Grass Valley Job Fair

Master of Ceremonies/Moderator: Gil Mathew
12:30pm Doug LaMalfa (R) – 4th Senate District, State of California
1:30pm to 3:00pm Panel Discussion (5 Panelists)
Theme: Our greatest resource in Nevada County is our talent. Is mining our talent a practice that pays off for our local businesses? What stands in that way?
Panelists:

• Keoni Allen – President, Sierra Foothills Construction Inc.
• Ron Moser – President, Nevada County Economic Resource Council
• Ed Scofield, Vice Chair, Nevada County Board of Supervisors
• Stephanie Ortiz – Executive Dean, Sierra College
• Tom Frantz – CEO Huntington Mechanical Laboratories

3:00pm Dave Watkinson – President & CEO, Emgold Mining Corporation, Idaho-Maryland Mining Corporation
3:30pm Dan Logue (R) – 3rd Assembly District, State of California
4:00pm Robert Bergman – Former Nevada City Mayor
4:30pm Dan Miller – Grass Valley Vice Mayor

Evening of Innovation
5:30pm -7:30pm
Robert Trent – Executive Director, Sierra Commons
Ron Tackett – US Department of Agriculture Rural Development
David Kord Murray, Author of “Borrowing Brilliance” and “Plan B” (Release date Sept 2012) and Interview by Stephanie Ortiz – Executive Dean, Sierra College

Generous Refreshments for the Evening of Innovation Provided by Matteo’s Public
Evening of Innovation Sponsored by: BCI Events, KNCO, Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. and Matteo’s Public

Keoni Allen
President, Sierra Foothills Construction Inc.
Keoni Allen formed Sierra Foothills Construction Company in 1986 as Nevada County’s first true design/build firm. Since that time, Sierra Foothills Construction Company has helped many local, national, and international clients realize their facilities needs in the Grass Valley area.
Keoni and Sierra Foothills Construction Company developed the art of fast track design, permitting and construction. They have also perfected the concept of providing a Guaranteed Maximum Price to our clients, allowing them to determine total project costs. These techniques assist Sierra Foothills Construction Company in completing projects on time and on budget.
http://www.sfccinc.com/keypersonnel.html

Ron Moser
President/CEO of Nevada County Economic Resource Council
As the new CEO of the ERC, Moser plans to focus on drawing high-tech businesses to set up shop in western Nevada County. Moser has been semi-retired for about 10 years – in 2000, he sold his carbon absorption technology business to the international electronics firm Siemens.
http://www.theunion.com/article/20110128/NEWS/110129720

Ed Scofield
Vice Chair, Nevada County Board of Supervisors
Ed is the newly-elected Nevada County Supervisor representing District II. A native of Grass Valley, Ed has been involved with his community serving in many capacities, including a member of the Grass Valley City Council, President of the Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce, President of Grass Valley Rotary, and active with many other service organizations of our county.
Ed Scofield is probably best known as the CEO of the Nevada County Fair for the past twenty-six years. During his tenure with the Fair, he also was President of the Western Fairs Association and was inducted into the Western Fairs Association Hall of Fame in 2003.
Ed was quoted as saying, “As the District II Supervisor, representing the South County, I am especially interested in the improvements to Highway 49, and I am excited about being an active member of the Nevada County Transportation Commission.”
http://www.nctc.ca.gov/About-NCTC/Commissioners/index.html

Stephanie Ortiz
Executive Dean, Sierra College
* Executive Dean, Business and Technology Division, Sierra College
* Professor of Business, Sierra College (1991 to 2003)
* Training Consultant, Del Oro Management Consulting Services (1989 to present)
* Lecturer, California State University, Fresno (1987 to 1990)
* Human Resources Manager and Professional (1981 to 1987)
* Master of Science, Human Resources Management, Calif. State Univ., Long Beach (1982)
* Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration, Calif. State Univ., Fullerton (1979)
http://www.sierracollege.edu/programs/divisions/bustech/business/
faculty/guevara.htm

