We all know that obesity is a growing problem in the US, but the good news is that it is much less of a problem here than it is in other places. In a recent Gallup Well-Being survey, the San Jose area ranked as having the 3rd lowest obesity rate for any metro with a population of more than one million people. If you look at the largest 189 US Metros, we still fared quite well in 8th pace.
The most obese community in the US was Huntington-Ashland, where every two out of five people is considered obese. San Jose has half that rate with one one out of every five people being statistically obese.
Source: Gallup, Hatip to Filipe Medeiros
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Friday, April 18, 2014
Great Forbes Article on Anno Domini
Silicon Valley's secret subculture is becoming less of a secret with each passing year. Forbes has just put out a great interview with Cherri Lakey and Brian Eder, the two founders of Anno Domini in SoFA. Their gallery is often ranked one of the best in the US and is a key anchor for the arts movement in Downtown San Jose. Not only did they start and continue to participate in South FIRST FRIDAYS, but they also throw the awesome SubZERO Festival each year.
Check out the interview over here. It's well worth your time, especially since you don't see an article on the San Jose art scene on a national publication like Forbes very frequently.
Source: Forbes, Hat tip to our friend Dan De La O
Check out the interview over here. It's well worth your time, especially since you don't see an article on the San Jose art scene on a national publication like Forbes very frequently.
Source: Forbes, Hat tip to our friend Dan De La O
Thursday, April 17, 2014
100% Pure Expansion
Not every company in North San Jose is tech oriented. 100% Pure is a vegan cosmetics company that sold 7 million products in 2013 through online sales, wholesale, and brick-and-mortar stores. Currently they have six boutiques in the Bay Area, including one in Santana Row.
The company is planning a huge expansion with 16 new stores across Southern California, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and the East Coast. Instead of going with VC money, they are utilizing their own funds and loans from banks they have pre-existing relationships with.
Oh, and about that first comment: "Not every company in North San Jose is tech oriented"... I lied. 100% Pure also developed a freemium enterprise collaboration and task management tool called Incville. They are planning to spin this off into its own company with separate staff later this year. For more details, just head over to the source link below.
Source: SVBJ
The company is planning a huge expansion with 16 new stores across Southern California, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and the East Coast. Instead of going with VC money, they are utilizing their own funds and loans from banks they have pre-existing relationships with.
Oh, and about that first comment: "Not every company in North San Jose is tech oriented"... I lied. 100% Pure also developed a freemium enterprise collaboration and task management tool called Incville. They are planning to spin this off into its own company with separate staff later this year. For more details, just head over to the source link below.
Source: SVBJ
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Die Hards Co. Kickstarter!
San Jose natives Adam and Ben Mayberry launched the Die Hards Co. four years ago with the mission of creating unique gear for die hard Bay Area sports fans. Now they are ready to take their company to the next level with higher-quality apparel made locally in the Bay Area that will perfectly match the official colors of all seven Bay Area teams. The team launched a Kickstarter to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality. Combined with a Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant that they received from the City of San Jose, this campaign will have a huge impact on helping a local San Jose business achieve success.
The best part is that they already hit their goal, meaning any pledges $5 or more will receive a guaranteed reward. To find out more, watch the video below and then head over to the Kickstarter page to contribute!
Bay Area Sports Apparel From The DIE HARDS COMPANY Announces Launch Of A KICKSTARTER To Manucature Made In The Bay Area Apparel
SAN JOSE, Calif.,—Since 2010, local clothing company, The Die Hards Company. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team. Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.
With innovative designs—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—The Die Hards Co. has continued to grow, mostly from their strong social media presence. With their 4th Anniversary closing in, they intend to take their company to the next level.
The Die Hards Co. is pleased to announce the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to crowd source the funds needed to manufacture their tshirts using factories in the Bay Area. Previously they have purchased shirts from companys that sew they blank shirt options over seash.
Through the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation, they were selected to receive the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant. Using Kickstarter to match the funds provided in the grant, we can produce high quality, Made in the Bay Area shirts matching official colors of all seven Bay Area teams. Without these funds they would not be able to meet the minimums needed for manufacturing
The best part is that they already hit their goal, meaning any pledges $5 or more will receive a guaranteed reward. To find out more, watch the video below and then head over to the Kickstarter page to contribute!
Bay Area Sports Apparel From The DIE HARDS COMPANY Announces Launch Of A KICKSTARTER To Manucature Made In The Bay Area Apparel
SAN JOSE, Calif.,—Since 2010, local clothing company, The Die Hards Company. has been providing Bay Area sports fans apparel, including t-shirts, sweaters and hats, to wear proudly when cheering on their favorite team. Their tagline “Sport Your Colors” is the foundation for their brand as they strictly cater to the loyal fans of the seven professional sports teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.
With innovative designs—including their best-selling “Hella,” “Fin City” and “I Survived the Stick” t-shirts—The Die Hards Co. has continued to grow, mostly from their strong social media presence. With their 4th Anniversary closing in, they intend to take their company to the next level.
The Die Hards Co. is pleased to announce the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to crowd source the funds needed to manufacture their tshirts using factories in the Bay Area. Previously they have purchased shirts from companys that sew they blank shirt options over seash.
