Arguably the best kept secret in the Valley is that there are wineries here. “People don’t necessarily associate this part of the state with winegrowing even though it has a really rich history of winegrowing,” said Cyndee Donato, managing partner of Antelope Valley Winery in Lancaster. Prohibition marked the end of a vibrant wine industry in Southern California. “If you look at the history, there were a million grapevines in Southern California. This is where it began and then Prohibition shut it down All the farmers sold out and moved up north,” explained David Reynolds of Leona Valley Winery, which sits above Valencia. Both Reynolds’ and Donato’s wineries will be featured at the Loose Goose Wine Festival, taking place from Oct. 2 to Oct. 5 in Valencia. Antelope Valley Winery also participated in the Palmdale Jazz and Wine Festival on Sept. 6 Participating in area wine festivals is one of the major methods wineries here use to expose their labels to the masses, considering that they don’t have the option of relying on tourism, as wineries in Northern California do. Three years ago, wineries in the area formed the Antelope Valley Winegrowers Association; Chantel Kilmer of Cameo Vineyards in Lancaster serves as president. “We’re uniting to get the word out that we are a winemaking region,” Kilmer said. “It’s been a real good plus for us.” <!– Local: Antelope Valley Winery. –> Local: Antelope Valley Winery. Like Antelope Valley Winery, Cameo was recently featured in the Palmdale fest and participated in Valyermo Fall Festival, held Sept. 27 and Sept. 28. Cameo is the oldest of the three aforementioned wineries. The first batch of grapes was planted in 1981 at Cameo, which sits on nearly 30 acres. In 1987, a vintage wine called Trevvianno was launched. The winery itself is closed to the public, but Cameo has a wine tasting room inside of Charlie Brown Farms in Little Rock. Cameo wine is also available at the Whole Wheatery in Lancaster Kilmer started at Cameo five years ago as a part-time employee in the wine tasting room. Now, she is the director of marketing and events. “One of the biggest challenges, I think, is for people not to think that wine would be grown here in the high desert. That is one big challenge,” she said. The Southern California climate poses challenges as well. The grapes that are planted must be able to mature in the heat of the high desert. Care must also be taken to prevent the grapes from developing a high amount of sugar. As president of the Antelope Valley Winegrowers Association, Kilmer has seen the results of area wineries uniting pay off. “It’s been great,” she said. “It’s been such a joy to be involved and see the progress that we’ve made in three short years and to see people becoming aware of us. It’s been overwhelming how wonderful it is.” Donato has also been pleased with her membership in the association. “We can’t rely on tourists,” she said. “We go to different festivals. We rely on word of mouth. By joining together with other people we’ve been able to cross-sell one another.” Donato bought her winery in October 1990. The winery has been at its present location in Lancaster for 10 years. Her husband, Frank, and two young sons are also actively involved in the business. To survive as a winery in Southern California, Donato said that she caters to both the local market as well as people who come from outside of the area. In addition, the Donatos run a buffalo ranch, selling buffalo meat as a healthy alternative to beef while pairing the meat with different wines. “We’re servicing our local clientele since we couldn’t rely on our tourism trade,” Donato said. “We do have distribution in the Santa Cruz/San Francisco area, and we have some limited distribution in the Santa Clarita Valley, and we’re starting in the San Fernando Valley by joining the wine club.” The family plans to launch three new labels in October. Leona Valley Winery, where vineyards were first planted in 2002, takes a different approach to the wine business. “We’re not looking to compete with local wineries. We’re looking to compete with the guys in Napa,” said Reynolds. “We sell our wines in New York, where we focus on high-end restaurants. We make very little wine, but normally you couldn’t get this wine unless you were sitting down for a $500 dinner.” Leona Valley’s Faultine label can be found in BevMo stores. Leona Valley also makes an eponymous label. The winery fits on 50 acres in Leona Valley, and 20 acres are planted to grapes, according to Reynolds. “Next year, we’re planting 50 acres more,” he said. Reynolds also plans to open a bed-and-breakfast, so visitors can have a convenient place to lodge. And on Oct. 25, Leona Valley Winery will host a wine event, featuring grape-stomping and other activities. Reynolds is also excited about participating in the Loose Goose Wine Festival again, as the winery doesn’t have enough room on its premises to accommodate thousands of people like the Loose Goose does. “We only make 100 cases,” Reynolds said of the event, adding, “… it’s a big deal for us to participate because we’re so small. It’s good for us.”

