The Chamber introduces a major new feature for its members, an on-line calendar that not only keeps you posted on major Chamber events in the offing, it also reminds you via e-mail.
Called "Calendars Now," the program is a product of a Petaluma-based company called NowMediaGroup. It's CEO and founder, Roohi Moollah, originally developed the program for local schools.
Chamber CEO Onita Pellegrini said "we're very excited about this new program. It gives us a major communications tool for our members."
To access the calendar, go to petalumachamber.com and click on "events."
In addition, the calendar links to a community calendar, also maintained by NowMediaGroup, to help members keep posted on citywide events.
"It doesn't cost our members anything to use this program" Pellegrini said. "You just have to sign up. In our case, all of our members, for whom we have e-mails, will have the opportunity to be signed up automatically."
She said all members will be notified via e-mail in early January of the opportunity for enrollment. Those who do will automatically receive notices of upcoming Chamber events the first of each week. "Members should be looking for our notification e-mail," she said.
She said businesses that want multiple employees to receive notification of upcoming events can sign up as many employees as they wish.
While Chamber staff controls content on the Chamber calendar, anyone can submit items for the broader-scoped community calendar. "We post this information for free," Moollah said. "We need to approve it, but once it is approved, there is no charge."
Advertising opportunities are open to businesses as well, Moollah said. Banner ads can be purchased for the community calendar and for specific calendars such as schools or the Chamber.
"We give 50% of all advertising revenues we receive back to non-profits in the community," she said.
Currently NowMediaGroup maintains calendars for Old Adobe District and Waugh District schools, as well as Casa Grande, Kenilworth, and McNear schools.
Other opportunities exist, Moollah said. One is on-line shopping. NowMediaGroup has contracted with more than 400 national businesses to give discounts to members using the on-line shopping service.
As America's Dream Coach¨, Marcia Wieder travels the world - an ambassador for making dreams real. She's known for giving inspiring and moving talks to notable companies such as AT&T, The Gap and American Express.
In addition to being a charismatic speaker, she's the renowned author of three books dedicated to achieving your dreams: Making Your Dreams Come True, Life is But a Dream, and Doing Less and Having More. She's also a syndicated columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle, in which she urges readers "to take "The Great Dream Challenge"- a call to arms for dreamers from all walks of life.
Appearing several times on Oprah and The Today Show, she's shared her message of a "passion-filled life" with millions of viewers. Equally exciting, was the PBS featured national television special, Making Your Dreams Come True, the namesake of her popular selling book, which has also been translated into numerous languages.
Interestingly enough, while serving as the President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, she was often invited to the White House. During her time living in Washington D.C., she had the honor of meeting former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr.
With a growing world-wide audience, receptive and eager to achieve their dreams and support others in doing the same, Marcia founded Dream Coach University, where Dream Coaches are certified to lead her masterful work. Many Dream Coaches have their own successful practices, and others have brought her powerful message into their companies, communities, and even schools.
Marcia inspires thousands of people through her workshops. This year she is leading the Create Your Future Now Dream Weekends in five cities nationwide and a Dream Retreat in Maui. Her most exciting venture is My Dream Circle where she is having amazing success helping people from all walks of life achieve their personal and professional dreams.
The universal content of her keynotes and workshops appeal to a wide range of audiences. Whether she's teaching at the Stanford Business School, speaking to executives in China or Prague, or addressing a group of young women gathered at Girl Scout Camp, her belief that each of our personal dreams matter, and are worth achieving strikes a chord in everyone, everywhere.
Penngrove-based V. Dolan Trucking has begun using Biodiesel in its entire fleet of 42 trucks, according to vice president Erik Fowler.
Fowler said that "over the last 2 years we have updated our fleet by getting rid of some of the old equipment and buying 13 new trucks that are much more efficient and driver friendly. This new truck is called a "Superdump".
V. Dolan Trucking specializes in hauling construction materials, including rock, sand, and asphalt. Their operation covers eight counties - Sonoma, Lake, Marin, Napa, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, and Solano. "Our talk about Biofuel began about three months ago, Fowler said. Our fuel company, Royal Petroleum, approached Tom Brandal and me with the idea which prompted us to do some investigation," Fowler said.
"To my knowledge we are the first Dump Truck trucking company in Northern California to use Biodiesel. I do know that a few of our customers - NorthBay Construction, Ghilotti Con-struction, Nessco Construction and Bodean Quarry have begun the use of Biodiesel in their operations," he said.
"We hope and encourage other haulers to follow us in our pursuit to do the right thing for the world we live in," he said. "We are proud members of the California Dumptruck Owners association and the Northern California Engineering Contractors Association," Fowler said. "I serve on the board of directors of both groups."
"Moving forward it's nice to know that the regulations on the new motors being built are much stricter than ever before," he said. "This is good because it greatly reduces the emissions and bad particulates going into the air."
"I am very proud of our company because we are always trying to do the right thing. We are very involved in our community, supporting the various schools and many non profit building projects that we have donated time, labor, materials and monetary contributions in the thousands," he said.
The company began in 1923 when Verla Dolan and Jim Brandal invested in two 10-wheel dump trucks. The post-war building boom was going strong so Jim drove one truck and Verla's brother drove the other.
Jim's son, Tom Brandal, joined the company and in 1969. In 1976, Jim sold the business to Tom, gave him the company name, and retired.
Tom Brandal joined the North Bay Co-op as an independent sub-hauler in 1980. He had an office in Santa Rosa and a new truck yard at the Stony Point Rock Quarry in Cotati. He worked in partnership with LTS trucking for a couple of years and in 1986 moved the whole operation to a new location on Corona Road in Petaluma. The company was incorporated in 1987.
Currently located on Adobe Road in Penngrove, V. Dolan Trucking aspires to become the premier hauling company for asphalt and aggregates for the construction industry, celebrating its 50-year anniversary in 2003. Tom Brandal is president, and Fowler is vice president.
V. Dolan trucking continues to strive to provide the finest service and value to its customers. They stay current with new technologies and have deployed GPS in all their trucks. They are committed to providing workplace opportunity and they cross-train good drivers so they are qualified on a range of equipment.
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