Dan Logue
Assemblyman, 3rd Assembly District, State of California
A fiscal conservative, small business owner, and staunch opponent of high taxation and government waste, Dan Logue has worked tirelessly to bring his belief in limited government and free enterprise to Sacramento.
In the Assembly, he serves in the leadership role of Chief Whip for the Republican Caucus and is responsible for coordinating voting and managing messaging for the Republican Caucus. He is the Vice-Chair of the influential Assembly Health Committee and the Elections and Redistricting Committee. He is also a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, as well as the Budget Sub Committee 4, which oversees the administration of State agencies and operations, and he sits on the critical Assembly Transportation Committee.
Assemblyman Logue was appointed chair of the Caucus Task Force on Jobs and Economic Recovery, and in this role, Logue has applied his extensive experience in economic development, leading Republican efforts to improve California’s business climate, fighting for jobs retention, reducing regulatory burdens, and working towards economic recovery for the Golden State.
Consistent with his efforts to revitalize the economy and keep jobs and businesses in California, Logue has organized the Economic Recovery Group, which meets regularly with business representatives from all sectors of California’s economy to discuss ways to eliminate impediments and restrictive government regulations in order to improve our state’s business climate. He has conducted public hearings up and down the state to listen to the concerns of business owners. He held the first out-of-state hearing when he took fellow legislators to Reno, Nevada, to hear firsthand from businesses their reasons for leaving California.
Dan and his wife, Peggy, reside in Linda with their dog, Buddy.
http://www.legalnewsline.com/printer/article.asp?c=224947

Robert Bergman
Former Nevada City Mayor/ Current Council Member
Robert Bergman was Nevada City Mayor from July 2010 to July 2011. Robert, also an attorney was the vice mayor in 2009 and before that was appointed in 2006 to the Nevada City Planning Commission, was the chairman of the city’s Calanan Park Committee in 2009, which is looking to remake the downtown park.
http://www.nevadacityadvocate.com/nevada-city/3489.html

Dan Miller
Grass Valley Vice Mayor
Dan is serving his third term as a member of the City Council. He was previously elected for two terms from 1989-1996. He served as Mayor from 1991-1993. He was appointed to the Grass Valley Planning Commission from 1997-2001. In 2001 he was elected to the Nevada Joint High School District Board of Trustees and served as President from 2003-2005. He has also served as President of the Sierra College Foundation, Nevada County Campus and on the Board of Directors for the Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors for the Nevada County Country Club.
Dan and his wife Roxanne have two daughters, Lisa and Sonia, a son Brendon and four grandchildren. His wife Roxanne manages their downtown business, Future Generations, and Dan is a self-employed insurance agent.
Dan moved to Grass Valley with his family in 1962 and is a graduate of Nevada Union High School, Sierra College and has a BA from Cal State University, Sacramento.
In his spare time he enjoys playing golf with his wife and friends, travel and is a longtime Forty-Niner faithful and SF Giants fan.
http://www.nctc.ca.gov/About-NCTC/Commissioners/index.html

Tom Frantz
CEO of Huntington Mechanical Laboratories
Tom Frantz has a Bachelor of Arts in business management. His career started in the semiconductor manufacturing field in Southern California in operations. In 2001, Tom moved his family to Northern California He has gone on to work with leaders in the vacuum science industry and joined Huntington Mechanical in 2008 as CEO.

Doug LaMalfa
Senator, 4th Senate District, State of California
Doug LaMalfa is a fourth generation rice farmer and business owner who has lived in Northern California all his life. He and his wife, Jill, along with their four children, Kyle, Allison, Sophia and Natalie make their home on the family farm in Richvale. Doug attended local schools and grew up learning the value of hard work and community service. Doug earned his degree in Ag/Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He now manages the family farming business originally founded by his great-grandfather in 1931.
An active leader in Northern California agriculture, Doug was elected as a founding director of the California Rice Commission from Butte County. Doug also served on the Domestic Promotion Committee of the USA Rice Federation.
A conservative Republican in word and deed, Doug LaMalfa has opposed increasing taxes and is a stalwart defender of Proposition 13. With a proven record of fighting on behalf of working families, Doug knows that taxpayers know better than bureaucrats and politicians how to spend and invest their own hard-earned money.
He has been a strong supporter of private property rights inside and outside the Capitol, authoring a Constitutional Amendment and helping place three initiatives on the ballot to protect Californians against eminent domain abuse.
He was elected to the State Assembly in 2002 and left in 2008 due to term limits. In 2010 he was elected to the 4th Senate District receiving more votes in than any other legislative candidate in the state.
http://cssrc.us/web/4/biography.aspx

