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Even though the economy has been dismal and unemployment has been on the rise, a fascinating phenomenon suggests that small businesses and boutique firms stand to gain customers in these trying times.  Let’s face it, whether times are good or bad small businesses have never been able to afford the luxury of being wasteful, inefficient, or careless with money.  Large corporations, on the other hand, which are bureaucratic by their very nature, have a tendency to become highly inefficient and wasteful when times are good.  When faced with an economic downturn, the inevitable occurs in a large corporation—mass downsizing resulting in a loss of valuable talent and customer service.  Consequently, the large name brand company that customers were paying for tends to lose its luster in the face of lost relationships and customer support.

Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners, Inc., a global management consulting firm, also believes that small companies will win in this economy.  He states that “Small is the new big.  Sustainable is the new growth.  Trust is the new competitive advantage.”  He says that “small companies with low overhead, reliable owners, a small number of committed employees, personal client relationships, and sustainable business models that drive a reasonable profit are the great opportunity of our time.”  To read more about Bregman’s point of view on this topic visit his article Why Small Companies Will Win in This Economy.

The tenants of the Brentwood Business Center, the Sand Creek Business Center, and the Sand Creek Plaza are all too familiar with this mantra.  The majority of the tenants renting space in these Brentwood business centers are small local vendors with a particular focus on sustaining clients through relationships and keen customer service.  In fact, KMB Management, the managing firm over these properties, has developed a philosophy that embodies the spirit of Bregman’s slogan:  “Small is the new big. Sustainable is the new growth.  Trust is the new competitive advantage.”  Each new customer and/or potential customer at KMB Management is treated with respect, professionalism, kindness, and commitment. 

In closing, if you are a small business in this trying time don’t lose heart.  This is your golden opportunity to take advantage of the niche opportunities that are out there.  Just remember that small is the new big and the power of the personal relationship can never be underestimated.  Creativity may also be your number one asset in attracting new business and retaining loyal customers.  The business expert Peter Drucker once said that, “Business has only two basic functions—marketing and innovation.”  Therefore, turn your creativity into innovative marketing endeavors! 

This question has been at the forefront of our minds for a long time.  Analysts, speculators, and business people alike have been desperately trying to wrap their minds around the enormity of this problem for the past few years.  According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the United States has been in a recession since December of 2007.

Economic insight and analysts from the Wall Street Journal speculate that the American people will have to hold out until 2010 for the National Bureau of Economic Research to make an end-of-recession declaration.  In Washington last week, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, however; publicly declared that the recession was over.  He did qualify this statement by saying that there would not be a “splashy return to economic boomtime anytime soon.” 

Bernanke attributes the end of the recession to several factors as follows:  a rise in retail sales for the month of August, a rise in housing sales in key markets, and a rise in median home prices in Southern California markets, one of the hardest hit boom-to-bust areas in the country.  All of these factors combined serve as key economic indicators to market stabilization and recovery.  To read more about these factors visit Yahoo Real Estate News.

Unfortunately, unemployment is the wild card in this recession equation.  Even with the end of the recession drawing near, unemployment will not have a speedy recovery.  According to Robert Gordon, a Northwestern University economist and member of the Business Cycle Dating Committee, unemployment will peak sometime between December of 2009 and March of 2010.  Nevertheless, Bernanke says that the vast majority of Americans who are employed saw wage increases this year up to 5% marking the largest gain in fifty years. 

The experts are declaring that the recession is either over or coming to a close which is very good news for everybody.  This is certainly optimistic news for businesses both small and large who are anxiously awaiting the return of the market.  For local businesses like those located in the Sand Creek Business Center and the Sand Creek Plaza, this may stimulate expansion or growth plans for the coming years.  In which case, commercial building owners will be ready to meet this need with prime office and retail space. 

For all of you water sports enthusiasts, Brentwood is hosting the 2009 Diablo Shores Pro Am Tournament on September 11, 12, 13.  According to Simon King, a writer for the Brentwood Grove, "Past event highlights are said to be blown out of the water by the talent coming together for the 2009 event. With such big celeb names as Will Asher, Chris Parrish, and Jamie Beauchesne Brentwood is sure to see some spectacular action."  To read more about this exciting event, visit the Brentwood Grove's article entitled Brentwood's Diablo Shores Pro Am Tournament.

In addition to this article, The Brentwood Grove features great stories each week on Arts & Entertainment, Brentwood Tv, Business, Cartoons & Humor, Crime Beat, Education, Health, History, Opinion, Politics, Real Estate, Science, Sports, and Style. Upon visiting the Brentwood Grove site, one will discover that it is the premier online source for local news.  

