News
| Oct 5 | Studies Show Vitamin D May Help Prevent Flu by Strengthening Immune SystemVitamin D Enriched Foods May Help Avoid Serious Influenza Illness Monterey, CA — Several studies and articles published this year show that vitamin D plays an important role in the prevention of respiratory infections such as the cold and flu. A study by vitamin D expert Dr. John Cannell published by Cambridge University Press’ Journal of Epidemiology and Infection showed evidence that lower vitamin D blood levels during the winter can account for the increased transmissibility of the influenza virus. Increased levels of vitamin D can help prevent traditional influenza infections by strengthening the immune system. A 2009 analysis of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) also suggests a role for vitamin D in innate immunity, including the prevention of respiratory tract infections. For this study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers investigated vitamin D levels and respiratory infections from nearly 19,000 participants. They discovered that those with the lowest vitamin D levels were over 1/3 more likely to report having a recent upper respiratory tract infection than those with higher levels of vitamin D. Mushrooms are the only fresh fruit or vegetable that naturally contain vitamin D. Monterey Mushroom’s new 100 percent Enriched vitamin D line is the first packaged fresh mushroom to provide at least 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D in a single, three-ounce serving through a natural sun ripening process. The brand’s sun ripening process was developed through a collaborative research program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by exposing the mushrooms to ultra violet light. The mushrooms do not include additives, supplements, or chemicals and the vitamin D is stable—maintaining its nutritional value even after cooking or freezing. Monterey Mushrooms, Inc. was initially established in 1971 as a single farm operation in Royal Oaks, California. Today, this multi-site business is headquartered in Watsonville, California, and has production, sales and administrative offices, internationally. Monterey is the country’s largest and only national marketer of fresh mushrooms, supplying products for sale to supermarkets, foodservice and ingredient manufacture operations, and for preparation of processed, canned, and frozen mushroom products. Visit www.montereymushrooms.com. |
| Sep 14 | Produce Suppliers and Retailers Expand Partnership During National Breast Cancer Awareness MonthThe Pink Ribbon Produce In-Store Program Launches at Harris Teeter, Meijer and Price Chopper Stores Rocklin, CA— Pink Ribbon Produce, a unique retail program committed to raising breast cancer awareness, will return this October at hundreds of Harris Teeter, Meijer and Price Chopper stores. The educational fundraising program, created by Consumer Effects International, teams the three grocery store retailers with produce suppliers in an effort to raise money for local Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Affiliates. Stores will direct shoppers to the participating produce suppliers with a Pink Ribbon program icon on posters and point of sale signs. “This is a program that retailers and produce partners are passionate about because it impacts the lives of their employees, families and communities,” said Debbie Augustine, CEO of Consumer Effects International. “This cause affects people so personally, and this is an opportunity to share information about breast cancer prevention that can really make a difference.” Produce Partners:Produce partners supporting this year’s Pink Ribbon campaign include:
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.3 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Harris Teeter Harris Teeter, Inc. with headquarters in Matthews, NC, is a subsidiary of Ruddick Corporation (NYSE:RDK). Harris Teeter is the 36th largest supermarket in the United States with 2007 sales of $3.30 billion. The grocery store chain employs over 21,000 associates and has 176 stores in North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, and the District of Columbia. www.harristeeter.com Meijer Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Michigan, based retailer that operates 185 supercenters throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. As the inventor of the "one-stop shopping" concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive electronics departments, garden centers and apparel offerings. Additional information on Meijer and the ability to shop for more can be found at www.meijer.com. Price Chopper Based in Schenectady, NY, the Golub Corporation owns and operates 115 Price Chopper grocery stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The family-owned company prides itself on longstanding traditions of innovative food merchandising, leadership in community service, and cooperative employee relations. Golub’s approximately 24,000 associates collectively own 51% of the company’s privately held stock. For additional information, visit www.pricechopper.com Consumer Effects International Pink Ribbon Produce is developed and executed by Consumer Effects International, a leading consumer marketing agency for the retail and produce industries. With a highly developed knowledge base in retail marketing, merchandising, supply sell-in and public relations, Consumer Effects develops retailer specific custom sales campaigns nationwide. Their efforts focus on driving the consumption of fruit and vegetables in the marketplace through successful in-store programs. |
