking over Century’s Sacramento and El Dorado Hills locations.

Don’t Let Conflict Wreck the Family Business
Family businesses do better than others — but only if companies plan for disagreements
Managing family business conflict isn’t just about harmony but survival. Disagreements ensure diverse perspectives, but if managed badly, they can take down a company and permanently rend relationships.

A Delta Legacy
Showcasing four-generation family businesses in the Capital Region
The Zuckerman family started a farming empire on a Stockton
island. Over 100 years later, they’ve branched out to several new
businesses but have stayed true to the crops that started it
all.

How the Oldest Winery in California Got Its Roots
Showcasing four-generation family businesses in the Capital Region
The Sobon family, owners of Sobon Estate and Shenandoah
Vineyards, are continuing a 166-year legacy of winemaking in
Amador County. Their land has been a vineyard since
1856, making it one of the oldest in the state.