Through the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and the Center for Cultural Innovation, they were selected to receive the Creative Industries Incentive Fund grant. Using Kickstarter to match the funds provided in the grant, we can produce high quality, Made in the Bay Area shirts matching official colors of all seven Bay Area teams. Without these funds they would not be able to meet the minimums needed for manufacturing
Wednesday Wishlist: More Innovation with High-Rise Designs
I recently ran across the below renders for the Hualien Wellness & Residential development over in Taiwan. Several aspects of this project stood out to me. The most obvious is the stunning and unique design which also happens to be eco-friendly. What may be less obvious is that these are actually homes for seniors and the project is no taller than 18-stories.
There is absolutely no reason why we couldn't have buildings like this in San Jose, especially since they are well within our height limit. Not only are we the Capital of Silicon Valley, but we are at the center of the Green-tech industry. We should have buildings like this that could demonstrate innovation in the housing sector in addition to traditional green industries like solar energy.
I would even go so far as to call the designs below "suburban-friendly." I could see these types of buildings replacing strip malls near transit for traditionally suburban areas without causing much of a visual disturbance to nearby neighbors. Of course, I would love to see some of these Downtown... but at some point we will have to start thinking about urbanizing other parts of San Jose while minimizing impact to surrounding areas.
Source: Inhabitat
There is absolutely no reason why we couldn't have buildings like this in San Jose, especially since they are well within our height limit. Not only are we the Capital of Silicon Valley, but we are at the center of the Green-tech industry. We should have buildings like this that could demonstrate innovation in the housing sector in addition to traditional green industries like solar energy.
I would even go so far as to call the designs below "suburban-friendly." I could see these types of buildings replacing strip malls near transit for traditionally suburban areas without causing much of a visual disturbance to nearby neighbors. Of course, I would love to see some of these Downtown... but at some point we will have to start thinking about urbanizing other parts of San Jose while minimizing impact to surrounding areas.
Source: Inhabitat
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Content Magazine Issue 6.1 Pickup Party Today
It's that time again! Content Magazine is having a pick up party at MACLA in San Jose's SoFA Disctirct. The theme of the new issue is "Sight & Sound." Subscribers will get appetizers from the awesome First to Market as well as a free drink for themselves and their +1. There will even be a Fashion Show.
The event runs from 6-8pm today and MACLA is located at 510 S. 1st Street. For more info on this great publication, visit Content Magazine.
The event runs from 6-8pm today and MACLA is located at 510 S. 1st Street. For more info on this great publication, visit Content Magazine.
Monday, April 14, 2014
US Chamber of Commerce Coming to Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is grabbing more national political attention lately and one of the most powerful lobbying groups is seeking to open a satellite office in the area. The goal is to lure VCs and startup companies to join the organization, which already has over 300,000 members. A few large tech companies in the area such as Apple and Yahoo are no longer members, likely because they are large enough to operate their independent lobbying group in Washington DC.
While a location has not been decided yet for their outpost, I have to say they could not pick a better place than Downtown San Jose. They would have easy access to both San Jose and Santa Clara County political operations, the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the new Patent Office, and thousands of companies within a 10 mile radius. It is also the only location that is easily accessed by multiple freeways, Light Rail, Caltrain, Amtrack, and soon Bus Rapid Transit. The last part of my pitch is the hundreds of restaurants, cultural and entertainment venues, convention center, and Arena within walking distance. I hope they take a very serious look Downtown and honestly would be surprised if they picked any other location.
Source: SVBJ
While a location has not been decided yet for their outpost, I have to say they could not pick a better place than Downtown San Jose. They would have easy access to both San Jose and Santa Clara County political operations, the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, the new Patent Office, and thousands of companies within a 10 mile radius. It is also the only location that is easily accessed by multiple freeways, Light Rail, Caltrain, Amtrack, and soon Bus Rapid Transit. The last part of my pitch is the hundreds of restaurants, cultural and entertainment venues, convention center, and Arena within walking distance. I hope they take a very serious look Downtown and honestly would be surprised if they picked any other location.
Source: SVBJ
Sunday, April 13, 2014
VTA Light Rail Turns 25!
Last Friday, VTA celebrated 25 years of Light Rail service in Silicon Valley. Each morning during my commute, I am seeing more and more people hopping on Light Rail along Tasman. I think with the 49ers Stadium, BART, and the upcoming efficiency improvements... the system is finally going to get the traction it deserves.
Check out the map below to see what the system will look like in 2017. There will be a new Red Line from Mountain View to Alum rock, which will include express service during peak hours. Mountain View will get double tracked, Santa Clara will get pocket tracks near the Stadium for peak transit during games and events, and Almaden will get a direct connection to Downtown San Jose and Mountain View. There are also talks of expanding the system from Alum Rock to Eastridge Mall and from Winchester to Los Gatos.
Check out the map below to see what the system will look like in 2017. There will be a new Red Line from Mountain View to Alum rock, which will include express service during peak hours. Mountain View will get double tracked, Santa Clara will get pocket tracks near the Stadium for peak transit during games and events, and Almaden will get a direct connection to Downtown San Jose and Mountain View. There are also talks of expanding the system from Alum Rock to Eastridge Mall and from Winchester to Los Gatos.
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