Over the course of the summer, there has been positive news on the real estate front.  For starters, on August 20^th, Edmund Jin, the principal executive of Fremont-based JLA home Inc., a home furnishings manufacturer, paid $21 million for a 610,000 square foot distribution center in Livermore.  The sale of this building marked one of the largest commercial real estate transactions in the East Bay over the last few years.  Perhaps commercial real estate is still alive and kicking in the East Bay.  Michael Lloyd, a Colliers International broker, commented on the transaction by saying, “No question, there is money out there to make deals that are priced correctly.”  To read more about this real estate transaction, visit the Contra Costa Times.

In addition to this large real estate transaction in the East Bay, manufacturing grew in the month of August.  The Institute for Supply Management said that the manufacturing index rose to 52.9 in August from 48.9 in July.  This is the highest the index has been since June of 2007.  According to Investopedia, the manufacturing index gives investors a detailed look at how busy the manufacturing sector is, and can have a significant effect on the markets. Since manufacturing is a major sector of the U.S. economy, an increase in the index can indicate an uptrend in the economy.  To read more on this article visit the Los Angeles Times. 

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index also reported that home values in the San Francisco metropolitan area gained 3.8 percent in June compared with the month before.  The San Francisco metro area includes San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin counties.  For a full detail of this article visit the Contra Costa Times.

With all of this positive news, it seems as though real estate may be on its way to a healthy recovery.

 

Currently, construction is underway on the expansion of Sand Creek Road which will run further east to Sellers Avenue.  The road expansion project is slated to be complete by the spring of 2010.  Once improved, Sand Creek Road will provide enhanced access to businesses, parks, and neighborhoods for the local community. 

Sand Creek Road will also become the gateway to Sciortino Ranch, one of Brentwood’s premier mixed-use community proposals in the eastern city limits.  With a 107,000 square foot big box store in the works along with high density housing, this mixed-use project will bring more activity to the new Brentwood Boulevard Corridor.  Surrounding local businesses like the Sand Creek Business Center and Sand Creek Plaza are sure to benefit from an increase in exposure to more people. 

To learn more about the Sand Creek Road expansion and the Sciortino Ranch project please visit http://sciortinoranch.com

 

If you are a local business owner, you need to learn about a great local resource called EASTBAY Works.  EASTBAY Works is a network of 13 One-Stop Business and Career Centers located throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in Northern California.  EASTBAY Works makes the following business services available to business owners free of charge:

• Business Consultations
• Business-to-Business Referrals
• Labor Market Information
• Permit and Licensing Information
• Customized Training for New and Existing Employees
• Conference and Meeting Facilities
• Staffing Assistance

The business services listed above include assistance with filling job vacancies, economic development, HR Services, entrepreneurial and home based business resources, downsizing resources, and rapid response assistance for employers.

To learn more about the business services provided by EASTBAY Works visit http://www.eastbayworks.com/categories.php?id=1 or call Susi O’Bryant of Contra Costa County at (925) 671-4542.

You can also find the One-Stop Career Center near you at 281 Pine Street, Brentwood, CA 94513.  Office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm and the office line is (925) 634-2195.

It's time for Cornfest!  So strap on your cowboy boots and join the fun.  The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its annual festival on July 7th from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, July 8th from 10:30am to 9:00pm, and July 9th from 10:30am to 6:00pm.  The event will be held at Brentwood City Park, surrounded by Second Street from Liberty High School to Oak Street.  General Admission is ten dollars for adults and five dollars for students and seniors who are 65 or older.  Children under the age of five will get in free!

Each year, Cornfest draws thousands of people from the local and surrounding communities.   If you are new to Brentwood or the local community, this is a great opportunity to meet wonderful families, new friends, and business owners.  The festival will also be packed with attractions and activities for the whole family.  There will be live music, a carnival, a car show, pony rides, arts and crafts, great food, local wines and microbrews, a kid's zone, Friday night fireworks, info alley, and plenty of corn!

This event showcases the City of Brentwood as one of the fastest growing communities in Contra Costa County.  In fact, Brentwood has experienced population growth of 104.05 percent since 2000.  As of 2009, Brentwood boasts a population of 48,448 people making it an excellent location for new businesses and families.  Without the help of new local businesses like Fremont Bank, Cornfest would not be the successful event that it is. The Brentwood branch of Fremont Bank which is located in the Sand Creek Plaza across from the Sand Creek Business Center, Brentwood's office and retail hub!

Other event sponsors include the City of Brentwood, Coca Cola, Bud Light, The Monthly Grapevine, Brentwood Press and Publishing, Mike's Auto Body, Black Bear Diner, Kohl's, and many more.  If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities for your business contact the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce.   
    
You will not want to miss out on this wonderful event, the opportunity to meet your neighbors, and learn more about your local community! 