Ranked # 11 Grobstein, Horwath & Company LLP Grobstein, Horwath & Company LLP is a CPA and business consulting firm based in Sherman Oaks. It has competitive compensation and good healthcare benefits. The firm also encourages employee referrals, and gives up to $5,000 for professional staff referrals. Benefits extend to domestic partners and the firm has implemented an alternative-to-junk-food program where employees are offered fresh fruit, coffee, tea and a cereal bar on a daily basis. Once a week, the company offers 20 minute in-office massage sessions, as well as free gym memberships. Tuition is fully paid by Grobstein as are all continuing education courses and licensing and other professional dues. The firm has a work from home policy designed for professional staff to work from home and other remote locations in an effort to reduce travel time wasted. Employees who are required to work over 10 hours or more, or on weekends, get a standard dinner/lunch allowance; during busy season the firm provides dinners and lunches free of charge. Through an intranet, the firm is able to maximize internal communication by allowing on-site and off-site employees to access company information, announcements etc. The firm buys busy-season lunches and 10-year anniversary gifts, and hosts holiday parties, new-hire mixers, bowling, and softball games to promote office camaraderie. Employee satisfaction surveys are conducted regularly. The firm has a mentoring program aimed at coaching newer team members about such things as management skills, work-life balance, and for general advice. For nursing mothers, GH & C; offers a private area and reasonable time for any employee to express breast milk at work. GH & C; believes that by implementing wellness programs and by making the work place comfortable that the result is a happy productive workforce that attracts and keeps employees happy. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 10 Cydcor Cydcor is an outsourced-sales company that provides a face-to-face sales force for business-to-business or business-to-consumer clients. Employees get benefits on the first day of the month following their hire date. Each employee receives 15 days of sick and vacation time in their first year of employment. Cydcor’s employee-assistance program (EAP) includes mental health coverage with telephone and in-person counseling and referrals for many different situations. The EAP also includes a wellness program, discounts to local gyms, smoking cessation and workout programs. Cydcor promotes healthy eating, providing fresh fruit each week in their break rooms; and sponsors their own version of the “Food Network,” which meets every Wednesday for free lunch and networking opportunities. Tuition reimbursement is offered to employees who want to further their personal education at all levels. Each team member’s request is evaluated and those that get approved get a set dollar amount or up to 50 percent shared cost. In order to promote community involvement, Cydcor provides eight hours of paid time that each employee can use to volunteer for an organization of their choice. On a case-by-case basis, team members can arrange to work from home. In order to facilitate corporate communication, Cydcor maintains a suggestion box, an open-door policy, employee surveys, and organizational newsletters. According to Cydcor, the company is guided by a distinct set of highly valued behaviors. “Our values aren’t just words on paper. They are well thought out actions that represent who we are and what we do for our clients. Cydcor team members are rewarded monthly for exhibiting the Behaviors We Value, encouraging that these values live on in our daily interactions,” said People Services Manager Shelly Haynes. Ranked # 9 Stay Green Inc. Stay Green Inc. is a landscape maintenance provider with 182 full-time employees in the Valley. Stay Green provides numerous incentive programs for recognizing excellent work, safety, and bringing in new hires. Managers receive a monetary bonus based on profitability, meeting budget and safety goals and employee job retention. Sales employees are given the option of telecommuting, and are provided with Blackberry devices, laptops and Internet access, as well as office supplies. To encourage continued education, Stay Green pays for all pre-approved job-related classes or seminars. To encourage inter office communication, the company maintains a suggestion box and puts out organizational newsletters. It also maintains an open door policy with multiple opportunities for employees to meet with senior management for idea exchanges. According to HR Manager Jorge Donapetry, Stay Green has many programs to recognize its employees. In addition to picnics, trophies are given to employees for outstanding work on work anniversaries. Also, recognition points are given out that employees can exchange for tangible gifts like bikes, TVs, or theme park tickets. According to Donapetry, Stay Green prefers to give away tangible things for recognition so employees have constant reminders as to the rewards of excellent work. Stay Green districts that go one year without any accidents receive gifts that include cash and trips. Since many in Stay Green’s staff speak Spanish, it encourages them to take free ESL classes, and those that complete the courses receive incentives like a 25-cent raise per hour for every class completed. Donapetry adds that even though Stay Green has grown considerably it remains a family-like company. “Even the bosses go out and do gardening work,” added Donapetry. “It makes all employees feel equal, and take pride in what we do.” He added. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 8 Icon Media Direct Icon Media Direct is a media-buying agency with 65 employees based in Van Nuys. The company pays all employees bonuses based on performance and attendance. It also pays 100 percent of medical, prescription and vision coverage. Full benefits extend to domestic partners, regardless of sexual orientation. All company information is kept on a dedicated drive, so everyone has access to it. Icon always promotes from within if there is an employee able to perform the tasks necessary. The company matches up to 4 percent of employee contributions to the 401(k) plan and good attendance is rewarded with gas cards, and with each year of employment employees can accrue more paid time off. Icon has a flexible policy regarding employees bringing their children to work, while also including families at most company functions. It also maintains a company basketball team that promotes camaraderie between the team members and those who come to cheer the team on. Icon self-describes its office environment as “top to bottom, every member of the team understands their role in the growing success of our clients and we are passionate about what they do because we really care.” Jesse White of Icon told the Business Journal that the company was his first job right out of college and that he never wants to leave. “I have never experienced anything like this, they make you feel important, and as a result you want to work harder for the company,” added White. He said it is the small things that make working there good. For example there is always a supply of food, and snacks in the office. In addition, White describes how the boss always makes an effort to understand what is going on with her employees, handing out gas cards all the time, and paying for employees to go to trade shows and seminars in an effort to expose the employees to the movers and shakers in the industry. “They [management] really have a desire to have their employees taken care of,” White added. Ranked # 7 LAGraphico LAGraphico is a one-stop shop specializing in multi-tier marketing and branding campaigns. It offers comprehensive insurance coverage, paying 100 percent of all insurance with the exception of long term care insurance. Benefits extend to domestic partners, and the company offers un-reimbursed medical expenses as well as dependent care expenses. In addition to bonuses paid out based on performance, LAGraphico offers 21 days of paid and holiday time off a year. Work-from-home options are available for some employees as are compressed week options where four-10 hour days can replace a 5-day work week. The company’s employee assistance program includes services for various life management problems that include clinical counseling and phone counseling. In-house training for both entry-level employees as well as management level employees is provided for and encouraged by LAGraphico. Time off is given to attend training seminars and conferences. The company likes to promote from within; management identifies and monitors various talented individuals to match the future needs of the organization, which allow great performers room to grow. LAGraphico creates an employee friendly environment with such policies as open doors, green conscious employees, a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and family oriented programs. Employee suggestions are always welcome. Employees are recognized yearly for terms of employment and holiday parties and company sponsored events are held. In addition, LAGraphico acknowledges retirements with parties as well as annual picnics. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 6 Ernst & Young LLP Ernst & Young offers a variety of financial and business consulting services in 140 countries and has more than 130,000 staff members. The company’s variable-pay program recognizes and rewards high performers at all levels and divisions of the company; allowing employees to be rewarded on performance standards set by their respective division. In addition, E & Y; offers small immediate bonuses throughout the year in order to be able to recognize employee efforts when they happen; bonuses range form $100-$1,000. Over 80 percent of the workforce was given one of these bonuses in the last year. E & Y; benefits are focused on providing programs that support the varied and changing needs of its diverse staff. E & Y; has created a program and website called “Benefits Express,” which operates 24/7 aimed at better helping employees determine what benefits work best for them. Employees only need to work 20 hours or more to be eligible for benefits. In addition to 10 paid holidays, a combined 24 days of paid time off are offered in the first year of employment. Fully-paid medical insurance benefits extend to same-sex domestic partners. As of 2007, E & Y; benefits even covered gender-reassignment surgery. The company uses a technology platform that supports an efficient workflow, and allows for more flexibility so that workers can better maintain a balance between their work and personal lives. E & Y; offers company laptops and remote networking capabilities, so employees can work wherever there is wireless internet. BlackBerry devices are given to all staff members, and are used to extend the workplace. E & Y; also promotes a family friendly environment. They have a concierge service available to employees to help manage their time by taking care of reservations, and other time critical tasks. Also, E & Y; offers low-cost-back-up child care, as well as a Saturday child care program, which takes place either in-home or at E & Y; locations. Ranked # 5 Fulcrum Microsystems Fulcrum Microsystems is a technology company that focuses on circuit technology for computing, data storage and computer networking. The firm offers a variety of individual and company-wide incentive programs. Last year, employees were awarded Fulcrum Bonus Points for meeting various performance goals. These points can be traded for cash, stock options, and vacation time or 401(k) contributions. While all employees are given stock options when they first join the company, managers are encouraged to nominate employees annually for an additional bonus option grant award, giving exemplary employees the chance to own more of Fulcrum. Employees are also given on-the-spot bonuses as well, consisting of cash, gift cards and a $2,000 new hire referral bonus. Fulcrum pays the full cost for employee health insurance and also pays 50 percent of the cost for dependents and domestic/same-sex partners. Telecommuting is made possible for those employees whose job descriptions allow them to do so. Tools at their disposal include: hardware, software, Internet connectivity and other applicable equipment. Fulcrum managers are also encouraged to discuss flexible work week options with their departments to determine what is most suitable for their job. The company’s employee assistance program gives everyone 24/7, 365 access to psychiatric care, dependent care and legal services. Any employee who stays for longer than seven years earns a paid sabbatical that adds four to eight weeks to their normal vacation time. Fulcrum is also committed to helping its working parents balance personal or family life with work. Employees frequently bring their kids to work and they are encouraged to shadow their parents, even in meetings. Fulcrum also has a recreation area with games to keep kids occupied. The company stresses intellectual courage, creativity, and a spirit of innovation, mutual respect, and dedication to teamwork. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 4 NorthStar Moving Corporation NorthStar Moving Corp. in Chatsworth specializes in local, long distance, international, residential, and commercial moves, as well as storage services. Northstar Moving’s medical benefits extend to not only dependents but to domestic partners as well. Both the sales and moving teams are recognized for jobs well done with cash bonuses, trips, gift certificates, IPods, TV’s and other such gifts. Cell phones are provided to those that have positions that require them to telecommute, and sales and marketing team members have the opportunity to work from home on an as-needed basis. Compressed work schedules are offered, and employees are encouraged to make proposals to their department heads, and depending on the situation, they are generally approved. Moving is a physically demanding job, and much time is spent training employees on how to lift and carry items safely so as to protect themselves from being hurt. A fully-stocked kitchen, showers, and laundry machines allow employees on the moving teams to freshen up between jobs, and after work. NorthStar Moving customizes its employee appreciation awards with accolades and gifts that are employee-specific. Children are welcome in the workplace on days when they are unable to attend school due to minor illness or other occasional events. Management positions at NorthStar Moving are almost always made up of employees that have been promoted from within the organization. In order to facilitate corporate communication, NorthStar Moving maintains an open door policy, a suggestion box, and opportunities for employees to meet with senior leadership, as well as employee surveys. Recognizing that employees often spend more time at work than at home, NorthStar Moving has set up their offices to offer a sense of home away from home to its employees, allowing hem to gather and eat as they please. Besides offering health insurance, the company offers Simple IRAs as well as random perks like paint ball days, trips to Las Vegas and bonuses. Ranked # 3 Good Swartz Brown & Berns, A Division of J.H. Cohn Now a division of a national conglomerate with more than 1,300 employees, GSBB has offered a wide range of accounting and business consulting services. GSBB has bonuses based on several different criteria including: merit, dedication, new client acquisition, referrals, CPA exam, and completion of special projects. During the summer GSBB has a flexible schedule that allows an employee to take every other Friday off. The firm offers health benefits to employees working as few as 23 hours a week and has multiple plan options including low- and high-deductible plans. The firm will pay up to $2,500 to defer the legal costs associated with adoption or medical costs. GSBB sponsors a “run club,” a softball team, and a soccer team to create camaraderie and promote wellness. In addition, the firm maintains a fully-stocked kitchen with free sodas, juice and snacks year-round, and reimburses up to $15 for meals for those employees who work more than 10 hours in a day. In addition the firm recognizes the personal achievements of its employees through promotion and monetary recognition. GSBB compensates employees for time missed to perform jury duty and fulfill other civic commitments. Topping this off is a 100 percent tuition reimbursement option for classes that will benefit the employee in their career at GSBB. To help assist families GSBB allows up to $5,000 of pre tax dollars to be set aside to help with childcare and dependent expenses. In addition GSBB will pay up $2,500 to aid any legal or medical costs associated with the adoption of a child. The firm maintains a mentoring program that allows employees to learn the skills that allow them to eventually become a partner. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 2 Insomniac Games Inc. A 14-year video game developer and entertainment industry veteran, Insomniac Games has been responsible for developing many award-winning and very successful games for the Playstation game consoles. In an effort to share the profits with the company’s 155 employees, Insomniac’s royalty-sharing program distributes payments quarterly among all employees whether they have worked on the specific project or not and continues to pay royalties up to 12 years after a game’s release. The amount one receives is based on performance, position level and longevity The company offers three different policies and pays 100 percent of the cost for most insurance programs for employees who work as few as 30 hours a week, pays 60 percent of in-house gym membership and has annual health fairs to screen for cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and to provide flu shots. Telecommuting options where employees can work from completely home are also offered, Insomniac make every effort to ensure that even home offices meet the standards of the corporate office. If employees are successful working from home, they can do so as they wish. Insomniac also offers an employee assistance program that includes legal services, financial advice, mental health resources, and even a concierge service. The company has arranged for priority placement and discounted rates at an adjacent childcare center for its employees. Insomniac also stresses the importance of inter-office communication. It puts out a monthly newsletter, holds bi-monthly meetings, and encourages employees to help others, emphasizing a team atmosphere. IG takes the time to recognize their employees, giving out bonuses, gifts and a “Wrench Award,” for successful project completion. To celebrate its upcoming 15th year anniversary, the company is taking every worker and their families to Cabo San Lucas on a 5-day trip. Ranked # 1 Edward Jones Edward Jones is one of the largest financial services firms in the nation, having more than 9,000 locations around the U.S. The company offers performance bonuses and healthcare benefits from the day an employee is hired. All associates are eligible to become partners and share in the firm’s revenues. Associates who perform well participate in a trimester bonus program; in 2006 the bonus program fund hit a record $178 million. Edward Jones devotes 24 percent of net profits to profit sharing for associates employed six months or more. A profit-sharing program can increase an associate’s compensation by 5 percent, on average. Benefits are offered from the first day of hire. Recognizing rising health care costs, Edward Jones has taken steps to make sure its employees are covered, paying out over $56 million in 2006, including over $1 million for an associate who had quadruplets, and $800,000 for an employee who needed a kidney transplant. In addition, employees enjoy flexible hours, work-from-home options, and can even work from a “vacation” home part of the year. Associates also are offered flex time, and can have complete control over their schedules, allowing them to work when it is best for them. Associates are reimbursed yearly up to $5,000, in 2006 Edward Jones disbursed over $2 million through this program. The company has extensive family friendly programs that include the ability to accumulate 90 paid sick days, 12 weeks of family leave, and a program to continue paying commissions to an associate even while they are on family leave. Through their YMCA corporate plan, Edward Jones pays 75 percent of gym initiation fees and contributes $15 a month toward dues. Its “golden handshake” program allows retiring employees to choose their successors and also to stay on as paid consultants once they have given up their office. Ari Morguelan

Ranked # 6 Glendale Adventist Medical Center Glendale Adventist Medical Center is a not-for-profit regional medical center. In addition to the merit program notes in the hospital’s compensation policy there are referral bonuses up to $5,000 for bringing on new hires that stay on. Hospital benefits extend to those who work 20 hours or more. Adventist gives employees 31 days of combined paid time off annually, with 33 days being able to carry over to the next year. Work-from-home options are considered on a case-by-case basis. The hospital provides remote, secure access to e-mails and areas of its computer network so employees can work from a remote location, should the need arise. Adventist has an extensive Employee Assistance Program that provides employees and their families with guidance, focus and support for a wide range of personal and work related issues. The hospital also provides on-site childcare for employees that also spans the weekends, at a discounted rate of $3 per hour. It encourages the continued education of its employees reimbursing $5,000 for an undergraduate degree and $5,000 per graduate degree. Adventist also encourages employee feedback through departmental “huddles,” each day and a monthly newsletter to all employees. It offers limited subsidized and free employee housing, an annual benefits fair, ride share programs, with monthly awards, an annual picnic, gifts for all the nurses and employees in general, $5 dollar birthday gift cards, and sports events. Many departments have developed vacation plans to ensure employees take time off to be with their families. In addition it recognizes its employees through a number of different programs like the “Galaxy Awards,” and “Service Awards,” which are monthly and annual awards given out based upon performance. Hospital employees are encouraged to own every interaction and live the company motto, “I’m Here For You.” Ari Morguelan Ranked # 5 Medtronic Diabetes Medtronic Diabetes manufactures diabetic therapy devices and has 1,800 employees in the Valley. Through its proprietary Medtronic Incentive Plan each employee receives incentives ranging from 5 percent to 35 percent based upon performance and up to six percent of employee contributions to the 401(k) program are matched. The company offers a compassionate-leave program that enables those with terminally-ill family members to take up to four fully-paid weeks off to care for their loved one. In addition, employees who are eligible may receive salary continuation while on approved medical leaves of absence, up to 6 months. Medtronic’s unique “Divinity Health Plan,” gives its employees more options for health coverage. During the first year of employment Medtronic offers a total of 26 paid holidays and vacation time. It allows employees to accrue 4 weeks of paid time off. Health benefits are offered on the first day of hire to all employees regardless of full- or part-time status, and also to domestic partners. Free counseling is offered to employees and families at no cost. The company encourages a healthy work place and employees. It has an onsite fitness center in addition to discounted gym memberships. If an employee works out three times a week, Medtronic will pay $20 towards their gym dues. Flexible spending accounts for both healthcare and daycare are offered allowing employees to contribute up to $5,000 pre-tax per year. A global assignment program allows certain employees to take short-term assignments in different business units internationally. Medtronic strives to improve daily communication, for example, executive leadership maintains a blog that employees have access to. The president spends one day a month in an office in the lobby and LCD panels all throughout the facility display company information. Medtronic takes recognition of their employees seriously. One great example is the Mission Medallion ceremony, at which employees who have reached the six-month mark receive a medallion, just for working at the company. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 4 City of Lancaster This city of 145,000 residents has a strong commitment to business which earned Lancaster the “Most Business-Friendly” Eddy Award from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation in 2007. Lancaster’s nine administrative departments are under the direction of City Manager Mark Bozigian. The city offers benefits from the first day of hire as well as a compressed work schedule that allows for one day off every two weeks and the opportunity to accrue up to 320 hours of vacation time. The city offers two flexible spending accounts which help to save money on eligible out of pocket medical or dependent care expenses on a pre-tax basis. The building that houses most of the city’s employees has a workout facility and showers on the premises, and offers a free Weight Watchers program. Tuition reimbursement is available for eligible employees, at up to $1,500 per semester. Lancaster also stresses a strong work-life balance offering paid administrative leave to exempt employees, topping out at 144 hours a year. The city also offers marital, family, emotional, legal, financial, chemical dependency assistance through Horizon Health. Counselors are also provided at no cost to the employee. The city encourages employee feedback. Sponsoring an employee dialogue session, on a monthly basis, 25 employees are randomly selected to sit in on a meeting with the city manager, and the director of human resources, to bring up issues or concerns. The city also sponsors two employee recognition breakfasts, as well as each department has their own employee recognition program. In an effort to continue to educate their staff, the city launched a training program geared towards leadership training, focusing on time and task management, project management, teambuilding, delegation and many other topics aimed at helping city employees do their jobs better. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 3 Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente has 3,578 full-time and 2,060 part-time employees working in their Panorama City and Woodland Hills medical centers. All employees are eligible to participate in a bonus program and 401(k) contributions are matched based on overall organizational performance, which equates to a type of profit sharing. In addition, individual bonuses are given out based on clinical quality, customer service, safety, attendance and community outreach. Kaiser also provides 100 percent paid health insurance to employees and their families from the first day of hire. Employees need only work 20 hours a week to be eligible for health benefits. Kaiser does offer telecommuting options to those who qualify. To help reduce the cost associated with child care, Kaiser has negotiated and offers discounted day care and pre-school, through local schools and child care centers. Compressed week options are offered, mostly to those who work in clinical settings. Kaiser has an extensive on-site employee assistance program, which includes licensed therapists, where employees can address a wide range of issues, from personal to work related. It has a tuition reimbursement program that pays up to $2,000 a year to individuals based on their individual need. It stresses communication with its employees. Kaiser has a variety of methods to increase two-way communication, from newsletters to a dedicated public affairs team. Kaiser conducts 360-degree evaluations for supervisors, as well as a company-wide internal survey each fall. Employees are also eligible for frequent bonuses, both formal and informal, ranging from $50 to $3,000. The facilities both have Diversity Councils to promote harmony and diversity in the workplace. The firm likes to reach out to not only its employees, but their families as well. For example, Kaiser invites its employees and families to help decorate their Rose Parade float; in addition Kaiser sponsors outings to family friendly locales like Sea World, Disneyland and Six Flags. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 2 Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is a 254-bed, not-for-profit medical facility that has one of the few round-the-clock trauma centers in the Valley. To encourage and reward employee performance, Providence has a pay-for-performance program. Incentive goals and bonus pay are based on target performance at the departmental level with 40 percent of the incentive pay derived from performance goals set by the individual in conjunction with the direct supervisor. All insurance benefits are fully paid by Providence and the benefits-credits program allows employees to spend credits on additional benefits or more take-home pay. Providence also offers a flexible spending account to save money for certain healthcare and daycare expenses by paying with pre-tax dollars. In addition to regular pay, an account-based plan funded entirely by Providence is offered and can add an additional 5 percent to their annual pay. Providence stresses health consciousness, offering employees the opportunity to enroll in a Rewards Wellness program where a strategic health plan is created for an individual employee; the employee is rewarded for meeting goals with gift cards. A partnership with the local YMCA gives employees discounts on childcare expenses which can be paid out of the flexible savings account. One-third of Providence’s employees work alternative schedules like a nine day 80 hour pay period. Employees who use public transportation can deduct expenses on a pre-tax basis up to $100 monthly. Additionally, the hospital offers free dry cleaning services, car washes, discounted theatre and sports and theme park tickets, as well as child care through the YMCA. As a Catholic hospital, Providence has strong core values like respect, compassion, stewardship, justice and excellence, and for many Providence employees this is a philosophy they live by. Ari Morguelan Ranked # 1 Wells Fargo & Co. Wells Fargo is one of the nation’s largest banks and also provides insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer finance services, with 1,660 employees in the Valley. Team members may choose between a variety of health plan providers and plans that give options like more preventative care, or more flexible options like a health care spending account. Benefits extend to both spouses and domestic partners. Wells has an employee education and assistance program that provides resources to employees on issues ranging from professional and personal development, relationships, stress, management and work-life blending. Team members are encouraged to talk with managers about alternative work arrangements should the need arise. Wells offers a free referral service for elder and child care 24 hours a day. For those families that choose to adopt, Wells will pay up to $2,000 in adoption related expenses. The bank offers two different spending accounts allowing employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for health and child care. The bank as part of its ongoing support of team members offers tuition reimbursement to eligible employees, paying up to $5,000 a year. Through the bank’s volunteer leave program team members may take up to four months off, with full pay and benefits to work with a nonprofit of their choice. In 2007 20 employees were awarded 43 months of volunteer leave. Wells gives its employees the option to work when and where they want. Many team members work part-time or flexible work arrangements including telecommuting and job sharing. Employee recognition activities include managerial recognition to national recognition events such as the annual sales and service conference. In addition, top-performing team members are rewarded with all-expenses-paid trips to Hawaii, Orlando, or other locations. Wells has a values and vision booklet in circulation since 1993, containing the company’s guiding principals which have been passed along to new employees, as a means to incorporate Wells’ vision into the everyday work of its employees. Ari Morguelan

