Y R ARA RS www.thebusinessjournal.com VE NI UPDATED DAILY ANNIVERSARAN thebusinessjournal.com JANUARY 6, 2017 THE FOCUS | 8 Editor’s Note On our 25th year of local business news Gabriel Dillard – MANAGING EDITOR for legal advertising — into Webster’s great-grandfather Legends” supplement to honor The Business Journal. With Morris Shelby Webster in the top 20 business legends in With the turn of the New the move came a newsroom 1888. the Central Valley. Year comes another milestone built from the ground up, We are marking 2017 with This year, we want to use for our company — the 25th and a business-to-business a new logo at the top of our our anniversary to highlight anniversary of The Business perspective on news from front page, as well as plans other longtime businesses in Journal. Fresno, Kings, Madera and for a 25th anniversary special the region. If you have any It was back in 1992 when Tulare counties. issue at the end of March. suggestions on how we should Agriculture Publisher Gordon M. Webster, It set a new course for For The Business Journal’s do that, please contact me • An early look at the Jr. converted The Fresno the business, which was 20th anniversary in 2012, we at 559-490-3467 or gabriel@ water year Daily Report — a vehicle originally founded by published our “Central Valley thebusinessjournal.com. THE EXECUTIVE PROFILE | 9 Bay Area chain brings Korean-Japanese fusion to Fresno Valerie Shelton – STAFF WRITER Bay Area chain KoJa Kitchen rang in the New Year with a Grand Opening at its newest Panos Joulios location at 7785 N. Palm in President Fresno’s Park Place at Palm Wowza & Whirld Bluffs shopping center. Concepts, Inc. KoJa stands for Korean- Japanese, and the restaurant offers a fusion of flavors from THE LIST | 10 both cultures. Its most popular Placement Pros tops the dish is a gourmet sandwich, list of Staffing Services called KoJa, which is similar to a burger, but includes a choice of meat served between fried This Week Online 6 garlic rice buns. People on the Move 12 The restaurant also serves Leads 15-16 rice bowls with various choices Public Notices 17-25 of meat and veggies, as well as Opinion 26 tacos and salads. Side dishes include Buffalo wings and KoJa PHOTO BY VALERIE SHELTON | A space at Fresno’s Park Place at Palm Bluffs shopping center has been taken by Bay Area Around Town | 3 restaurant chain KoJa kitchen, which features a fusion of Korean and Japanese cuisine. Porterville Teter AE project touches next Super Wal-Mart phase of spaceflight to open next year Ben Keller – CONTRIBUTING WRITER John Lindt – CONTRIBUTING WRITER History is in the making with the pending maiden After battling with determined voyage of the world’s largest opponents for almost a decade, aircraft, and local architect Wal-Mart and the City of Teter AE had a hand in the Porterville have been given the project. green light to build a planned Aerospace company superstore. Earlier this fall the Scaled Composites began opponents settled with the work some five years ago defendants. Sources say the on its Stratolaunch Carrier IMAGE VIA WALLACE AND SMITH | The T Hangar, designed by Fresno company will not open the big plane, nicknamed the Roc, architecture firm Teter AE, is 420 feet from wall to wall and 97-foot tall store that sells both groceries designed to deliver rockets at the ridge line. In addition, it has approximately 6,100 square feet of mezzanine storage, a 1,200 square-foot flight simulation room and two Wal-Mart | 5 Teter | 5 remote restrooms. FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017 ISSUE # 325213 | $1.25 PER COPY USPS 145-100 SENSITIVE PRIORITY HANDLING TIME PERIODICAL: 2 www.thebusinessjournal.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017 Better together. Security First Bank and Suncrest Bank are uniting to better serve the Fresno community. Same Friendly Faces Increased Community Re-investment The friendly faces that greet you at the bank won’t Both Security First Bank and Suncrest Bank change and neither will their commitment to passionately believe in re-investing profits back providing the highest levels of personal service. into our local communities. Unique Checking Account Locally Managed We will be offering Suncrest’s innovative The new bank will continue to be led by a local Kasasa High Interest account. Look out for Market President supported by a local Board, the account soon! with decisions made right here in Fresno. Higher Lending Limits Focused on Agribusiness The partnership will allow our new bank to serve a Combined with Suncrest’s Agribusiness Division, wider range of local businesses with the ability to the new bank will be one of the strongest ag lenders offer loans up to $14 million to qualified borrowers. in the region, with deep local knowledge and highly competitive products. Fresno Branch 663 W Nees Ave. (559) 225-1700 www.suncrestbank.