Too many new business owners become so excited about launching their new business that they fail to invest the necessary time into finding the right location. Remember that your company's image and its location are closely tied, so finding the right place to set up shop is critical to your success.

Sand Creek Plaza is a  full range of professional space ideal for retail, office and general uses. We're located at a high visibility corner at a busy signalized intersection. Suites are available for lease as small as 1,500± Square feet and as large as 6,000± Square feet. Our experienced contractors are ready to help with any interior improvements to suit your individual needs.

Located at 200 Sand Creek Road in Brentwood, CA our spaces available for rent or lease are the best in town at unbeatable prices.  Please contact Nate Lorenzini anytime for more information at (925) 918-2861. We look forward to hearing from you.

*  Highly Traveled Sand Creek Road
* Signalized High Visibility
* Occupancy Immediate
* Major Brentwood Thoroughfare
* 30 Foot Store Front
* Covered Outdoor Patio Area for Food Use
* Adjacent to existing Sand Creek Business Center - 145,000 sq. ft. of office, 90% leased
* Adjacent to 120 Existing Occupied Townhomes
* Divisible
* Old Republic Title in Suites A & B
* Fremont Bank in Suite F
* Across the Street From Los Medanos College
* 140,000 square feet of planned additional office south of Brentwood Self Storage

To help assist our visitors find the best property to fit their needs Sand Creek Plaza has integrated LoopNet into their available spaces page located on their website. Now you can easily view all the available suites at the SCP while at the comfort of your own computer.

LoopNet is the leading online marketplace for real estate brokers, agents, buyers, and investors to sell and buy property. Founded in 1995, the company has grown to feature more than $408 billion in properties for sale and 3.2 billion square feet of space for lease. LoopNet is the ongoing result of the hard work of many employees and contractors.

Sand Creek Plaza Offers a full range of professional office spaces ideal for retail, general office, medical, and research & development uses. These suites are all available and listed for lease on the LoopNet website, as well as being listed on the SCP available spaces page. Currently there are suites available as small as 100± square feet and as large as 15,000± square feet. With a comfortable campus style setting, Sand Creek Plaza believes in offering more than just space.

The LoopNet integration could not have been possible without the help of JVF Consulting, LLC, the Bay Area leader in custom website design and content management systems. Allowing the real estate professionals at SCP to include the most updated information available for their real estate listings has significantly helped SCP enhance their online marketing capabilities. This new addition is already generating more business by integrating cutting-edge technology to provide visitors with the ability to lease listings. Allowing prospective buyers and tenants to easily understand a property's location and surroundings will keep your spaces leased.

By using LoopNet technology on the SCP website clients are better served. LoopNet streamlines your ability to effectively market listings and best serve your clients. The LoopNet platform allows real estate firms to significantly enhance their online marketing capabilities and ultimately generate more business.

"After gaining 20 years of HVAC experience, professionalism and fantastic work ethics, A Quality Heating & Air, Inc. was founded in August 2008 in Brentwood, CA."

A Quality Heating & Air remains true to the cornerstone value that continues to fuel its success today; fast, friendly, and honest service. As the leading HVAC service provider in the community, A Quality Heating & Air is committed to helping their customers by not compromising the quality of their work. To cater to a broader range of customers A Quality Heating & Air can now be accessed anywhere in the world with internet access through the use of their new custom website.

JVF Consulting, LLC the San Francisco bay area leader for custom website design and content management systems has announced the deployment of the A Quality Heating & Air official website. Promotion of their new online presence is already underway with a published article that can be found on the BBC's Industrial Space & Real Estate Blog.

As advertised on the Brentwood Business Center website, A Quality Heating & Air took advantage of the free custom web site offered to them for being a new tenant. Through the use of the world wide web, A Quality Heating & Air plans to make an impact to the HVAC industry in the San Francisco East Bay.

"Focusing on your website as much as you do you customers is key to making your presence on the web." said Jason Franco, President of JVF Consulting, LLC. A Quality Heating & Air is taking the necessary steps to ensure their success on the World Wide Web.

Powered and monitored by JVF Consulting, LLC, A Quality Heating & Air can be found at http://www.aqualityheatingair.com

About A Quality Heating & Air:
In January of 2008 A Quality Heating & Air began preparations to become a corporation. This was accomplished on April 1st 2008 and their doors were opened for business. A Quality Heating & Air's mission is to put Quality, Integrity and Trust back into the HVAC service industry. Their skills and professionalism in commercial, residential, service, maintenance and estimating are top of the line. They're also are strong believers in continued education and keeping current with the latest technology and energy efficiency.

Contact:
Jason Franco, President
JVF Consulting, LLC
925-479-9768
http://www.jvfconsulting.com
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