I caught my first fish (a scrawny catfish) in Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River. I first swam in the ocean off the Atlantic City shore. I threw my first snowball at my best friend Johnnie Greco half a century ago. I fearfully endured a hard landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier as part of the Navy’s Leaders to Sea program. Funny how many of the memorable moments of our lives have a connection to water. Since we evolved from aquatic creatures (sorry, creationists), it should be no surprise that water plays a central part in our lives. But it’s more important than that. Very, very literally, we can’t live without it. Even the ancients knew water would be an important issue. Moses brought water to the thirsty Israelites (or were they Jews by then; I can never tell when the former morphed into the latter) by smoting (Moses only “smotes,” never “strikes”) a rock? Sadly, Charlton Heston is not here today to replicate that feat; even David Fleming couldn’t alleviate our drought by smiting one of the Vasquez Rocks. Each American consumes about 150 gallons of water daily for drinking, cooking, bathing, flushing the toilet, laundry, watering lawns and plants, and on and on. With 305,205,000 Americans that’s a lot of water over the dam. Like water off a duck’s back, to use an appropriate clich & #233;, we keep ignoring the prophets of liquid doom who tell us that water is tomorrow’s oil, that more wars in the near future will be fought over water than land, and that we’d better start addressing the issue today if we don’t want to be thirsty tomorrow. Water is replacing oil as the likeliest cause of conflict in the Middle East. In 1979, when President Anwar Sadat signed the peace treaty with Israel, he said Egypt will never go to war again, except to protect its water resources. Jordan’s King Hussein promised he will never go to war with Israel again except over water, and the former United Nations Secretary General bluntly warned that the next war in the area will be over water. The UN estimates that 70 percent of the water used worldwide is for agriculture. Much more will be needed to feed the world’s growing population, which is predicted to rise from today’s 6 billion to nearly 9 billion by 2050. If we go on as we are, millions more will go to bed hungry and thirsty each night than do now. It’s not as if our own water agencies are ignoring the problem. MWD publishes such page-turners as: Ten Great Native and California Friendly Plants, to Choosing a Smart Sprinkler Controller for Your Home, to the ever-popular Choosing a Dual-Flush or High Efficiency Toilet for Your Home. Since we take our water for granted, we’re likely to keep doing so unless we are hit over the head, or in our wallets. It took steep gasoline price increases to get us to move toward smaller, more efficient automobiles. A June 7 article in the New York Times pointed out that Riverside, Kern, San Louis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, “have begun denying, delaying or challenging authorization for dozens of housing tracts and other developments under a state law that requires a 20-year water supply as a condition for building.” How about if we raise the price of commercial, industrial, agricultural and residential water 25 percent a year? Then we take all that extra money and put it into implementing alternate strategies, such as desalination, that already exist. Humans can develop buildings, improve technology, and build cars and planes but we haven’t discovered how to create water and we’re not likely to. But with the majority of our planet covered with water, we CAN make the oceans serve as the source of the water we need. There are over 21,000 desalination plants worldwide, producing over 3.5 billion gallons of potable water a day. Desalination equipment is now in use in more than 120 countries, including Australia, China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, and many more. Saudi Arabia leads the world in desalination and relies on it to meet 70 percent of the country’s drinking water needs. Here in Southern California, two projects are slowly winding their way through the maze of regulations and restrictions we place on anything new, one in Carlsbad and one in Huntington Beach. According to its developers: “The $300 million Carlsbad Desalination Project will have significant economic benefits for the region, including an estimated $170 million in spending during construction, 2,100 jobs created during construction and $37 million in annual spending throughout the region once the desalination plant is operational.” Most important of all, it will be a small step to addressing the ever-present Southern California drought. If the ostrich gets thirsty enough, he’ll bury his head looking for water. “Anyone who can solve the problems of water will be worthy of two Nobel prizes – one for peace and one for science.” — John F. Kennedy Martin Cooper is President of Cooper Communications, Inc. He is President of the Los Angeles Quality and Productivity Commission, Founding President of The Executives, and Vice Chairman-Marketing of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley. He is a Past Chairman of VICA, Past President of the Public Relations Society of America-Los Angeles Chapter, and Past President of the Encino Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at [email protected].

A look at the list of Fernando Award recipients reveals that many were self-starting businesspeople who made a name for themselves in their profession before expanding into the volunteerism the award honors. “They are successful in business and so they have the extra time and the wherewithal to earn the award,” said Rickey Gelb, a real estate investor who received the award in 2000. But previous recipient and past foundation president Lee Alpert disagreed that success in business carries over into a success at volunteer charity work. For one, he said, if there is no interest to begin with then no amount of success in the business world can create that interest. “There are major companies and people (in the Valley) who are hugely successful that have never even been nominated because they have not chosen to participate in the community,” said Alpert, an attorney. The Fernando Award traces its roots back to businesspeople; for years Valley chambers of commerce chose the nominees. That legacy is why businesspeople have been the primary recipients, said Richard Leyner, a senior vice president in the Encino office of real estate broker NAI Capital. Being visible and active in the community through organizations such as the chambers is what helps get businesspeople involved, said Leyner, who traces his volunteer work back to when he joined the Encino Chamber of Commerce. “It is my exposure as a businessperson that I got to know these things,” Leyner said. Many in real estate Gelb and Leyner follow a long line of real estate agents or developers previously honored for their volunteer contributions in the San Fernando Valley. If there is one profession that stands out among the recipients it is real estate, especially in the first two decades when the Fernando was given out. These men and they were all males in that time period entered real estate in the post-war boom when land was plentiful and cheap in the Valley. Some had other business ventures on the side or had been in non-real estate related careers. For instance, ’72 recipient Joseph Chase helped operate his family’s dairy and founded a bank before turning to buying and selling land. Herbert C. Lightfoot, given the award in 1970, had been in the entertainment industry with 20th Century Fox and Paramount and afterward turned to land speculation that developed Panorama City. As the years passed, the traditional professions of real estate, bankers and insurance gave way to entrepreneurs who started their own businesses or grew an existing business. Some of those recipients give weight to Alpert’s position that the fabulously wealthy don’t necessary make the best volunteers and that a commitment to a lifetime of volunteerism can come from any background. Spending time Take for instance ’81 recipient Sal Buccieri, who operated a real estate office in the Valley and now lives in Palm Desert. Buccieri didn’t make as much money as he could have because of the time he spent at volunteer activities, Alpert said. Or take Alpert’s friend Flip Smith, the recently-deceased owner of Flip’s Tire Center and Flip’s Performance Concepts in Van Nuys. Smith received the Fernando in 1997 for, among other activities, bringing together business owners along Sepulveda Boulevard to rid the area of gangs, prostitutes and graffiti. “He never once backed off from his community groups,” Alpert said. Former business owner Rose Goldwater didn’t put millions of dollars toward charitable groups. she gave her time, Alpert added. For many years Goldwater and her late husband Nat operated a printing company yet still found time for area chambers, the Rotary Club, the West Valley Boys and Girls Club, Pacific Lodge Youth Services, and West Hills Hospital. She found a way to balance the time demands of the business and following her heart’s desire to volunteer. “You walk a tightrope,” said Goldwater, who received the Fernando in 2001.

