Artist Shane Grammer knew he had to paint the brick chimney the moment he saw a photo of it — the only part of a friend’s house in Paradise still standing after the Camp Fire devastated the town. The fire started tearing through the area on Nov. 8, 2018, becoming the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history.

From senior discounts to Weed 101 workshops, dispensaries, delivery services and assisted living facilities in the Capital Region are navigating business and policy implications of the spike in interest among seniors.  

When HealthCare.gov — the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchange website — went live in 2013, it was slow, buggy and hard to navigate — a digital mess. Two weeks later, three programmers in the Bay Area launched HealthSherpa.com, an alternative website to help online shoppers understand their options under the ACA and see plans and prices quickly.

As part of our 2019 salute to women in leadership, we feature seven of the Capital Region’s most relevant and successful women leaders — here’s one of them.

As part of our 2019 salute to women in leadership, we feature seven of the Capital Region’s most relevant and successful women leaders — here’s one of them.

As part of our 2019 salute to women in leadership, we feature seven of the Capital Region’s most relevant and successful women leaders — here’s one of them.

As part of our 2019 salute to women in leadership, we feature seven of the Capital Region’s most relevant and successful women leaders — here’s one of them.

Nematodes pose a conundrum to farmers. The worm-like microscopic creatures are everywhere. Some are parasitic, infecting plants and destroying crops — but others actually  attack insect pests. The ability to target the “bad” while leaving the “good” unharmed would be a boon for agricultural production.

As part of our 2019 salute to women in leadership, we feature seven of the Capital Region’s most relevant and successful women leaders — here’s one of them.

There are roughly 50 chambers in the Capital Region, and we counted over 30 led by women. We asked a dozen of these leaders (doing our best to bring in a mix of voices) to tell us where they see the region headed.

As part of our 2019 salute to women in leadership, we feature seven of the Capital Region’s most relevant and successful women leaders — here’s one of them.

Eric Sweet used to be a pilot, hauling cargo and flying corporate jets. Then he tried his hand at real estate. Now, through his Sacramento-based startup, Robotics Evolution, he’s focused on educating youth on robotics by offering special arenas where their robots can compete in various competitions.

Fees and permitting are a vital tool for municipalities looking to address the housing shortage on a local level. We take a look at different strategies being employed in the region. 

Anybody who says video games are bad for your health hasn’t met Dr. Tony Simon.

The 10th Annual Miss California Latina and Miss Teen California Latina pageant was held Nov. 18 at Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento. The Miss California Latina pageant and Miss Teen California Latina pageants provide personal and professional opportunities for young women to promote their voices in business, politics, the arts and service to the community.

California has the highest number of veteran-owned businesses in the country. By contrast, there is a growing population of homeless veterans in Sacramento, and a declining percentage of the overall share of veterans who own businesses. But resources are on the rise.

The Sacramento-based startup makes cannabis-infused topical skin care products and for Chelsea Dudgeon, CEO and cofounder, her grandmother was “a tough sell” in the beginning.

Education in entrepreneurialism grooms mini moguls and prepares students for the modern workforce. As demand rises, local programs are expanding to reach more youth and instill the lessons of smart business.

In 2017, Aaron Watkins launched a rental service called STEMtrunk because he doesn’t believe educational toys should be left behind. He calls his Yuba City-based startup “Netflix for learning toys” because it works with the same subscription-based concept.

We tracked the routines of six business executives and paired that data with organizational management insights. Here’s how they tame the chaos.

Anu Snacks produces snack bars from spent beer grain, mixed with dried fruit and nuts with various coatings. The idea was a hit, winning $17,500 in prizes this year at the UC Davis Big Bang! competition for entrepreneurship.

With Rhombus Systems cameras, customers can view and share livestreams, manage unlimited locations from one console and set up other features.

We all have a morning routine, and for 62 percent of American adults it involves coffee. But is it healthy? Our writer Kicked his caffeine habit for 10 days — here’s what he learned. 

We asked readers to submit their picks for the Capital Region’s top entrepreneurs —and you answered. Our editorial team vetted almost 100 nominations, looking for innovative business ideas, interesting backstories, unique products and services and that ineffable “it” factor. And here they are…

Full of electrolytes, this drink supports light to strenuous activity levels, repleting and rehydrating the body without excess sugars and calories.

With interest in MBAs flat or falling across the nation, can modernization help programs keep up with student interest? We take a look at how the region’s education programs are innovating their offerings.

Origin Materials is part of a small but growing bioplastics market. Regulation, recycling and changing consumer behavior have proven ineffective in curbing the environment impacts of plastic. With plastic production projected to double over the next 20 years, Origins founders think the key solution lies in the bottles themselves. 

