The Extraordinary Ordinary: Koen Van Rompay

[Originally published November 4, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Koen Van Rompay is a radiant man. “I learned the essence of life. Life is much more satisfying when you share what you have,” he said. And share he does. A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D., Koen is a Full Research Virologist at UCD who lives a life of compassion and care in the lab…and everywhere else, too.

His AIDS research has contributed significantly to the development of a therapeutic and preventive drug. “I am but a humble link in the chain,” he said. But when Koen takes his lab coat off, he tackles the AIDS epidemic in a different way. Sahaya International.

Koen founded Sahaya International to  address the social aspects of the AIDS epidemic: poverty, illiteracy, and women having no rights. From its beginnings in India, Sahaya has grown to Kenya, Vietnam, Philippines and Sri Lanka. Director Andy Lauer made an award-winning 20-minute documentary about Sahaya International, Sahaya…Going Beyond, which was narrated by Jeremy Irons.

In 1997, Koen went to India to present his HIV research at an AIDS conference.  He said, “The poverty was overwhelming. I asked myself, ‘How can the world close their eyes?’ I had no social training. I was not a politician. But I had to do something. If I could permanently improve the life of just one child, that would be good.”

“I think people  have to feel loved and have hope. Hope is the strong medicine.”

How did a young Belgian veterinarian come to be an AIDS researcher at UC Davis? After becoming a veterinarian, Koen wondered, “Whatever was I going to do? I needed courage.” His passion was wildlife and zoo animals. He found inspiration when Michael Jackson came to Belgium and sang Man In the Mirror:

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer

If you want to make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

(Michael Jackson)

Then Koen read Zoo Animal Medicine, which was edited by Dr. Murray Fowler from UC Davis. This was the first he had heard of UC Davis. He applied for a scholarship to UCD through the Belgian American Educational Foundation. The one-year fellowship was his segue into HIV research. Five years later, Koen had earned his Ph.D.  And he has been here in Davis ever since.

Koen travels to India every winter to see how the children are doing. He “emptied his bank account” to build a five bedroom guesthouse in one of the villages, so that Sahaya supporters, social workers and others would have a place to stay. The guesthouse is next to the schools and one of Koen’s favorite things is to play with the children during their recesses. Some of the children had never seen the ocean, even though they are only two hours away. So Koen takes the children on field trips to the beach to introduce to them the joys of sand and surf. 

“An act of kindness inspires. Be a drop of water that creates a ripple,” said Koen. “Each of us can make a difference, if we just take a step.”

Koen, thank you for exuding such joy, courage, affection, compassion and generosity...for being love-in-action. Thank you for helping rid the world of AIDS. Thank you for empowering women and saving the lives of children and their families. Thank you for starting a love epidemic that floods our community and reaches the world’s most impoverished places. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

The Opportunity to Grow Fresh Food and Understanding

[Originally published October 22, 2015]

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

The benefits of all the love, sweat, time, dollars and meticulous care showered upon Holmes Junior High’s garden are rippling outward. Integrated, experiential learning about the beauty of fresh, nutritious food and the art of preparing it deliciously are becoming available to all. Who threw the first stone that is causing all the ripples? Keri Hawkins, Garden Coordinator of Holmes Junior High’s gardening project.

"Thank you for supporting our school gardens! They are a wonderful place for children to unwind and learn through doing."

--Keri Hawkins, Garden Coordinator, Holmes Junior High

In 2012, Keri inherited a neglected, overgrown, weedy mess. But she saw the potential right away to cultivate far more than vegetables, herbs and flowers. The art and cooking classrooms opened to the garden with its courtyard, and the garden could benefit both with gorgeous subjects for still lifes and fresh ingredients for culinary masterpieces and learning about nutrition.

She envisioned the impact the garden could have on the lives of children of all physical and mental abilities. Keri also saw the potential of the garden to provide the enriching experience for collaboration amongst the diverse students. Keri said that her aim is “to make the garden accessible to students of all abilities and to have the students working side by side.”

