The recent spate of mergers and acquisitions in the Capital Region tells a story beyond the pandemic, speaking to growing interest in the area and a red-hot financial craze that catapults private companies into public markets.

Tatyana Bak was 29 years old, an émigré from the city of Odessa in what was then the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, when in 1989 she helped open a medical clinic that eventually evolved into Elica Health Centers.

Women founders in the Capital Region are developing groundbreaking technology in biotech and ag-tech, emerging industries where territory is still uncharted.

Statistics and personal stories suggest that, overall, women may find more growth opportunities at nonprofits, and as a result, many more are opting for this route. 

Leaders in business and development say the trend could alter the trajectory of the region’s economy for years to come.

UC Davis is participating in a global clinical trial being run by Pfizer — one of the most promising vaccine trials to date.

People love to hate school lunch, but the Nutrition Services team at Sacramento City Unified School District is out to change that.

Louis Stewart has been the face of technological innovation efforts in Sacramento city government since 2017, leading initiatives such as the Sacramento Urban Technology Lab.

Not only have Black Americans suffered more from COVID-19 infections and deaths, but Black-owned businesses were hit the hardest due to the shutdown.

A group of 13 restaurants have joined together to participate in Downtown Woodland Fair Days, a special event to bring iconic foods to customers missing fairs canceled due to the pandemic.

The inmate fire crews used by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have been depleted due to the pandemic, so the agency is training new firefighters.

Yolo Delivers Hope, started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by Woodland’s Dinner on Main organizers, contracts with Woodland restaurants to create meals for homebound seniors, low-income families and migrant farm workers.

State regulations present an opportunity to shift the way we think about what an eco-friendly landscape can do when we move beyond compliance toward practices that conserve all natural resources and maximize water efficiency.

As of 2017, Sacramento County had enough licensed child care slots to accommodate little more than a quarter of children with working parents. State and local officials are spearheading efforts to change that.

As soon as a B Street Theatre show closes at The Sofia in Sacramento, the old set is torn down and installation of the next set begins later that same day. Here are shots of the work that went into the set of “Byhalia, Mississippi” before it closed over coronavirus concerns.

Across the Capital Region, construction continues as usual on housing, infrastructure and other projects, even as workers in other sectors shelter at home.

The Urban Technology Lab aimed to offer businesses and academic institutions a space to develop their ideas, products and services with the goal of making Sacramento more tech savvy. Is the program making good on that promise?

Part of this month’s Innovation issue

Welcome to the world of office yoga, a curious merger of yoga and commerce that is proving itself to be lucrative.

The company recently broke ground on a new Woodland facility that will double its warehouse size and serve as a community hub at the intersections of gourmet food, farm to fork and pollinator support.

When Simon and Kelly Holland launched the Etsy shop for their business, Sassy Squirrel Ink, in March 2015, they had about a half-dozen sign designs available to print photos on slate. They’ve been expanding their product line ever since.

Half of the rice grown in California goes to the U.S. and Canada; the other half is exported to Japan and 30 other countries, including South Korea, Taiwan and Jordan. Now China, the largest consumer of rice in the world, joins that group.

The walls of Conscious Creamery’s commercial kitchen in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood are lined with stainless steel freezers, constantly humming loud and keeping chef Andrea Seppinni’s plant-based gelato frozen. 

Statewide, the number of people getting into teaching via a county office of education or school district internship doubled in the last five years.

Thirty years ago, muscle gyms like Gold’s Gym were the norm and the aerobics craze started by Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons was in full swing. Now, the trend has turned full circle, back to boutique centers. 

Jessica Filip’s favorite weaving projects are the large commissions that take several weeks to complete, such as her 6-foot-by-6-foot wall hanging displayed in South, a restaurant in Sacramento, or an 8-foot-by-12-foot piece for a client’s cabin in Montana. Her larger commissions range from $1,600 to $4,000. 

Vintage suitcases, canteens, metal carrying cases and wooden boxes of varying colors and sizes occupy nearly every inch of a ceiling-scratching shelf in Kaden Hill’s suburban Sacramento garage workshop.

