San Jose Ranks in World's Fastest Growing Economies

A report has ranked the 60 fastest growing city economies in the world. This includes all of the rapidly growing cities in China (which dominated the list with 34 cities), the Middle East, and Latin America. Only four cities in all of North America made the cut and San Jose was one of them at #46. In fact, only one other North American city surpassed San Jose, and that was Houston at 40th place.

Factors attributed to San Jose's ranking include increases in GDP per capita, employment, and population.

Source: SVBJ

Downtown Whole Foods Design Update

Happy Friday! On Tuesday we feasted on a substantial improvement in the design of One South Market. Well, today we have another treat for you to bookend the week. The design has been updated for the new Whole Foods coming to the border of The Alameda and Downtown San Jose in 2014. It looks like they incorporated quite a bit of feedback when it comes to making the building more engaging for people walking by. Here are some of the changes that I noticed:

• Outdoor patio seating on the ground floor corner. This is in addition to the covered outdoor seating on the second floor (where the roof has been raised in this latest design). By the way, this building is going to host the first craft brewery to be built into a Whole Foods.
• New vertical sign at the corner.
• More colorful facade with more windows.
• Huge dormer windows on the roof of the Alameda side.

I can't wait until this opens!

Hat tip to C.L.

Source: Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association Facebook Page

Old Design







New Design

Bestronics Expansion

In the middle of all the fervor over software companies in Silicon Valley these days, it's easy to forget that San Jose has a significant manufacturing base and it's still growing. The International Business Park in San Jose has a staggering 8 million sqft or so worth of manufacturing facilities, and vacancy has dropped from 25% to around 10%.

Bestronics is a contract manufacturer in that area that provides engineering, testing, and material management services. They are taking a leap of faith and expanding from 25,000 sqft on Ringwood Avenue to 71,570 sqft at 2090 Fortune Drive. The additional space is going to let them add a second shift, take on a lot more work, and expand testing capabilities. It's great to see these types of companies continue to thrive in San Jose despite intense competition overseas.

For more info just check out the link below.

Source: SVBJ

Wednesday Wishlist: Year Round Snowboarding in San Jose?

Once in a while, there are still some proposals that surprise me... and this is one of them. How would you feel about being able to ski and snowboard at anytime during the year... IN SAN JOSE? Well, apparently there is an organization that is trying to do just that. Right now they are trying to collect enough signatures to get the City's attention in building an outdoor snow park at Lake Cunningham near Raging Waters. You can sign the petition at SJsnow.com. Also check out their Facebook page over here.

Source: Think Bigger San Jose

New One South Market Rendering!!!

It looks like One South Market has updated their renders and decided not to tell anyone yet. They slapped a new photo at the future building site itself, but I can't find any info about this online.

Hat tip to Bobby G. for sending in photos of the new render, this really made my night.

Secondary hat tip for everyone that showed up at the info meeting to complain about the "version 2" design (special mention to Mark from Think Bigger San Jose who created a petition). Obviously we are all happy to get any new high-rise building Downtown, but it's safe to say the general consensus was disappointment at the bland and generic redesign for a building that will anchor a key intersection in the very heart of Downtown.

Guys, I think you're going to be pretty satisfied with this latest render. The "version 3" redesign looks markedly better than version 2, and even rivals version 1. They went from a monotone grid, to a dynamic design incorporating multiple hues, offset windows, and a terrace facing Santa Clara Street. Check out that green/teal line that runs vertically up the Market Street side of the building and then wraps around the corner. Huge improvement!

I also added the older renders for comparison. So what do you guys think of version 3?

VERSION 1 (Original render, they were condos at this point)

VERSION 2 (Redesign that everyone hated)

VERSION 3 (Latest Revision)

 

2013 Family Philanthropy Conference

Philanthropy in the South Bay is something that we definitely need to improve. It pains me to see dollars floating from Silicon Valley to organizations in San Francisco, LA, and outside of California. By continuing to improve our local organizations, we can keep operational dollars within our economy and better focus on programs that are being executed in our back yard. If anyone out there is involved in a foundation of philanthropic organization, definitely have a look at the conference below happening in the Fairmont.

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We invite you to the Council on Foundations 2013 Family Philanthropy Conference, January 26–29 in
San Jose. Join us to experience workshops, programs, speakers, and social events designed to help your
philanthropy thrive in an ever-expanding system of communities, businesses, and families. Learn how
your philanthropy fits within the larger framework of business, and how developing a systems-oriented
approach can turn complex problems into opportunities to make a more meaningful impact.

Plenary speakers include visionary David Peter Stroh discussing “Systems Thinking: Help Your Giving
Create Greater Change,” political communications strategist Gloria Johnson Cusack talking about “Tax
Reform: What’s at Play and What’s at Stake,” and award-winning author Peter Sims showing you how to
“Think Differently, Think Black Sheep.” There also will be plenty of opportunities to roll up your sleeves
to connect with—and learn from—your philanthropic peers.

Please visit the 2013 Family Philanthropy Conference website for more information, including
registration.