In 2013, Keri and the students replanted the garden to be low maintenance. In 2014, she had the idea to sell pumpkins in order to raise the money for the gardening program. The Esparto Lions donated the pumpkins and $1,000 was raised, with a matching grant fromTandem Grants. “The garden is truly a community garden. The more people involved, the greater the community ownership of the garden,” she said.

Keri applied her Masters in Architecture to designing tables that were accessible by wheelchair. She gave the designs to Holmes' tech teacher, Lance Gunnersen, and his students, who built the tables and entered them in the State Fair. After the fair, the tables came home to the courtyard next to the garden.

Keri then designed a potting table accessible to all users. She and her enthusiastic team pulled out everything from the existing Zen Garden, a part of the overall garden and courtyard areas, and Dave Leveque, Holmes teacher Deanna Leveque’s husband, built the framework for the Zen Garden. Sadly, with the drought, the water to the garden was cut-off and everything died.

After the potting table came a three-tier planter box, again with the idea that students of all abilities would be able to access it. Avery Phimmasehn, a BoyScout, helped design the planter box, and then built it to achieve his Eagle Scout rank. The planter now boasts seasonal beauty and bounty, replete with beets, broccoli, carrots, celery, kale, lettuce, kohlrabi and cilantro, which are quite often enjoyed immediately after picking.  Special Ed life skills are taught in the garden, where students learn about the tools and feel the utter satisfaction of using them.

The garden and courtyard are thriving, but there one more step before it can be truly accessible to all. In wet weather, the wheelchairs get stuck in the muddy pathways. Keri said that, to remedy this, they need the garden's remaining area graded. And they also need decomposed granite for the space. Please EMAIL KERI if you'd like to help with the grading or donate the decomposed granite. 

Yolo Farm to Fork’s Dig In Yolo! Restaurant Fundraising Campaign makes Davis Farm to School programs possible. For example, last year, Yolo Farm to Fork contributed $250 to Holmes’s garden for garden supplies and plants, with the PTA matching the amount.

These restaurants are digging in to help educate Yolo’s children to live sustainably throughout the month of October. Eat well and help Yolo’s children learn about fresh, healthy food, recycling, and respecting the planet and one another.

Bon  Appétit!

The Savory Café

722-A Main Street, Woodland

DIG IN SPECIAL: Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Lamb Sogu

Café Italia (The Dancing Tomato Café)

1121 Richards Boulevard, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Maria’s Cantina

306 Sixth Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Dos Coyotes (both Davis locations)

2191 Cowell Blvd., Davis | 1411 W. Covell Blvd. #7

DIG IN SPECIAL: Banh Mi Taco Plate

Jack’s Urban Eats (All Locations)

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fresh Harvest Salad

Broderick Road House

319 Sixth Street, West Sacramento

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fiesta Burger

Guinivere’s

317 Second Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Kitchen 428

First and Bush Streets, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Osteria Fasulo

2657 Portage Bay East #8, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

El Macero Country Club’s Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Sunlight

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

What does solar energy have to do with Chef Rachael Levine’s Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bread Pudding, her new creation for Yolo Farm to Fork’s Dig In Yolo! Restaurant Campaign? For starters, both benefit Yolo’s children.

RepowerYolo, solar energy locally grown, is a Gold Sponsor of Dig In Yolo! In support of Yolo Farm to Fork’sschool programs, we’re donating $500 for every Yolo Farm to Fork supporter who goes solar with us.

El Macero Country Club’s Chef Levine created her Dig In Yolo! special especially to benefit Yolo Farm to Fork’s school programs. Partake. Enjoy. Invite your friends. For every order of the special, El Macero Country Club donates $5. Gladness! You now have the perfect excuse to eat dessert.