| Aug 27 | Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and Community Volunteers Dedicate the Thor Family HomeFormer Refugee Family Achieves the Dream of American Home Ownership Who: Sacramento Habitat for Humanity, the Thor Family and community volunteers What: Thor family home dedication and cultural celebration Where:2954 Connie Drive, Sacramento, CA 95815 (see attached map) When: Saturday, August 29th, program runs from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (Sacramento, CA) Saturday, August 29, at 10 a.m. Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and Sacramento community members will gather to dedicate the Thor family home at 2954 Connie Drive in Sacramento. The Thor family has put in 500 hours of sweat equity alongside community volunteers and other Habitat families. The Thor family home was made possible by a $75,000 sponsorship from the California State Employees Charitable Campaign. This simple, decent home includes environmentally friendly, money saving solar panels thanks to a grant from PG&E. Habitat for Humanity serves families earning 30 percent – 50 percent of the Sacramento County area median income. According to the 2000 US Census Bureau, in Sacramento County there are more than 30,000 families in this income range who are also living in overcrowded or sub-standard conditions. The typical Habitat partner family’s annual income ranges from $22,000 – $36,000 for a family of four. Since 1985, Sacramento Habitat for Humanity has changed lives by providing families with decent, affordable housing in a safe environment to grow and thrive. “Life is better here for our children, they have education, a home and freedom,” said Julie Thor, homeowner. Peter Thor works for Alamo Rental Car and his wife Julie works at Marshall Adult School assisting other refugees in finding jobs. The close knit Thor family consists of two parents, six sons, one daughter and an Aunt. This family of 10 currently lives in an overcrowded 2 bedroom, 1 bath home in Oak Park. Peter and Julie Thor were both born in Laos to farming families and both of their fathers were recruited by the CIA to fight on behalf of the United States during the Vietnam War. When the war ended their parents were in fear of retaliation by the reigning government, and moved into refugee camps in Thailand. Peter and Julie were children when they arrived in the camps and lived there for over 13 years. They met in the refugee camp, got married and had their first three children there before immigrating to the United States 12 years ago. “The Thor home brings us close to the 200th home completed for our Sacramento affiliate,” said Ken Cross, CEO of Sacramento Habitat for Humanity. Although we are proud of this accomplishment, it is not about how many homes we build, our mission is about keeping hope alive and fulfilling the dream of homeownership for low income families.” About Sacramento Habitat for Humanity Established in 1985, Sacramento Habitat for Humanity (SHfH) is a 501c3 non profit local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. SHfH’s mission is to build decent affordable homes in partnership with families in need, supported locally by volunteers, faith based-organizations, individual donors and corporations for the betterment of our community. www.shfh.org |
| Aug 6 | Galil Controllers Guide Artesà Machine to Mimic Hand EngravingsMachine Movements are Controlled by Galil DMC-2143 4-axis Controller With increased demands for quality engravings on products from jewelry to cell phones, Artesà in Barcelona, Spain has developed a machine capable of mimicking the craftsmanship of hand-engraving. A Galil DMC-2143 4-axis motion controller guides the precision movements of the machine. “The Artesà machine has the ability to reproduce a high quality ‘hand like’ engraving. With the help of the Galil motion controller it can reproduce engravings identically,” said Leondardo Di Benedetto, the Artesà machine developer. “In the hand engraving work the artisan performs a downward and upward movement with the chisel each time a cut is made in the surface of the object being engraved. The Artesà's engraved line has a curvilinear or open polygonal trajectory in the vertical plane achieved with non-rotating cutting tools, which give the brightness and beauty characteristic of these engravings,” Di Benedetto explained. The Artesà consists of a table with a bed frame that firmly holds the material to be engraved. Just above the table is the spindle-mounted, engraving tool head which includes a laser pointer and three carbide inserts with 35°, 90° and 135° corner cutting edges. To control the complex and precise X, Y and Z movements of the Artesà tool head with carbide inserts, Di Benedetto specified a DMC-2143 four-axis Ethernet motion controller from Galil Motion Control including the SDM-20240 for driving the four stepper motors. In addition to the three degrees of freedom provided by the DMC-2143, it also controls the critical PT (line depth) and SV (vector tracing) axes. The PT axis is designed to gradually move the cutting tool downward on a vertical plane so it can cut into the material to a desired depth doing the descending part of the curve, and then upward to the material surface cutting the ascending part of the curve. The SV axis manages