Dave Watkinson
President & CEO, Emgold Mining Corporation, Idaho-Maryland Mining Corporation
David Watkinson is President and CEO of Emgold Mining Corporation and its subsidiary Idaho-Maryland Mining Corporation.  David brings over 25 years of experience in underground and open pit mine development, including mine permitting, engineering, feasibility, construction, and operations. In addition, he has extensive experience in project management, having taken projects from grass roots start-up to successful operating status. Mr. Watkinson has been responsible for management of large capital projects and operations in Canada, the United States, and the Philippines. He has held progressively senior positions with Placer Dome Inc., Kinross Gold Corporation, Thyssen Mining Construction, and Vulcan Materials Company. Mr. Watkinson holds a B.Sc. in Applied Science, Mining Engineering, from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario (1985) and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.  He has been a resident of the Grass Valley area since 2006 and oversees the permitting process for the Idaho-Maryland Project and exploration activities for Emgold’s exploration properties in British Columbia and Nevada.

David Kord Murray
Author of Borrowing Brilliance and Plan B
Dave began his career as an aerospace engineer. He worked on the Space Shuttle and the conceptual development team of the International Space Station. Over the years he’s been a scientist, chief marketing officer, entrepreneur, CEO, product development specialist, software programmer and line manager for both small and large organizations. He was the Head of Innovation at the software company Intuit. He started his own online tax preparation company that he sold to H&R Block a few years ago. Just recently, Dave published his first book titled, Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others. It’s been a Wall Street Journal best seller and named by Inc Magazine as one of the Best Business Books of 2009. BusinessWeek called Dave’s innovation process “one that actually seems to work.”
Dave’s second book has just been released and is titled, Plan B: How to Hatch a Second Plan that’s Always Better than the First. It’s about the implementation and evolution of an innovative idea.

A large part of your success at a career fair will result from making the most out of the time you have face-to face with a recruiter. It is crucial that you network, keep an open mind, promote yourself and maintain a positive attitude through out the event. Career fairs allow you to meet with several employers at once- take full advantage by following the tips below:

• Networking: This event is all about making connections with companies and even the people in line with you. Each connection is an opportunity. If a company isn’t hiring for a position that fits your skills, don’t hesitate to ask for other contact information for different roles, be curious!
• Open minded: Just because you’ve never done something, doesn’t mean you can’t do it or wouldn’t like doing it; think outside the box – the possibilities are endless!
• Promote yourself: Be confident in all the great qualities that you can bring to a company, discuss your skills and experience in a confident manner.
• Positive attitude: Don’t assume there is nothing here for you and walk around the room without talking to recruiters. You’ve prepared a great resume, dressed for success, and made it to the event – keep the positive momentum going with conversations.
• Engage in conversation: While you should be aware and courteous of the time sensitive aspect of a career fair when talking to a recruiter, don’t shy away from answering questions fully. This is your time to showcase yourself; you are a potential hire.

Job Fair Preparation Workshops are being held by One Stop Business & Career Center. Plan to attend either of these free workshops on Wednesday, September 14, 2pm – 4pm or Tuesday, September 20, 10am – 12pm.

The workshops are being presented by ONE STOP at their office, 715 Maltman Drive, Grass Valley. For more information, please call (530) 265-7088.

Some people think that creativity is the ability to create an entirely new idea from scratch, something that nobody else has ever thought. Entrepreneur, speaker, and author David Murray disagrees.