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017 www.thebusinessjournal.com 3 Business on the mind of Fresno Mayor Lee Brand TRUSTED LEADERS. BEST OF THE VALLEY. Voted Best Property/Casualty Insurance Company 3 Years in a Row PHOTO BY VALERIE SHELTON | Newly minted Fresno Mayor Lee Brand speaks about some of his plans during a swearing in ceremony Tuesday. Valerie Shelton – STAFF WRITER to get the word out across the country Lee Brand took his official oath of to the business world that Fresno is office Tuesday morning in the Fresno business friendly. Council Chamber lobby, and used his “Fresno is welcoming businesses brief remarks to highlight his focus on here whether they be a large business economic development. Brand said like Amazon or the guy across the he plans to continue efforts toward street who wants to open a sandwich job creation and economic expansion shop. We’re going to try to make with business-friendly policies put in business easy for everyone.” place by Mayor Ashley Swearengin Brand also spoke about some of the and her predecessors. objectives he hopes to accomplish as Matt and Mike DeFendis “The economic expansion plan is mayor. Out of the gate, Brand said a blueprint for job growth to bring his administration plans to approach thousands of jobs to Fresno,” Brand the council about establishing an said. “The recent interest from Ulta effective rental housing inspection For nearly 60 years, DiBuduo & DeFendis Insurance has proudly and Amazon to consider e-commerce program. Creating and implementing served clients both in our community and throughout the here is a direct result of performance a community public safety advisory United States. Today, we thank you for placing your trust in us, based economic expansion. It’s a very board is also at the top of Brand’s list. as we continue to share our knowledge and the resources you progressive, smart way to grow jobs but we need to advertise that so we’re Valerie Shelton | Reporter can be reached at: need to help your business thrive. working on branding and marketing 490-3461 or e-mail [email protected] The D&D Insurance Difference: • One of the largest independent insurance agencies in California – 10 locations throughout the state Around Town | from 1 Lai and partners Mike Nguyen • Access to international markets as a member of Kitchen’s famous Kamikaze fries — and Van Ngo are not the founders of Assurex Global – 1 of only 3 in the state crisscut waffle fries, minced Korean KoJa Kitchen, but wanted to open a barbecue beef, kimchi, Japanese franchise because Korean-Japanese • The Development Academy Seminar Series – mayonnaise, red sauce and green infused cuisine intrigued them. safety training and loss prevention education onions. “KoJa has been popular the last two (i.e. CPR/First Aid classes) KoJa Kitchen began serving its years and we were looking for a good Korean-Japanese grub from a food restaurant to open, and I fell in love • Employee Benefits – Unparalleled blend of customized truck in the San Francisco Bay area in with KoJa right away,” Lai said. “It is a strategies and practical daily HR support 2011. Its popularity made it a feature great marriage of the two foods, with • 70 experienced agents and growing on two Food Network shows: Diners, Japanese cuisine being sweeter and Drive-ins and Dives and Eat Street. the Korean kimchi adding to that for KoJa Kitchen opened its first brick- a good balance of flavors.” and-mortar restaurant in 2014 and The Fresno location is the first KoJa now boasts five locations in the Bay Kitchen outside of the Bay Area, but Area. there are plans to open locations in “The original lunch truck grew into Rocklin and Los Angeles/Irvine this a location in Berkeley and multiple year. TALK TO US. WE LISTEN. Bay Area locations came from that,” KoJa Kitchen’s space in the Park Tom Lai, co-owner of the Fresno Place shopping center has seen a 559-432-0222 License #0E02096 franchise, said. “KoJa is a very trendy lot of turnover the past few years. 800-284-8247 dibu.com food now, and we went this far out Previous tenants include Capo’s because we think Fresno is ready. It’s Italian Restaurant, The Venue, and Bakersfield · Dinuba · Fresno · Hollister · Lodi · Modesto a new market but we expect it to be Twist Restaurant. San Luis Obispo · Santa Monica · Taft · Ventura successful. All our reviews are 5-star so far.” Around Town | 4 4 www.thebusinessjournal.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017 Around Town | from 3 and the smoothies. If you order a Lai said the spot was selected smoothie, the almond milk that goes because it’s in a newer area with in the smoothie is made here from plenty of traffic thanks to anchor scratch.