business owners

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

JoAnn Conner, 67, Small Business Owner, 35 years in SLT.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

The South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby recently asked all ten of the candidates their views on climate change, green buildings and our carbon footprint and how they can make a change if elected.

The Citizen's Climate Lobby is an organization focused on national policies to address climate change, and the South Lake Tahoe chapter is one of 354 in the United States and abroad.

Patricia Sussman of the local chapter said just five of the candidates responded to their questions.

Earlier this month, Niantic Labs and The Pokemon Company released the free-to-play augmented reality game Pokemon Go.

The hot, dry days of summer will soon be upon us. Preparing your home for wildfire is more important than ever. And now is a good time to get started. June is “Wildfire Awareness Month” in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and members of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team are asking all Tahoe residents and visitors to “Think First to Keep Tahoe Fire Safe”

Over 100 people attended the Make Tahoe Work For You Leadership Lake Tahoe Summit on May 6 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. The one-day Summit, featuring inspiring sessions for individuals and business owners, provided Lake Tahoe residents with tools to make Tahoe a viable place to succeed, both personally and professionally. The Summit was organized by the Tahoe Chamber’s Leadership Lake Tahoe 2016 class.

When people visit Tahoe for the first time, they marvel at the extraordinary natural landscape and fresh, clean air. At the same time, some are shocked at the dilapidated condition of the built environment: rundown buildings, crumbling infrastructure, and tired-looking development. The paradox is compelling. Despite TRPA’s mandate to harmonize the natural and human-made landscapes so that they blend together, outdated development that preceded environmental standards now serves as blight in our community.

Last week, March 15th and 16th, an estimated 75 volunteers participated in the South Shore Business Walk coordinated by the Tahoe Chamber, Tahoe Prosperity Center, El Dorado County, and the Lake Tahoe Adult Education Consortium to collect workforce data from local businesses.

Volunteers will be canvassing the community from Meyers to Round Hill this week to assess the employment needs of local businesses including their current employment situation, determine future needs, and ensure Tahoe can attract and retain talented workers for a variety of occupations.

Between 2003 and 2013, Lake Tahoe experienced a steady decline in jobs, with 5,500 jobs lost. Since then, there are several factors affecting the prosperity and sustainability of both the current and future workforce and economy.

Two South Lake Tahoe businesses lost almost $1,000 each this past week when scammers called them, demanding payment of an electrical bill or their power would be shut off.

In both cases, individuals claiming to represent Liberty Utilities called the businesses and demanded payment. The business owners were directed to purchase a prepaid credit card and then call them back with the card number.

Liberty Utilities representatives will not place calls to customers for payment.

El Dorado County and its Board of Supervisors have been in full stride throughout the last year solving critical issues, making important changes to protect tax dollars and providing expanded services to the public.

2016 Business Expo: Go Local

Friday, April 1st
4:30 to 8:30pm
Harvey's Lake Tahoe
$10 in advance
$15 at the door

Location

The bi-state Tahoe Chamber is reaching to their membership and offering them the opportunity to develop new business relationships through its Ambassador Program. Applications for the 2016 Chamber Ambassador Program are currently being accepted through January 15.

Ambassadors are a group of professionals that assist and interact with other chamber members on a variety of levels. There are now over 650 members in the organization.

Three local community groups were recently awarded grants form the South Lake Tahoe Rotary Club. The Drug Store Project was given $1,000, H.E.R.O Scholarship Fund $2,000 and the Sierra House Elementary 5th Grade Nature Bridge $1,500.

The Drug Store Project, which is operated under the guidance of Tahoe Youth and Family Services will use the money to continue its annual youth drug awareness and avoidance program in 2016. This is program is designed to reduce future drug experimentation/use/abuse and increase student knowledge about the dangers of drug and alcohol use.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to rescind the ban on single use plastic bags in retail outlets during Monday's meeting. Mayor Wendy David and Mayor Pro Tem Austin Sass were the only ones who wanted to continue the ban but were outvoted in the 3-2 vote.

During the holiday season many South Lake Tahoe locals and business owners want to help out agencies who deal with members of the public who are facing some sort of struggle, whether its financial, housing, counseling or something else.

Tahoe Youth and Family Services has found an easy way for the community to help out their agency with every day needs.

The Loop Road project in South Lake Tahoe has undergone changes, from being a federally funded project to realign Highway 50 to evolving into a community development project that promises to beautify, provide new gateways and gathering places. Without this plan being a federal project allows local control and development.

The revamped US Highway 50/South Shore Community Revitalization Project will be presented to the community during an open house on Tuesday, December 1 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

These are challenging times for businesses and many entrepreneurs are left without the guidance necessary to build sustainable businesses. Fortunately, the Tahoe Tactical Team is available to assist current and prospective business owners in their entrepreneurial journey. This past week, the Tahoe Tactical Team expanded its business coaching program to include businesses and entrepreneurs in Douglas County due to a grant from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

On June 14, 2014, the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to delay the implementation of the second phase of the plastic bag ban in the city. Originally slated to begin on October 15, 2014, the Council, by a vote of 3-2, moved the start date out one year to October 15, 2015.

Now that the second phase of the ban has started, Mayor Hal Cole wants to revisit that portion of the ban.

Cole said he wants to undo the ban on plastic bags for retail stores and asked for the topic to be on an upcoming agenda.

Sam's Place Bar & Grill and the Cork & More, two iconic South Lake Tahoe businesses, surprised many with their news this week that they are ending their multi-decade runs on the South Shore.

For many, Sam's Place was where they went after work for pizza and a beer after work. Others enjoyed the pool, outdoor patio, sports on their televisions, slot machines or the camaraderie that comes with a neighborhood bar.

The Reno Gazette-Journal filed a lawsuit Friday against the city of Sparks in an effort to compel them to release the names of medical marijuana business licensees.

As the newspaper expands its coverage of Nevada’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry, the RGJ has requested and collected copies of current business licenses for cultivation centers, dispensaries and production facilities in the area. Reno and Washoe County both have policies to release all of the information that the licenses entail.

Editors Note: This is a reprint of an article that appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. Those of us who live in El Dorado County already knew this secret, but it is now out!

It may be gold (and God and gun) country, but visitors are beginning to satisfy other tastes in the Hangtown hills, from apple orchards, farm-side vacation respites and outdoor excursions to wines without an extra layer of price or pretense.

It is with the greatest joy, respect and admiration that I thank the 33
business owners/managers, South Tahoe Refuse, city council, service
organizations, fire department, forest service, community college, hospital
staff, district staff, news reporters and community members who attended the
Mt. Tallac High School community meet and greet!

The experience was amazing! Our students felt valued, excited and pleasantly
surprised by the community’s interest in their future plans and needs. We
can’t wait to work with each and everyone one of you who attended!

West Coast Expos is organizing the "Tahoe Business Expo," an event where property and business owners, managers, CEOs and entrepreneurs will find resources and solutions while networking with experts in almost every field. It will be held at Harvey's Lake Tahoe on October 30, 2015.

They are looking for business owners who'd like to participate as an exhibitor, people to participate in a whole day of business seminars as well as people looking to connect with local companies. Seminars are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., exhibits open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Location

The year was 1946. The President was Harry S. Truman, "It's a Wonderful Life" was in the theaters and a stamp cost three cents. It was also the year the Tahoe Trout Farm opened in South Lake Tahoe.

This business, located off of Lake Tahoe Blvd on Blue Lake Avenue, was the topic of the South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission's meeting on August 13.

In an effort to "Clean Up Highway 50," the City's sign ordinance is meant to get rid of the blight and unattractive signage that visitors and locals see each day they travel the main artery through town.