www.thebusinessjournal.com UPDATED DAILY MARCH 22, 2019 thebusinessjournal.com the FOCUS | 8 Six Fresno projects ready for cap-trade dollars Donald A. Promnitz – STAFF WRITER portunities for the area, while — at the same time — reducing car- Nearly two years after the very bon admissions. To this end, the first planning meeting was held state has pledged $66.5 million to downtown, the first six projects making Transform Fresno hap- in Transform Fresno are now pen. Approval for the funding ready to begin. passed the Fresno City Council First announced in 2017, the with a unanimous vote on Feb. Health Care Transformative Climate Commu- 28. Combating asthma problems nities (TCC) initiative Transform According to H. Spees, director Fresno is an effort to use state- of strategic initiatives for Mayor the EXECUTIVE collected cap-and-trade funds to Lee Brand’s office, there are 24 PROFILE | 9 finance a series of development projects that have been approved projects within a connected sec- for the final Transform Fresno tor of Chinatown and downtown package. Of these, six can begin and southwest Fresno. The goal implementation of work once of the committee is to provide PHOTO BY GGLO DESIGN | Modesto design firm MVE is providing Fresno Housing Authority economic and educational op- TCC | 5 professional services on a new development in Chinatown near the high-speed rail station. Former Visalia OSH gets new Lindsay subdivision Jennifer Reynolds lease on life; other stores wait General Manager Visalia Rawhide Ballclub going to the the LIST | 10 auction block Sebastian tops the Business David Castellon - STAFF WRITER Technology Services list If you’re in the market to buy This Week Online 6 a subdivision, then you may be able to get one relatively cheap People on the Move 12 in Lindsay. The Leads 15-16 Well, not the whole subdivi- Public Notices 17-25 sion with houses, sidewalks and Opinion 26 streets already built. But when Tulare County puts PHOTO BY DAVID CASTELLON | The Orchard Supply Hardware store in Lindsay Mission Estates up for Visalia closed last year but reopened in late February as Nelson’s Ace Hardware. sale in June in an online tax- recovery auction, the nearly David Castellon - STAFF WRITER 36-acre former citrus grove will come with some of the pre-con- In business, timing can be the critical element struction work done, as all the that turns a bad situation into a good one. trees have been removed, the Take the case of the former Orchard Supply ground leveled and some un- Hardware store in Visalia, which along with the derground utilities already laid, other 98 OSH stores in California, Florida and said Lindsay City Manager Bill 0regon began closing down last year. Zigler. While this certainly was bad news for the hard- An added perk for whoever ware chain’s owner, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. — buys the land is “This project al- along with about 1,500 California employees who ready has all of its entitlements lost their jobs and the communities where the on it that say you can build this stores were located losing commerce — the timing many houses, it shows where couldn’t have been better for Mike Nelson, who the streets are supposed to be co-owns and operates two Ace Hardware stores in — even what the streets are sup- Selma and Kingsburg, along with Nelson’s Power posed to be named — the orien- Center in Selma, which sells, rents and repairs tation of the houses.” lawnmowers, chain saws, pressure washers, gen- The city long ago approved erators and other gas-powered tools. the subdivision map, dividing That’s because about the time he heard in Oc- SUBMITTED PHOTO | Mike Nelson, along with his wife and business the land in north central Lind- tober about the Visalia OSH being set to close, he partner, Staci, stand in the former Orchard Supply Hardware store in say into 91 parcels. was looking at opening another hardware store in Visalia that they’ve converted into his Ace Hardware store. “They have fast tracked through many of the hurdles a new location. Lowe’s decided to shutter all of its OSH stores. that can be expensive and te- “I was already looking at the Visalia market, and “And I knew they had a large following,” mostly dious to go through,” Zigler said. there wasn’t a lot of space to do what I wanted to of shoppers who preferred the not quite so big “They can start bringing sur- do,” said Nelson, adding that timing additionally OSH store over the big box hardware stores in veyors out, they can create lots, played a fortuitous role for him in that when he town, Lowe’s and Home Depot. they can start developing” rela- checked on the availability of the Visalia OSH, Being able to take over the site and make it into tively quickly, he said of whoev- Lowe’s lease on the property was scheduled to run a hardware store again in just a few weeks after er buys the land. out at the end of the year. the old lease ended was particularly helpful in As for how much all this will Nelson, whose family has been in the hardware that it didn’t give regular customers of the Visalia cost, Paul Sampietro, chief dep- business since his grandfather launched in 1948 OSH much time to change their hardware shop- uty treasurer and tax collector what is now Nelson’s Ace Hardware in Selma, said ping habits. for Tulare County, said the min- the Visalia site was of particular interest to him As such, even though the store reopened Feb. 25 because it was in a good location, off Mooney Bou- imum starting bid will be $1.3 as another Nelson’s Ace Hardware, “a lot [of cus- levard — Visalia’s main retail drag — and he knew million, to recover the more it had been profitable and closed only because OSH | 3 Lindsay | 5 SENSITIVE TIME PRIORITY HANDLING PERIODICAL: FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019 ISSUE # 32573 $1.25 PER COPY USPS 145-100 Generation e VERYONE A Plan for Everyone Everyone should have access to a plan, which can help create the opportunity for a prosperous life and legacy. 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AGE-143750 (3/19) (exp. 3/21) FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019 www.thebusinessjournal.com 3 PHOTO BY DAVID CASTELLON | The vacated former Orchard Supply Hardware store at 6055 N Figarden Dr. in Fresno is among six former OSH stores in the Valley that are sitting empty. OSH | from 1 sions with the former OSH employees “It’s kind of a turnkey operation, product changes, the big difference — most whom he hired for his Visalia just because of the talent I was able between the old and new store is that tomers] come in and don’t know it’s store — business has been compara- to retain from OSH,” as those work- OSH leased a 30,000-square-foot main an Ace store, not an OSH,” despite the ble to what it was before the closure, ers know hardware, as well as the old sales area and about a 10,000-square- big, new “Nelson’s Ace Hardware” sign even before the start of advertising to store’s regular customers and their above the entrance, Nelson said. let people know the store had opened needs, he said. In fact, he said that in his discus- again. Beside the new name and some OSH | 4 n Celebratio iversary ear Ann k’s 5 Y rbroo Ceda Proud to be a part of the Koelsch family legacy, providing care with dignity since 1958. Cedarbrook celebrates 5 years of Memory Care service in Fresno. Please Join Us Thursday - April 11th 2019 3PM-5PM Appetizers and refreshments Please RSVP by April 8th 2019 will be served. (559) 412-2299 1425 E Nees Ave, Fresno, CA 93720 | 559.412.2299 cedarbrookfresno.com #107206749 4 www.thebusinessjournal.com FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019 Why Salespeople Fail... And What You Can Do About It GET YOUR FREE REPORT. Access your copy using a QR reader or visit: fullsalestraining.sandler.com/report For more information, Call: 559.412.8178 30th Annual California PHOTO BY DAVID CASTELLON | A sign stuck to the glass door of the former Orchard Supply Hardware store on Figarden Drive thanks its former customers for their support. Family Business Awards OSH | from 3 able, while leasing agents for the other two vacated Fresno stores at 6055 E. foot adjoining building that had been Figarden Drive and 5445 N. Blackstone Nominate a deserving family its garden center. Ave., along with the former Clovis OSH, Nelson said his 10-year lease — with all still have their leases with Lowe’s in business for this year’s the option for two five-year extensions effect. Steve Rontell, a senior vice pres- — is just for the larger building, which ident and principal for Colliers Inter- awards.