Here is the skinny, straight from El Macero Country Club:

"El Macero Country Club has partnered with Yolo Farm to Fork to open our private dining program to the local community. We are delighted to share our passion for sustainable, healthy living by helping to raise awareness and funding for edible school gardens. Our Club menus feature fresh, seasonally inspired dishes that range from casual and fine cuisine. The month of October features a Sugar Pie Pumpkin Bread Pudding, $5 of each sale will be donated to Yolo Farm to Fork. Please join us Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings. Service is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and by reservation only. Club dining room attire is business casual. To make a reservation, please call 530-753-3363.”

Bon Appétit, Yolo County!

RISE and Shine! Dining Out Helps Yolo's Kids

[Originally published October 9, 2015]

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

It really does takes a whole village to raise a child. And we’re continually astounded at the willingness and generosity of Yolo’s citizens to dig in. Whether the harvest is sunshine, vegetables, or healthier living, we celebrate all the good people who are repowering our community with their passion, expertise and time by teaching Yolo’s children to live sustainably. RISE (Recycling Is Simply Elementary) is a Davis Farm to School program that receives support from Yolo Farm to Fork.

Joy Klineberg has been overseeing RISE at Willett Elementary School for four years now, where she trains sixth graders to train their schoolmates to recycle. “When I was PTA president, the recycling role needed filling. I took it on and the rest is history,” she said. Each sixth grader serves two 1-week shifts during the year. The RISE student mans the recycling and trash area to helps their compadres understand what goes where and why. The peer-to-peer approach is really effective.  

Joy donates her stipend for overseeing the schools’ recycling from the District to help fund the sixth graders’ outdoor education week in Pollock Pines. The district pays her stipend from the money recycling saves them. (It’s costly to haul all the garbage away to landfill.)

“RISE gives me a chance to interact with the kids,” she said. “I’m charmed by the little first grader who is trying to throw her sandwich away when no one is looking.” Joy also presents Why Recycling Matters, a PowerPoint, to the school children.

Davis Farm to School’s role is on the administrative side. They advocate for and manage RISE, negotiate the stipend, and provide pilot programs for all the elementary schools. “RISE is in the Davis junior high schools to varying degrees, although most of them don’t do composting,” said Joy.

We love being a Gold Sponsor of Farm to Fork’s Dig In Yolo! Restaurant Fundraising Campaign that raises money for Davis Farm to School’s programs, including RISE. Here’s the skinny. Some Yolo County restaurants have created Dig In Yolo! Specials and, every time you order the special, the restaurant will donate to Davis Farm to School. Other restaurants are contributing in different ways. 

These restaurants are digging in to help educate Yolo’s children to live sustainably throughout the month of October. Bon  Appétit!

The Savory Café

722-A Main Street, Woodland

DIG IN SPECIAL: Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Lamb Sogu

Café Italia (The Dancing Tomato Café)

1121 Richards Boulevard, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Maria’s Cantina

306 Sixth Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Dos Coyotes (both Davis locations)

2191 Cowell Blvd., Davis | 1411 W. Covell Blvd. #7

DIG IN SPECIAL: Banh Mi Taco Plate

Jack’s Urban Eats (All Locations)

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fresh Harvest Salad

Broderick Road House

319 Sixth Street, West Sacramento

DIG IN SPECIAL: Fiesta Burger

Guinivere’s

317 Second Street, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Kitchen 428

First and Bush Streets, Woodland

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

Osteria Fasulo

2657 Portage Bay East #8, Davis

MENTION DIG IN YOLO!

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Sandy Lynne Holman

[Originally published October 7, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Sandy Lynne Holman lets her light shine brightly. A Davis resident and UCD alumna, Sandy is on a mission to “encourage people to love themselves and others, and share power and resources in the world.”