Commercial real estate brokers are interesting animals. Scratch the surface of one and you’ll likely find a multi-talented individual, whose non-real estate experience is brought to bear on closing interesting deals. Take the example of Ray Bishop. He came to the real estate industry later in life, after stints as a Bank of America officer; founder and CFO of several non-profit organizations; CFO of an economic development company; president of an acute care hospital; state film commissioner; Los Angeles County Commissioner for the Office of Small Business; film and television producer; and CFO and principal of Laserium. But it is the 15 years he owned the L.A. Comedy Club and Restaurant that are most relevant to this story, in addition to his current position as vice president at NAI Capital in Encino. This is the story about an odyssey to fill a restaurant space on Ventura Boulevard. About two years ago, Bishop said, he was asked to meet with the owners of the Shanghai Grill, a 2,400-square-foot Chinese restaurant on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana. “It wasn’t doing so well,” said Bishop. “They were unable to find anyone that could help them get it sold so I took a listing on it.” The restaurant had been around a long time and the owners had poured all of their energies into running the restaurant, and not into upkeep and maintenance. Through his vast network of contacts in the entertainment and food business, Bishop learned that the former owner of The Baker restaurant in Woodland Hills, Guy Zaradez, was looking for a new venue after having sold his previous business. Zaradez and his business partner, Itamar Levy, decided Bishop’s listing was just the right spot for a tapas restaurant they decided to call Nona. The deal closed in 2007 and renovation began. “The new owners took everything to the dump, tore out the roof, installed all new equipment,” said Bishop. “They spent over $400,000 remodeling it.” According to Bishop, everything went swimmingly with the opening of Nona and the restaurant was doing well, but after just a couple of months, Zaradez received a letter from an attorney saying that he was violating a non-compete clause in the sale agreement for his Baker restaurant. Bishop said that although Nona was just on the edge of the boundary defined in the agreement, Zaradez wasn’t the kind of guy to argue with lawyers, and he decided the best thing was to just remove himself from the equation. That left his partner, Itamar Levy, and his wife, Debbie, in charge. Unfortunately, the couple had absolutely zero experience running a restaurant (Levy owns a ceramic tile business) and after just a few months on their own they called Bishop and said, “Ray, get us back our money.” Obviously it was too late for that, so Bishop did the next best thing he went out and found someone to buy the business. Within a week he was in escrow, but the purchasers changed their minds after two months, and he agreed to let them out of the contract. The Levys were getting anxious, telling Bishop they were going to just close the restaurant. As a former restaurateur, he knew that a closed restaurant would be much harder to sell, so he counseled them to hang on and redoubled his efforts. A week later, he got the call he was waiting for. The owners of Zankou Chicken, a Valley food legend, were looking to expand into the West Valley (the chain already has locations in Glendale, Burbank, Van Nuys, Pasadena, West L.A., Hollywood and Anaheim.) “They came in, saw the place, and said ‘we want it,'” said Bishop. Escrow opened immediately and an agreement was made to allow Zankou to take possession while they dealt with the transfer of the liquor license. The date on the purchase agreement is July 4, 2008. Yes, they did all of this on a holiday. This allowed a general contractor to come in and do another remodel, adding the famous Zankou chicken and beef open-fire spits. Yes, there will be a Zankou restaurant opening in Tarzana before the end of October, according to Garen Megian of First Realty Group in Glendale who represented the ownership of Zankou in the deal. “It’s similar to the Burbank location but has a much cozier atmosphere,” said Megian. “It’s more of a dinner-type restaurant. But the food is going to be the same.” That’s great news to those of us for whom Zankou’s garlic sauce is an addiction. Count Bishop among them. He lives in Tarzana, not far from the new restaurant, and his mouth is watering already. He’s also working with the company to find more locations so the gospel of Zankou can be spread even further. “They’re very nice people,” said Bishop, “and that makes business so much better, when you have nice people to work with.” It also makes it easier to buy and sell a restaurant when your broker has been in that business himself. Americana Residences Awarded The Residences at the Americana at Brand has been honored as a 2008 Signature Property by the California Apartment Association of Los Angeles. These are the apartments at the new Glendale mixed-use center that opened earlier this year. It was the only project in the San Fernando Valley out of the eight projects chosen for the annual award, said Tara Bannister, executive director of the CAALA. “We always knew it was unanimously going to be elected,” said Banister, “because it is far superior and just one of the most significant projects created in many of the last years.” Out of 100 apartment projects opened within the past 12 months surveyed, 15 finalist properties were inspected by CAALA members. The organization’s board of directors then determined the final eight winners. Staff Reporter Linda Coburn can be reached at (818) 316-3123 or at [email protected].