We look forward to seeing you there.

http://www.cof.org/events/conferences/2013Family/

California's First Cooperative Brewery and Pub Coming to San Jose!

Wow, the craft beer scene in San Jose continues to explode. Peter Smith and Joe Silva are launching the first Brewery & Pub in California that is going to be setup as a Co-op. That means that there would be a large number of owners that would get to vote on the types of beer and food offered and have a vested interest in the co-op's success. Basically it is a way to make owning a small piece of an actual brewpub and restaurant possible for the average patron. I love the idea and can't wait to see where it goes!

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“If you eat and drink at a brew pub, shouldn’t you like to own it too?”

The San Jose Cooperative Brewery and Pub
Information Session and Beer Tasting

Event Details:
Saturday, Feb 2, 2013, 2-5 pm
The Drying Shed, 402 Toyon Ave, San Jose
https://www.facebook.com/events/120781888091976/

Contacts:
Peter Smith / psmithsf@gmail.com / 415-912-8056
Joe Silva / joe.silva@outlook.com / 512-300-3758
SJCoopBrewPub.com

The San Jose Cooperative Brewery & Pub “Coop Brewpub”, California’s first
cooperative brewery and pub, will hold its first information session and beer
tasting on February 2, 2013 at the Drying Shed from 2:00- 5:00 PM at 402 Toyon
Ave, San Jose, California to kick off its membership drive. In addition to learning
about how to become a member of the Brewpub Coop, attendees will enjoy a
beer tasting with craft beers from local breweries and live music.

The Coop Brewpub is currently made up of a small group of individuals who have
spent the last five months laying the ground work for the Coop Brewpub and
are kicking off the membership drive with a beer tasting. The Coop Brewpub is
looking for more members to help build the coop from the group up. Members will
help make major decisions in building the coop such as what beers to brew, what
foods to serve, where to locate it, and what the culture of the coop will be.

The Coop Brewpub will follow the values and principles of the International
Cooperative Alliance and will be owned and democratically controlled by its
members—the people who buy their goods or use their services—not by investors.
It will operate on the principle of “one member, one vote.” That is, unlike investor
owned businesses where voting rights are based on ownership share, each member
of a cooperative has the same voting power. In addition, it will return profits to their
members proportionate to their use of the cooperative.

The goal is to increase membership to 2 – 3,000 members in approximately 18
months, to open soon after, and have a lot of fun until then.

Admission to the event is a nominal $20 to cover event expenses and will feature
craft beers from local breweries and live music.

Additional Resources:
International Cooperative Alliance

San Jose Cooperative Brewery & Pub

January 14, 2013

http://ica.coop/en/what-co-op/co-operative-identity-values-principles

Sharks Victorious In Opener

Sharks fans have good reason to be excited: hockey is back and the Sharks won their first game on the road in Calgary, as they defeated the Flames 4-1.

Patrick Marleau scored the first goal of the Sharks' season with a beautiful move in front of Miikka Kiprusoff, dragging the puck to his backhand side, and stuffing the puck in the corner.  Throughout the course of the game, however, Marleau was not done.  He finished the night with two goals and "first star" honors.

Admittedly, the Sharks started the game with a lackluster first period performance.  The Flames demonstrated superior chemistry, scoring one goal, and peppering Sharks netminder Antti Niemi with 16 shots (compared to the Sharks' nine).  It was clear the Sharks were showing signs of "growing pains" (i.e. needing to get used to playing together), as it is commonly the case when a new season begins.  Niemi, however, displayed absolute brilliance in the net by not only stopping many shots, but many quality shots.  Star players on the Flames team, such as captain Jarome Iginla, had clear opportunities to score, but Niemi was right there to keep the shots from barreling past him.  The reason the Sharks had the opportunity to recover from the first period was due to Niemi's shot blocking mastery.

The Sharks' performance during the second period put all of the doubters to rest.  Three unanswered goals were scored during the second period by the Sharks, with an additional fourth during the third period.  During the second and third periods, the Sharks' chemistry was beginning to come together, and Niemi continued to demonstrate his unbelievable skills.  The combination became too much for the Flames.

Advantages Sharks fans are familiar with, such as dominance in the corners and in the offensive zone, were beginning to be demonstrated.  Joe Thornton was beginning to display his passing skills.  Dan Boyle was beginning to show his ability to stay out on the ice and still make great plays.

The all-familiar Sharks were back.

Let us hope the Sharks cam continue to win a significant amount of games.  With an abbreviated 48 game season, there is no time for the team to gradually develop into a "hot" team.  They must win now.  The Stanley Cup is up for grabs.

Some honorable mentions for today:
- Matt Irwin, Sharks defenseman, played his first NHL game today, and was paired up with the veteran Dan Boyle.  Despite claiming to have the "first game jitters," he played a fantastic game and provided opportunities for the team to get chances on net, and finished the game with a +1 rating.
- Adam Burish, Sharks forward, played his first game with the Sharks today.  As some fans remember, he was the agitator type player on the Chicago Blackhawks when they made their run for the Stanley Cup in 2010.  We would like to welcome him to the Sharks and would like to wish him a great and successful season with us.