Welcome to our April “Construction & Real Estate” issue! This month, the focus is on all things green. There’s much to celebrate with a collection of stories featuring North Bay visionaries; these folks are forward-thinking, environmentally minded and believe the future is green. Their companies, while unrelated, share the common goal of leaving a lighter footprint on our planet.
The patience and vision of SOMO Village’s CEO, Brad Baker, Heritage Salvage’s Bug Deakin and BamCore’s Hal Hinkle have relieved me of the negative “Debbie Downer” role I often play when reviewing environmental progress. These folks and many others featured in this issue renew my belief that business and concern for the environment can go hand in hand. A green economy is one that aims to reduce environmental risks and supports sustainable practices without degrading the environment. An entrepreneurial and green-minded spirit can overcome so many challenges.
Our cover story this month, “Mindful Living,” is about an ideal community at SOMO Village, designed according to One Planet principles of health, happiness, land and nature. Brad Baker’s unique approach for this project includes sustainable water, travel and transport, while striving for zero waste, zero carbon energy and more. Brad’s a longtime friend, and I’m personally pleased to know that he’s now on course to fully achieve his SOMO Village project. A development of nearly 200 acres, the community will include a collection of 1,750 residences, office space, day care and athletic facilities all walkable, bike-able and transit accessible. After more than 17 years in the planning, SOMO Village begins construction in earnest later this year.
Unconnected but clearly related is the progress Hal Hinkle and his engineering team have made at BamCore with an alternative material to save carbon, cost, time and labor. Boy, this guy has energy! With a neuroscience Ph.D. and diplomas from Columbia Business School and Columbia Medical School, Hal is succeeding in his third (or fourth?!) career with a focus on using bamboo in construction. BamCore engineers customize dual-parcel framing solutions that save carbon, labor, money and time. Hal’s products replace earlier generation wall systems with a goal toward material sustainability. He sounds like just the guy to pull it off! Read all about it in “The BamCore Way.”
Perhaps on a smaller, but no less significant path, is one of Sonoma County’s most interesting and positive persons—Michael Deakin, known to all as Bug. I met Bug in the 1990s when I first arrived in Sonoma County. He was dating one of my employees back then, but I was too busy keeping my struggling business from failure at the time to notice how damn interesting this guy is! Bug is that one-in-a-million character, who is passionate about life and living, and he’s a remarkable storyteller. His homegrown company in Petaluma provides sustainable solutions and custom-design work that preserves history. If you haven’t been to Heritage Salvage, treat yourself to a visit at his “museum” of re-purposed and reclaimed building materials. Be sure to read our exposé of Bug’s life, work and passions in the feature, “Steward of Salvage.”
Literacy project update
On a final note, I’m excited to share an update on the Fieri-Amaturo Literacy Project. Readers of this column know that our goal is to go well beyond a “feel-good” outcome to overcoming illiteracy in the North Bay. With the leadership of some amazing middle-school principals and teachers, Guy Fieri and I are dedicated to making concrete achievements toward the vital reading skills of our middle school students.
Our three-month beta test being conducted at six public schools is nearly complete. Imagine this: participating classrooms encourage their students to choose their own books to read and enjoy during the school day, on weekends and before bedtime. Upon completing a book, students take a short quiz to demonstrate their comprehension. What’s more, students of all reading skill levels are included. Since January, these 458 students have read more than 5,740 books, totaling 44 million words! That’s an average of 12 books per student and their average reading comprehension is tracking at 83%. Better readers become better students, and better students choose a life of fulfillment, enrichment, and value over a life of suffering, meal scarcity and (often) crime. Needless to say, Guy and I are thrilled. To learn how you and your company can get involved, please be in touch. Contact me at Lawrence@NorthBaybiz.com.
In the meantime, think green and enjoy the treasures you’ll find in this month’s “Construction and Real Estate” issue.
Best as always.
Lawrence
