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. 

Isleton has had its share of ups and downs over the years from municipal mismanagement to natural disasters. Now a new city manager and cohort of businessowners hope to see Main Street — and the town itself — thrive again. 

Green zones approved for commercial cannabis are limited, and demand for commercial space has driven up property values in Sacramento. Local businesses — both cannabis-related and otherwise — are feeling the pinch. 

Traditional butcher shops are making a comeback in the Capital Region.

When Leo Hickman returned in 2003 from an eight-month tour in Kuwait as a combat engineer in the U.S. Air Force, he wanted a way to spread peace. With no idea how, he set out on a journey of self-discovery and backpacked through 27 countries.

A fleet of Teslas are headed to Squaw — and not just to the parking lot.

As part of its ongoing renewable energy efforts, the resort is partnering with Liberty Utilities and the electric car (and rocket) company on a proposal to install battery units for storing power generated by solar and other sources.

Squaw Valley is on a quest to reduce its carbon footprint and achieve 100 percent renewable energy by as soon as the end of this year. In doing so, the company is undertaking one of the most aggressive eco-friendly efforts by the ski industry across the nation.

Allergies are the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S and result in nearly 4 million missed or lost workdays each year and over $700 million in lost productivity. We talk to local experts about ways to keep them at bay, both medical and holistic.

Passmore Ranch invites local chefs to swim for their fish.

California remains a top manufacturing center in the U.S. despite local employers grappling with a serious worker shortage. Will state investment in makerspaces help fill the need?

Nonprofits through the region are finding themselves in need of new, young members to bring fresh perspectives to their organizations — and a group of savvy young UC Davis women are offering a fix. The Women in Leadership Club has created a program that offers MBA students invaluable experience while giving nonprofits the youthful jolt they need.

This once rural town now houses more than two dozen international companies and has become a hub of agribusiness, thanks to its progressive pro-business climate and ideal location.