She’s a four-time breast cancer survivor who has been through nine surgeries. But for Cinde Dolphin, the post-surgery process has always been a pain, specifically the drain bulbs.

As 18-year-old Margaret Gomez was about to complete her final GED exam, she started having contractions. She rushed from the room before finishing, though would go on to reschedule and pass. In May 2006, Gomez spoke at graduation to her 50-person class. Her 2-year-old daughter, Julyza, and weeks-old son, Junior, were in the crowd.

The rise, fall and future of a media empire: McClatchy and the Sacramento Bee have a 161-year legacy in Sacramento. As the newspaper industry struggles nationally, executives say investments in virtual and augmented reality will see the business thrive once again.

Even though 76 percent of Americans think fast food is “not too good” or “not good at all for you,” almost half say they eat fast food at least weekly, according to a 2013 Gallup poll.

Picture 350 square feet. That’s 11 queen-sized beds. It’s the inside of a school bus with an extra row or two of seats. It’s a little smaller than the average two-car garage. And it’s the size of 25-year-old Rachel Vaney’s apartment in Midtown Sacramento.

Hoping to capitalize on the revitalization of Sacramento’s downtown core, Nar Bustamante is moving his offices to the burgeoning design scene in East Sacramento off Elvas Avenue. Along with local talent already in place, these designers hope to help solidify Sacramento’s place as a new urban hotspot.

We’re highlighting six of the Capital Region’s most influential female leaders who are blazing trails in their respective industries. 

Permitting can be a logistical mess for developers, while the future of economic development depends on this process. Efforts to improve the process find that enhanced communication trumps speed in terms of efficiency.

Effective water conservation throughout the City of Folsom made way for the largest expansion of the city in decades. While not all residents agree with Folsom’s strategy, it is being implemented in growing cities around the state as an effective tool to meet housing demand. 

Sales tax just isn’t what it used to be in suburban shopping meccas, as nearly half of all American households now have an Amazon Prime membership. Now, Roseville is looking to residents to help prioritize city services and mitigate the lost revenue. 

As California struggles to meet the rising housing demands and address the state’s policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Capital Region is positioned to look to the suburbs for answers. This means farewell to the bedroom communities and hello to vibrant communities on the outskirts of the urban core. 

Visitors to the museum hear personal stories of internment at the permanent exhibit Uprooted! Japanese Americans During WWII.

It is impossible to know what West Sacramento would look like without its most prominent advocate, Mayor Christopher Cabaldon. And it’s impossible to understand the mayor without understanding the tragic accident that drove him towards success. 

Back in 1998, two family businesses —Holt Bros. and Tenco Tractors — merged into one, for a total of three families now under one business roof at Holt of California. Twenty years later, they rely on a long history of leadership transitions to select the next in line for succession.

Ten years into the movement, and urban farming in the Sacramento region has garnered widespread support. Agrihoods now represent the latest development in the movement — but will they strengthen or overshadow it?

What if we’re doing it all wrong? What if instead of trying to do 37 things at once, we just try and do one thing at a time — what some productivity experts call either “mono-tasking,” “mono-focus” or “uni-tasking”— and do the job well?

In 2016 business and government leaders in Nevada County had an “ah-ha” moment: A report, commissioned by the Nevada County Economic Resource Council in coalition with the Northern Rural Training and Employment Council, showed stakeholders that the county’s local workforce needed easy access to tech-based skills.

Comstock’s presents our annual salute to female leaders, celebrating six extraordinary women of influence from throughout the Capital Region who are redefining leadership on their own terms. 

Foster youth who live in congregate care settings (like group homes) are more likely than those who live with families to suffer a variety of negative outcomes, including low education levels, mental illness and involvement with the justice system. Placing foster youth in a stable and caring home is paramount, but finding the best way to do that has proved challenging.

Actual experts of business creation express concern that media’s flashy portrayal of handsome entrepreneurs, disruptive products and instant investment glosses over the unglamorous learning process vital to any new business.

Glimpse the future of our region through the eyes of its emerging leaders in our annual salute to to young professionals. 

In some ways they might already be an economic force. A 2014 study from the ad agency Sparks and Honey estimates that the average gen Z receives $16.90 per week in allowance alone, which tallies to an annual $44 billion in spending power. So who are these kids, anyway?

More than 2 million workers nationwide (1-5 percent of the American workforce) are exposed to silica dust on the job every year, according to OSHA, including those that work in construction, glass manufacturing, landscaping, maritime work, foundries and dental laboratories, to name a few of many.