Regionally and nationally recognized as a leader in social justice, equity, and “anti-hate” programs, talks, workshops and children’s literature, Sandy founded and directs The Culture C.O.-O.P. and United In Unity. She has given keynote addresses, served on boards, consulted with diverse organizations, and won numerous awards. Most recently, she was donned the John Garamendi Woman of the Year 2015 award. “The awards have been overwhelming and are valuable because they draw attention to the tough work I have to do,” she said. “We are living in a world where our ability to work together is critical. A cornerstone of success is understanding and serving diverse people. We become more effective when we understand cultural differences and similarities.”  

There is nothing theoretical about Sandy or her work. She practices what she calls “active research,” where social theory is matched with practical application. She goes into the trenches daily…shoulder-to-shoulder, vis-à-vis, hand-in-hand, and heart-to-heart, with the people who need her most. Battling entrenched beliefs and hatred can be brutal work, but her faith and love sustain her.

Her book, Grandpa, Is Everything Black Bad?, which won the Blackboard Book of the Year Award in 2002, continues to be a favorite throughout the world. Sandy’s grandfather, Rufus X. Holman, helped shape her future. "He left me over 100 poems that he wrote, which were absolutely beautiful and historic, written over a 50-year span," she said. "I had an incredibly close relationship with my grandfather and I saw him pretty regularly through my teen years. He was a talented and wise person. He only had a third grade education, but he continued to read throughout his life and learn as much as he could. I was transfixed by him. He taught me a lot about loving yourself and honoring your history and culture and heritage, and so I grew up not having a lot of the self-esteem issues that a lot of my peers did.”

She has been honored alongside Al Gore, Quincy Jones, and other notable authors for her work in Multi-Cultural Children's Literature at Book Expo in New York. She was the only self-published author ever to win the award, primarily because she didn’t know that self-publishers couldn’t enter. Sandy lets nothing hold her back, and the world and our community are the beneficiaries.

Her next round of children’s stories –Love Is The Root Of All People. Honor Your Elders, Peace Is For People, and You Ain't Dressed Until You Got Your Hat On—is forthcoming. Publishers frequently approach Sandy about her books, but she prefers to be self-published and set up her own publishing company. Sandy gives workshops on self-publishing, as well.

Purple is Sandy’s signature color. “I love purple! When I wear it, it makes me happy. People ask me about all the purple I wear. It opens doors. I decided to do the things that make me happy…the things that make me ecstatic,” she said. An artist, poet, author, speaker, educator, consultant and citizen of the world, Sandy said, “Everyone is a V.I.P. We need to treat everyone like a king or queen.”

Sandy Lynne Holman, thank you for uniting, fortifying and educating us all. Thank you for your generous heart, your clear mind, and your bountiful contributions to peace, equity, and love on earth. Thank you for teaching our children and our teachers to appreciate, accept and celebrate diversity. You are a purple wonder. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

Savory Café Digs In to Help Yolo’s Children Learn About the Beauty of Fresh, Local Food

[Originally published October 2, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Repower Yolo is a Gold Sponsor of Yolo Farm to Fork's School Programs. When you go solar with us, we'll donate $500.00.

“Yolo County is one of the best places on earth to be, as far as food is concerned. The variety and abundance of fresh food available here is wonderful.”

—Juan Barajas, Co-owner of the Savory Café

Savory Café, located at 722-A Main Street in Woodland, is celebrating the soft launch of their dinner menu tonight—Friday, October 1, 5-9 PM. The restaurant décor has been refreshed and refined, with the staff at the ready, the environment cordial, and the menu reflective of local agricultural.

Savory Café owners, Kristin Hansen and brothers Juan and Tobi Barajas, design their menus to offer healthier alternatives using local produce. The variety and versatility of food grown and harvested in Yolo County inspires them.

Juan and Tobi have come from a long line of passionate cooks. Their mother is the second oldest of fifteen siblings. “My mother learned a lot of wonderful tricks in the kitchen from my grandmother,” said Juan.

