VICKI’S BLUE MOON BAKERY

 

If your looking for a sweet treat or a full meal in Loyalton stop by and visit Vicki at the Blue Moon Bakery located on the corner of Main and First St. Vicki opened the bakery in November of last year at the urging of her family and friends who have been enjoying her fabulous treats for years. Vicki Barney is a long time resident of Loyalton. She and her husband raised their family here and just when Robert was ready to retire from SPI Vicki decided to go into business.

On any morning Tuesday through Saturday you’ll find Vicki at the bakery as early as 4 AM preparing yummy donuts, delicious home made soups and breads, and her famous cheese cakes. Vicki serves breakfast and lunch with the help of her staff of 5 employees. Along with great food, Vicki and her staff always provide a smile and wonderful service. We are so pleased to have this great business in our community as it provides us not only with great food but also a place to gather and catch up on the latest town news.

Vicki attended the Financing Your Business workshop in Susanville which was hosted by AFWD in December. She has since been working with Dianna Simar at the Sierra Work Connection as well as our partner from Sierra Economic Development Corporation, Brent Smith. Vicki says the assistance she has received thus far has been invaluable and hopes to continue her success with our ongoing help.

 

 

AFWD PARTNERS WITH
 WESTERN SIERRA MEDICAL

 

 

 

Sierra County is fortunate to have Western Sierra Medical Clinic providing a full range of medical and dental care to the residents of Downieville and the surrounding communities.   WSMC is the sole medical and dental resource on the west side of Sierra County. The staff at the clinic is made up of caring individuals who are highly trained to provide excellent care. From the front office staff to the providers, everyone is friendly and professional.  This small clinic was established in 1974 as a non profit organization with its board of directors made up of community members. Western Sierra Medical center prides itself on providing all services at a reasonable cost to the community and most forms of insurance are accepted including Medi-Cal and Medicare. For those without insurance they have a sliding fee scale and will never refuse service because of inability to pay.

In July Western Sierra Medical Center put into service a state of the art mobile clinic to bring quality health care to the remote locations in Sierra County. This impressive unit has the capability to provide most services that you would find in a doctors office, including x-rays and some lab work. With a Nurse Practitioner and a nurse on board they can deal with most situations without needing to transport the patient to a larger facility. The mobile unit is currently in Camptonville each Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. On Thursdays the unit alternates between Pike, Alleghany and Rebel Ridge. WSMC plans to add locations and expand the service area in the near future.

AFWD is thrilled to be working with Western Sierra Medical to assist the staff with their training needs. Our training will enable them to more efficiently perform their jobs and serve the communities needs. We are currently working with eight staff members including some of the providers to upgrade their office and computer skills. We hope to partner with WSMC on other training needs as they arise. This partnership is part of our ongoing commitment help build the infrastructure in Sierra County which will provide the foundation for our small businesses to flourish.

 

 

 

 

 

OUR YOUTH ARE OUR FUTURE

Amanda Shelley came to the Sierra Work Connection with one thing on her mind, to better her life. Amanda is vivacious, intelligent and always has a smile on her face.
Recently relocating to Loyalton from Santa Cruz County, Amanda is a young mother of an 8 month old son. She left school early to get on with life and is now working full time at the local grocery store (Leonard’s Market). Although she likes her job very much and enjoys working with the public, her life long dream to be a dental hygienist has never died.  
The first thing we plan to do is get her up to speed and get her High School General Equivalency Diploma.  Currently Amanda is working with our tutor, Ernie Teague. AFWD partners with Ernie who is a retired school teacher now doing private tutoring for Sierra County as well as AFWD. Ernie tutors Amanda several hours a week to prepare her for the GED test in October. 
Amanda plans to follow her GED with a course in Dental Hygiene which she hopes will enable her to find a job locally and stay in the community to raise her son. We are all very excited about her future prospects and know that she will do well. 
All of us here at the Sierra Work Connection are thrilled to be working with Amanda to help her reach her full potential.

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUTH WORKSHOP

Sierra County youth were able to attend a workshop given by AFWD's Director of Business Services, Holly Schirmer. The initial workshop was held at the Sierra Work Connection on August 12th with two follow up sessions later in the month. Our participants were the youth from the Sierra County MEND (Multiple Agency Effort and Needs based Diversion) program. The aim was to provide these youth with the information and tools needed to find employment while pursuing the goal of a high school diploma. The youth ranged in age from 14-17. During the workshop they learned how to put together a winning resume as well as appropriate interviewing skills and attire. 

 

HUB Zone workshop held at SWC

 

On July 18th Sierra Work Connection welcomed Jayne Murnane to our office for a workshop on doing business with the government.  Jayne is an expert on government contracting and shared with a group of 4 local businesses on how to get certified to bid on government contracts. Jayne explained that all of Sierra County has been designated as a HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) Zone. The government sets aside 3 percent of its contracts specifically for HUB zone businesses. This allows small business to compete with each other for these contracts rather than having to compete with huge corporations.   
One of our businesses that attended the workshop was Hood Logging. The owner Ed Hood has since bid on 2 government contracts with the forest service. Ed came to the workshop with some previous knowledge of doing business with the government but wanted Jayne's help to gain a better understanding of the process and feel more confident when putting in a bid. Ed is currently waiting to see if he won either bid. If Hood Logging is selected as the winning bidder it will create at least 5 new jobs with Hood Logging which has been struggling since the decline of the lumber industry.

The HUBzone Empowerment Contracting program provides federal contracting opportunities for qualified small businesses located in distressed areas. This program fosters the growth of these federal contractors helping them become viable businesses for the long term. This helps to empower communities, create jobs, and attract private investment.

 How the HUBZone Program Works

• The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) regulates and implements the program,
• determines which businesses are eligible to receive HUBZone contracts,
• maintains a listing of qualified HUBZone small businesses Federal agencies can use to locate vendors,
• adjudicates protests of eligibility to receive HUBZone contracts, and
• reports to the Congress on the program's impact on employment and investment in HUBZone areas.

 

      Broadband internet access is available in most areas of Sierra County now! .

Broadband internet access is available in most areas of Sierra County now. PSLN.com and Digitalpath.net serve homes and businesses on the east side and Digitalpath.net is rapidly expanding on the west side of the county. Now is the time to start that internet business you’ve been dreaming of. The Small Business Administration has a wonderful website with free training, tools for business plans, marketing and financial assistance. Sierra County is a HUBZone and the website will show you how to apply for preferential federal contracts as a HUBZone business too. Check it out at www.sba.gov