Mr. Murray is the author of a recent book titled Borrowing Brilliance with tremendous application for anyone in business. The book is based on an interesting idea which Murray’s website explains: “All creative ideas [are] borrowed…you can’t make something out of nothing.” An idea, argues Murray, is simply an “evolution” of another idea, or, in many cases, several other ideas.

Murray traces the proof for his theory using a number of different fields, such as biology (Charles Darwin’s theories were syntheses of theories in other scientific fields) and Murray’s own specialty: business. Murray himself has enjoyed a great deal of personal success, from founding several very valuable financial companies to his current position in charge of innovation and Silicon Valley software company Intuit, which he credits to this technique of “borrowing brilliance” to solve problems in a creative fashion. If it worked for him, could it work for you?

At its heart, Borrowing Brilliance is quite simple, like most great ideas: rather than focusing on creating something “new,” try to create something functional out of what already exists. Anyone working in business would do well to apply this lesson to her or his work.

Mr. Murray will be speaking at the Grass Valley Job Fair on the concept of “Borrowing Brilliance” and to share his perspective on job creation and business with attendees of the job fair. If you are a business owner, manager, or entrepreneur, plan on learning how to borrow brilliance and attend the Grass Valley Job Fair on September 22nd, 2011 at the Grass Valley Veterans Hall.

Local and national businesses, politicians, employed professionals, and job seekers are invited for a day of job related seminars, networking, and information.

GRASS VALLEY, CA – Our greatest resource in Nevada County is our talent. How can we mine our local talent to benefit local residents and businesses?

More than 35 companies will gather at the Veterans Memorial Building in Grass Valley, California on September 22, 2011 for a job fair and job development forum sponsored by The Professional Event Planning division of Biotechnology Calendar, Inc., The Union, KNCO, Yubanet.com, Nevada County Business News, Nevada City Advocate and the Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The Job Fair and Job Development Forum is unique from job fairs in the past in that:

- The focus will be on bringing in local and state political figures to address needs specific to Nevada County

-A greater number of companies will be in attendance

- There will be more opportunities for community members and business owners to network with one another.

Once again, this will be a fundraiser for the Nevada Union High School Debate Team.

From 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm, speakers including California State Senator Doug LaMalfa, California State Assembly Member Dan Logue, Nevada City Mayor Robert Bergman, and Grass Valley Mayor, Dan Miller will discuss their concerns and ideas regarding national and regional employment. Local community members, job seekers, and business owners are invited to attend seminars and meet with representatives of some of the areas leading employers and businesses.

Among the featured components before and on the day of the event will be:

• Job Development Panel Discussion including panelists Keoni Allen of Sierra Foothills Construction, Ron Moser of the Economic Resource Council, Ed Scofield of Nevada County Board of Supervisors, and Stephanie Ortiz, Executive Dean of Sierra College.
• Sierra Commons Business Igniter Information Session
• Dave Watkinson, President, Emgold Mining Corporation discussion on the impact of mining on jobs.
• One Stop Business and Career Center- Resume Critique and Advice workshops in advance of the Job Fair
• Why work in Nevada County Showcase: Local associations spotlighting the quality of life the area offers including outdoor recreation, fine dining, art, music, and culture.
• Dave Kord Murray, Author of Borrowing Brilliance a Wall Street Journal Top 10 Book “The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others”

Interested job seekers should mark their calendar for September 22^nd and plan to attend one of the preparatory workshops on “How to Prepare for a Job Fair” at the One Stop Business and Career Center.

For businesses that want to showcase their products and services, network with other local professionals, that need employees, or want to meet with the talent from the county for prospective needs, this event is sure to provide an efficient opportunity to meet face to face with potential new hires.

For information on how to participate through exhibiting, advertising or sponsoring please contact The Professional Event Planning Division of Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. Biotechnology Calendar Inc. is a full service marketing and event planning company that specializes in on-campus life science research tradeshows nationwide. Founded in 1994, the company is based in Grass Valley, Calif. For more information, call 530-272-6675 or visit http://www.grassvalleyjobfair.com.