After Bethany Sasaki became certified as a lactation consultant about a decade ago, she took a break from her hospital nursing job to earn some cash consulting while caring for her newborn son. She drove all over the Sacramento region to meet with moms struggling to breastfeed. And her phone kept on ringing.

Construction should be as simple as buying a car: A customer walks into a showroom, picks the color and options, covers the down payment and walks away with the keys. The customer doesn’t have to pay attention to the skeletal structure of the car or the varying components like air conditioning that often is a given these days.

Brad Squires and Matt Brunner wondered what would happen to the agricultural land that housed Tom Tomich Orchards — the sole remaining commercial fruit operation in Orangevale — when the business shuttered in 2017. Would that really be the end of an era?

Co-owners Gregg and Colleen Lewis launched the winery 10 years ago, added a brewery in 2015 and a distillery in March.

Past approaches to forest fires have been a misinformed regime of fire suppression: extinguishing all flames quickly. Now California’s forests are overgrown tinderboxes-in-waiting; the approach is changing, but there’s a lot of work to do.

Operated by two brothers and their father, Franklin Pictures is one of the premiere video production companies in the region. The company pays such attention to detail that its promotional videos not only capture an image, but tell a story and evoke an emotion.

Industries around the Capital Region are feeling the pinch of trying to find qualified, skilled workers needed to fill various positions. Some companies are starting to reach out to trade programs to help fill those gaps.

Public art has always had a place in the designed environment, but art in landscape is becoming more common in the public sphere. Here we feature notable spaces in the Capital Region that celebrate beauty through landscape architecture and artistic design.

Local potter Joe Triglia of Tufarock Design details his process of making hand-crafted planters and other garden vessels that were inspired by a recent trip overseas.

Art is often dismissed as “nice to have,” a tougher pill to swallow than funding public safety agencies. But culture has been shown to make a city more desirable — and that can have a booming effect on a local economy.

It’s safe to say Jeffrey Callison never gives a thought to the Transcontinental Railroad when his alarm wakes him at 5:25 a.m., even though May 10 marks the TCRR’s 150th anniversary.  

Grace Kampmeinert has to fire off a lot of emails before the bell rings, signaling the end of fourth period. The eighth-grader at Natomas Charter School, along with two of her peers, handles quality control for a website of stock media, a seven-month-long legacy project in her technology class.

A new California law is forcing publicly-traded for-profit businesses to get women on their boards. Yet getting tapped for a directorship is no easy feat.

A behind-the-scenes look at how violins get made. 

LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for job-hunting professionals and the businesses looking to employ them. Enter the LinkedIn Makeover, and a burgeoning industry of consultants who want to help maximize the impact of your profile.

UC Davis is a key asset in the Capital Region’s economic development. With the City of Davis’ slow-growth mindset thwarting developments designed to capture tech transfer, surrounding cities look to cash in. 

Last November, Davis voters did something somewhat unexpected: With 56 percent voting yes, this notoriously anti-growth community approved Measure L to accommodate the development of 74 acres of agricultural land for the West Davis Active Adult Community.

As aging baby boomers approach their golden years, new senior living projects are springing up to accommodate to increased demand and offering a new take on “aging with grace.”

Artisan furniture maker Trent Dean shows how he makes his minimalist designs. 

The California State Railroad Museum curates one of the world’s largest toy train collections. 

Community choice aggregators are the latest test of whether local, publicly run ventures can deliver cheaper and cleaner power than their investor-owned counterparts. But electricity procurement can be a fickle industry.

North Tahoe-Truckee area resorts are typically competitive, working diligently to differentiate themselves and entice skiers to their properties. But eight resorts have set aside the competition and collaborated to raise funds for the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation through an innovative giving program.  

Suburban father Mike Polis makes an unlikely rancher, but he’s gained traction with his passion project, building a small family farm catering to a niche Capital Region market.

More than 10 million people live with Parkinson’s disease and there is no cure. Decades ago it was thought that exercise could exacerbate symptoms of the disease; now studies show it to be effective in delaying the onset of symptoms.