Flexible work schedules trips around the world all-expenses-paid education; these are just a few perks offered to employees at some of the best places to work in the Valley. At Ernst & Young and Edward Jones, both of which have regional offices in Westlake Village, flexible work schedules are a key perk. “We have created a culture of flexibility in response to the globalization of both our firm and clients,” said Maho Jordan, people team leader for Ernst & Young’s Pacific Southwest division. “Globalization means it’s 24/7; it doesn’t matter where you work but how responsible you are to clients. Our flexible schedule allows our people to work from home remotely. I think that’s really unique to our business where we have allowed people to take ownership of balancing their personal life as well as being effective at work.” For offering employees flexibility, Ernst & Young made the cover of the Sept. 15 issue of Business Week. The publication named the firm as the top company at which to launch a career. Like Ernst & Young, Edward Jones employees also are offered flexible work schedules. “Advisors have the freedom to make their own hours and work as hard as they choose,” said Regional Leader Chris Hardt. “It’s a great company for working moms because you can arrange your schedule to be as flexible as you want, set it up so you can pick your children up during the day and work later rather than earlier.” Both Ernst & Young and Edward Jones also compensate employees for continuing their educations, while Burbank-based videogame developer Insomniac Games subsidizes the cost of continued education for employees. Hardt, however, believes that what distinguishes Edward Jones from other companies is its philosophy of partnership. Everyone has an opportunity to be a partner in the firm. “One of the biggest benefits is we’re a partnership,” Hardt said. “It’s not just financial; it’s a philosophy. We work together to help serve the clients. We also get individual administrators. Each office has their own administrator, and each office has one advisor, unlike other firms who share an administrator.” Moreover, employees receive real time support on any subject from the home office, according to Hardt. Also, “the firm gives you an office and pays the rent,” he said. “The firm pays all of the overhead for running your office, and, when you start a branch and have a negative profit/loss statement, the firm doesn’t request to get the money back from you. They just pay for it.” The fact that there’s no upper limit on the income employees can make also makes Edward Jones stand out, Hardt feels. The firm offers what are known as profitability bonuses: “The more profitable your office is, the larger bonus you get,” Hardt said. “We encourage you to run a business as if it’s your own business and keep the costs low.” Twice a year Edward Jones employees can qualify for trips around the world with their spouses. “It’s based on how well you diversify your clients and protect them from volatile markets,” Hardt explained. Employees have traveled to East Africa, Tahiti, New Zealand, Switzerland, St. Thomas and many more destinations. At Insomniac Games, employees take trips together to celebrate landmark occasions. “We are taking a trip to Cabo this coming Spring of ’09, commemorating the 15th anniversary of our company,” Community Director Ryan Schneider said. “We took a cruise to Ensenada to commemorate our 10-year anniversary.” Employees are also given luggage featuring the Insomniac logo to boot. While Ernst & Young employees neither win trips nor take them collectively with coworkers, they are given ample opportunity to travel for business purposes, according to Kim Vogler, lead “people consultant” for the company. “We have had a number of senior executives and managers take optional opportunities in China and Europe,Amsterdam and Germany,or even South Africa,” she said. “It’s part of the whole mobility culture of support and really fostering a really strong group of individuals that have international experience and have the opportunity to work with other locations outside of the U.S.” Ernst & Young also rents out Disneyland each year for one day for employees and their families. “It’s making sure we connect not only at our workplace but also making sure that our family appreciates all the benefits that we offer as a firm,” Jordan said. In addition to providing typical benefits such as medical coverage, Ernst & Young equips partners with an executive coach who informs them about fitness routines and stress reduction techniques. Moreover, Ernst & Young employees at all experience levels may enlist the aid of a concierge service to help complete an assortment of tasks,from planning a vacation or party, as well as picking up dry cleaning, helping with research and arranging for personal chef services. Delicious food is a key perk at Insomniac Games as well. Every Friday, employees are treated to a catered lunch. On occasion, the company also offers ice cream bars; “anything to lighten up the mood during challenging times on a project,” Schneider explained. And that’s not all. Insomniac employees have use of a fully-stocked kitchen featuring a convenience store-style refrigerator filled with their favorite goodies. Lest employees pack on the pounds from all of the treats offered at Insomniac, there is a gym onsite, membership to which is more than half covered by the company. Additional perks include reduced costs for childcare and healthcare, pet insurance and extended vacation time based on the length of an employee’s tenure with the company: those who have been with the company for five years are given an extra week of vacation while those who pass the ten-year mark get even more. To ensure that employees aren’t stressed from all of the work they do, massage therapists are available twice a week at Insomniac. Workers can also let off steam by attending concerts at venues such as the Wiltern. Insomniac raffles off tickets to the venue to reward employee performance. Schneider, who has been with Insomniac for nearly five years, described what it’s like to work there. “Working at Insomniac is like working at the Chocolate Factory for Willie Wonka,” he said. “I don’t stress out about work. Everybody walks in here with a smile on their face. There’s really no reason why not. In entertainment, we need to attract and retain the top talent. This is what it takes to ensure a collaborative and productive work environment.”

LANCASTER – Antelope Valley residents will get a chance this week to ask questions about an Irvine-based company’s proposal to build an experimental ethanol refinery – the first of its kind in the United States – near the Lancaster landfill. Comments and input from Wednesday’s meeting, hosted by 5th District County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, will be presented next month at a public hearing before the rest of the county supervisors, who will consider an appeal of an earlier county planning commission approval of the project. For the full story visit www.avpress.com/n/29/0929_s2.hts

NEW YORK — The government says Citigroup will acquire the banking operations of Wachovia in a deal facilitated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The FDIC says Wachovia didn’t fail, and that all depositors are protected and there will be no cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund. For the full story visit www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-citigroup30-2008sep30,0,1340631.story

Trio-Tech of Van Nuys announced a narrower net loss for their fiscal year end of June 30. The company’s net loss of $461,000, $0.14 per share, compares to a net gain in the previous year’s fourth quarter of $672,000, or $0.21 per share. But it’s still better than the third quarter when net losses of $1,411,000, or $0.44 per share were reported. Much of the loss was attributed to the beginning of the end of one of their semiconductor burn-in programs, which had been known in advance. The company has worked to cut operating expenses, succeeding by reducing them 1.4 percent from last year. CEO S.W. Yong was quoted in the company’s press release as saying that the company made “aggressive reductions in operating costs through headcount reductions and cuts in executive salaries” among other things. Looking forward, the company has seen an increase in its testing service backlog to nearly $7 million, an increase of about $500,000 from the previous year.