The state of California as we know it today is rooted in the Gold Rush. Beginning in 1848 with the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill, the event brought hundreds of thousands of people to the previously backwater territory and made California a state within less than a year. The Grass Valley-Nevada City area owes its very existence to its history as a landmark of the mining industry.

Despite this history, mining today occupies a miniscule share of the local economy, with most of the mines closed. The only “mines” that are open tend to be tourist attractions, like the Empire Mine.

That may be changing if all goes well for one company. Emgold, a mining company headquartered in Vancouver, has been pursuing plans to reopen the Idaho-Maryland gold mine and capitalize on the soaring price of gold. The company says that the site will result in “over 400 permanent jobs” for “the local community” as well as “support of the local community” in the form of “business opportunities, and tax revenue for the local, state, and federal governments.”

The project has generated a significant amount of controversy from some local critics, however. Ralph Silberstein, a local business owner and president of CLAIM-GV (Citizens Looking at Impacts of Mining Grass Valley), argues that the project “is the epitome of unsustainability” and say the economic impact of the project “is highly questionable” in a recent editorial appearing in The Union.

Regardless, Emgen continues to forge ahead with plans, as it recently announced the filing of a revised Environmental Impact Report with the city of Grass Valley, a necessary step to opening the mine. Depending on what the revised report shows, the company will likely proceed with the next steps to open the mine unless groups like CLAIM-GV are able to rally enough public opposition.

What do you think? Could mining return to the area in any significant fashion? Should it? Let us know in the comments section below.

What is clear is that our area’s most valuable natural resource is the talent of our people. If you are looking for work in the area, plan on attending the 4^th Semiannual Grass Valley Job Fair on Thursday September 22^nd, 2011 at the Grass Valley Veterans Memorial Building. If you are a company looking to mine this most precious resource, contact us to register for a table and connect with the remarkable base of talent to which our area is home

According to figures released by the state of California, Nevada County’s unemployment rate receded slightly over the past year from 11.6 percent to an even 11 percent. Despite the underwhelming magnitude of the decrease, given the prolonged period of high unemployment the state continues to experience, any progress at all remains good news.

At the same time, the meager reduction was tempered by news of a further reduction in available positions in the county, according to the same report. The California Employment Development Department reported that Nevada County had 27,430 positions, reflecting 180 jobs lost in the past year. Much of that reduction comes from the government sector, as federal, state, and local governments all shed jobs.

On the bright side, Nevada County’s 11 percent jobless rate places it slightly below the rate for California as a whole, which stands at 11.4 percent, down from 11.9 percent a year ago. This reflects an overall better employment climate in the area as compared to the rest of the state, but remains high compared to the national average, which stands at 8.7 percent, down from 9.3 percent one year ago.

Given the unfavorable employment climate, it becomes imperative that anyone out of work and looking for a job take advantage of every opportunity to connect with employers directly. With so many applicants at every position, distinguishing oneself to prospective employers is the most important factor in getting hired, and the best way to do so is with a face-to-face meeting.

Of course, most of the time this is not possible, which is why anyone in this situation should be planning on attending the 4^th Semiannual Grass Valley Jobs Fair on Thursday, September 22^nd 2011, which will feature a number of local companies looking for employees. Making a connection in person could be the difference between getting hired and getting passed over again.



September 22, 2011 at the Veterans Hall

When and Where

This Grass Valley, Nevada City and Nevada County Event is an employment and business networking event open to business professionals, job seekers, employers and non- profit service organizations seeking volunteers.

The Grass Valley Community Job Fair at the Veterans Hall in downtown Grass Valley coming September 22, 2011 from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. This event is being sponsored and produced by Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. as a fund raising event supporting the Nevada Union High School Debate Team Program.

Attend

If you are seeking current or future, full time, part time, temporary, seasonal, consulting, internship or even volunteer positions, this is a great way to network and get your name and skill set in front of the companies that are hiring now and in the future. You will also a great deal of positive exposure for your personal brand as well as the opportunity to network with other business professionals and thought leaders in the community where you work and play.

Comments or questions are welcome.

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