the 360º motion of the cutting tool, making sure the cutting edge always faces in the pre-programmed direction to effectively trace the vector being engraved and do so with a positioning accuracy of 0.1 mm/300 mm (0.004 in./12 in.) that is repeatable to 0.02 mm (0.0008 in.), under no-load conditions. “The Galil controller has proven to be extremely reliable and very useful. In addition to motion control it has other features such as numerous inputs we assign to the limits control, motor on/off function and material detection,” said Di Benedetto. For more information about the Artesa machine, see http://www.artesa-nc.com/ENG/index.php. For more information about the DMC-21x3 motion controller from Galil, see http://www.galilmc.com/products/dmc-21x3.php To see a video of the Artesia machine in action, go to http://www.galilmc.com/support/smartmoves.php?video=artesa About Galil Motion Control, Inc. (www.galilmc.com) Privately held and profitable for over 95 consecutive quarters, Galil Motion Control, Inc. was founded in 1983 by Jacob Tal and Wayne Baron. Galil became the first company to produce a microprocessor-based servo motor controller without tachometer feedback. Since then, Galil has continued to advance motion control technology and has found industry-leading acceptance with over 500,000 controllers successfully installed worldwide. Various applications include machines for the medical, semiconductor, machine tool, food processing and textile industries. Recently, Galil has introduced several motion and I/O controllers for the Ethernet including the high-speed Accelera motion controllers and the RIO Pocket PLC series. Galil Motion Control, Inc. 270 Technology Way, Rocklin, CA 95765, Phone 800-377-6329. |
| Jun 24 | Toyota Material Handling Offers Free CARB LSI Fleet Compliance EvaluationCompany Announces Program to Help Businesses Protect the Air and Avoid Costly Penalties (Hayward, CA) - Toyota Material Handling (TMH) now offers a free forklift evaluation to allow businesses easy compliance with newly enforced California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations. As of January, 2009, new standards became effective as part of a series of government commitments to reduce pollutant emissions and help meet health-based air quality standards. The regulations apply to any business in California with four or more gasoline or propane fueled spark-ignition engines including forklifts, and industrial floor cleaning equipment (sweepers and scrubbers). Companies with equipment found to be out of compliance can be fined a maximum of $500 per machine, per day, retroactive to January 1, 2009, when the first fleet average standards became effective. This can be costly considering businesses with as few as four pieces of equipment are required to comply. “Toyota Material Handling understands the complexity of compliance and is happy to offer a free fleet evaluation and recommendations,” said Mark Gates, Product Support Manager at TMH. “This will allow business owners to avoid penalties during a time when every penny counts.” Compliance is not calculated based on individual pieces of equipment, rather by the average results of the fleet. This helps determine compliance with the January 1, 2009, fleet average emission level standards. As part of the free forklift fleet analysis being offered within the TMH service area, Toyota Material Handling will determine compliance with fleet average standards. To schedule an analysis contact a Product Support Representative at (800) 527-3746. This free evaluation includes:
About Toyota Material Handling of Northern California Toyota Material Handling (TMH) is Northern California’s leading material handling dealer, providing a total solution for all warehouse and material handling needs. After 80 years in business, the company continues to be recognized for its innovation and desire to meet and exceed customer needs. TMH sells the highest quality brands in material handling equipment including Toyota forklifts, the number one selling brand of forklifts in the world. |
| Jun 11 | Sacramento Celebrates Progress in The River DistrictGround breaking ceremony at Township Nine Marks the Next Step in Revitalization Sacramento, CA, Thursday, June 11th at 5 p.m., community leaders will gather at Richards Blvd. and North 7th Street to celebrate the progress of the River District and to join Township Nine for the groundbreaking of one of the largest mixed-use projects in the United States. The ceremony will include remarks by Mayor Kevin Johnson, Councilmember Ray Tretheway along with representatives from the CHP and Sacramento Regional Transit. This year’s annual event will serve as a welcome to the California Highway Patrol and a groundbreaking for Township Nine. In addition, it will allow businesses, property owners, stakeholders and friends of The River District to celebrate the progress in bringing development, jobs, public transit and cultural amenities to this vital portion of Sacramento’s Central City. New development will pave the way for the District’s evolution from a primarily light-industrial commercial district to a distinctive, mixed-use neighborhood that will connect Sacramento to its rivers. Demonstrated progress in the accomplishment of long-term development goals includes:
“We are thrilled to break ground and take the next step in laying the groundwork for a vibrant community at Township Nine,” said Scott Syphax, one of the Township Nine partners. "The River District will soon become a hub for jobs, commercial development and housing, not to mention the notable additions of light rail, the CHP headquarters and the Powerhouse Science Center.” Remarks By: Mayor Kevin Johnson CHP Assistant Commissioner Kevin Green Councilmember Ray Tretheway Sacramento RT General Manager/CEO Mike Wiley About The River District The River District Redevelopment Area covers over 1,000 acres immediately adjacent to the heart of Downtown Sacramento, stretching from the Sacramento River on the west, the American River on the north, Sutter's Landing Regional Park on the east, and a varied border along North B and C Streets on the south. Currently, businesses in the River District range from retail to warehousing. The District’s office building occupancy rate jumped from 47% in 2006 to 97% in 2008. The overall occupancy rate for industrial businesses within the district is above 95%. About Township Nine Positioned along the American River, Township Nine is a 65-acre mixed-use urban development, blending a distinct variety of housing, office space and retail. Township Nine will sit on the first extension of Regional Transit’s light rail extension and is generally bounded by North 5th Street to the west, Richards Boulevard to the south, North 7th Street to the east and the American River Parkway to the north. With its impressive size and appealing location, it promises to be a central catalyst in the redevelopment of the exciting, new River District. About RT’s Green Line Extension The Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) operates a large light rail system and connecting bus service throughout the Sacramento area covering 418 square miles. The light rail system includes 45 stations, 76 vehicles, and is the tenth busiest in the United States. In December 2007, Regional Transit committed to completing the extension from the Sacramento Valley Station to Richards Blvd by 2010 which would take it through the Township 9 development, with a station at Richards Blvd. and North 7th Street. About the CHP Headquarters Also new to the River District is the headquarters consolidation of the California Highway Patrol which will bring more than 900 new employees to the District. The CHP Headquarters is located at Continental Plaza, on the east side of North 7th Street north of Richards Boulevard. The California Highway Patrol has leased a three-building campus totaling 285,000 square feet. About the Powerhouse Science Center The 57-year old Discovery Museum Science and Space Center is bursting at the seams and will be reborn as the Powerhouse Science Center, located in the long-neglected Jibboom Street Power Station. This project will be an anchor for civic amenities in The River District, helping to serve as a catalyst for neighborhood renewal. Powerhouse Science Center will feature four stories of interactive, hands-on science, space, robotics and environmental exhibits; a 150-seat planetarium; and an expanded Challenger Learning Center all within a platinum LEED design campus. |
| Apr 25 | Augustine Wins a MAMEAugustine brought home a MAME award this year, for the Best Public Reltaions Program or One-Time Special event for an Individual Community for Lennar's Wayfarer at WestPark. Lennar was opening the nation’s largest solar community in West Roseville, California—totaling 650 homes. Solar powered homes were new to Sacramento and the housing market was soft. In order to tap into the power of local media and gather dignitaries passionate about solar power—a press event was held. Almost a hundred local officials attended the morning event and all of the Sacramento TV media was present. Other media coverage included CNN, KFBK, Photon Magazine, Builder Architect Magazine and Builder News. The buzz generated 600 visitors to the neighborhood’s Grand Opening, resulting in 41 new home sales in the first month. |
| Feb 14 | New Website Launched!Augustine developed this regional builder website to emphasize the multi-media aspect of the videos and to promote the Sunergy solar program. |
| Apr 16 | News Items are Now Available on AugustineIdeas.com!News updates are now available on AugustineIdeas.com. Check back often to see what's happening in the Augustine world! |
| Mar 14 | Augustine Wins Nine Addy AwardsRocklin, CA- Augustine and Associates, a Rocklin-based advertising agency, has won nine ADDY Awards, in their first ever submission to the international advertising competition. Sponsored on the local level by the Sacramento Ad Club, awards are given annually to recognize marketing and advertising professionals, businesses, agencies, and organizations that have achieved excellence in their field. This year, over 300 entries were submitted locally in 14 categories. Winners on the local level will then move on to compete in the regional and national levels later in 2007. “With 9 wins, Augustine and Associates has made a grand debut as a first year participant in the 2006 Addy Awards. They should be applauded for their excellence in creativity and design” said Brian Atwell, Addy Co-Chair. “These past ten years have been a whirlwind of new clients, projects and hires. We have grown from a small office of about seven to a massive team of almost fifty” says Augustine & Associates President, Debbie Augustine. “This is the first year we’ve entered the ADDY awards and with so many talented agencies in the Sacramento region, we couldn’t be happier with nine wins.” |