Savory’s owners are keenly aware that Yolo Farm to Fork’s program, Davis Farm to School, plays a vital role in teaching our children where healthy food comes from and the creative ways it can be prepared. “We want children to be adventurous eaters and to become familiar with the wide variety of produce available,” said Juan. 

To this end, Savory Café has created a signature, seasonal dish to help raise money for Dig In Yolo!—Yolo Farm to Fork’s fundraising campaign—to support its  Davis Farm to School gardening and RISE (Recycling is Simply Essential) programs.

Magic happens when culinary creativity and mastery combines with locally-resourced ingredients. Enter Savory Café’s tender, seasonal dish of Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi, with Skyelark Ranch Lamb Sugo (a classic meat sauce), their lovingly created Dig In Yolo! special. Savory Café will donate a percentage of each Dig In Yolo! special ordered to Yolo Farm to Fork to help sustain their school programs.

Yes! Organic Butternut Squash Gnocchi, with Skyelark Ranch Lamb Sugo made with wine and aromatic spices. A definite palate pleaser! Supporting Davis Farm to School and RISE is even more delicious, knowing that the lamb was resourced from Skyelark Ranch—a pasture-based livestock ranch in Capay Valley, where the animals are raised humanely and with respect—known for their exceptional quality meat and eggs. Savory Café also offers award-winning wines by Route 3, located in Yolo County’s Dunnigan Hills.

Repower Yolo is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of Dig In Yolo!  Hats off to Yolo Farm to Fork, Davis Farm to School, and RISE! Hats off to Savory Café! And hats off to Yolo County for caring so deeply about its children! It’s fascinating and, often, surprising the way everything and everyone are connected…somehow. We love Yolo!

Enjoy your Organic Butternut Gniocchi with Lamb Sugo at Savory Cafe! With every bite, you can smile knowing that you're helping Yolo's children learn how to live sustainably. 

Savory Café’s Breakfast and Lunch Hours:

Monday-Friday       7:30 AM-2 PM

Saturday                 8 AM-2 PM

Sunday                   8 AM-1:30 PM

Beginning on Thursday, October 8, Savory Café’s regular Dinner Hours will be Thursday-Saturday, 5-9 PM.

Savory Café Website

Savory Café on Facebook

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Autumn Labbe-Renault

[Originally published September 29, 2015]

By Jennifer Ann Gordon, Repower Yolo's Storyteller

Autumn Labbe-Renault is committed to “bringing community voices together and giving people the tools to be heard.” Executive Director of Davis Media Access (DMA) since 2007, Autumn is in her element. Curiosity never killed this cat! She asks a lot of questions of herself and others, with great results. She said that she sees her role with DMA as “more of a conduit, rather than as a content creator.”

“It makes life so much better to love what you do. To work in community media is to work in change, because of all the sea changes with technology,” she said. With a background in fundraising, Autumn spearheads community engagement for DMA, a nonprofit. She oversees 4-5 staff members and 100-150 volunteers. She is a natural facilitator and keeps the programs running smoothly.. Autumn also produces all DMA's local election coverage.

She said, “I’ve watched people come into Davis Media Access and create content. They discover their voices, which is empowering. And I’ve watched people be transformed in the process. One of my favorite things about Davis Media Access is the communal work space. We don’t have offices, so there is a steady parade of people doing their radio shows. One of these people recently said, ‘I’m here for my weekly therapy.’ Surprising? It delights me that people come in and get so much joy out of what they create. Community media is a way for people to access the tools of media to tell their own stories.”

Autumn’s generous citizenry expands beyond Davis Media Access, though. She has been a member of Soroptimist International (SI) here in Davis—a service organization dedicated to bettering the lives of women and girls—for the last 13 years. She said, “SI provides the opportunity to come together with so many other women committed to making a difference. Soroptomism is big part of my life. These women know how to get stuff done. Soroptimists, as a whole, show up for the community and for each other.”

With fifteen-year-old twins and her oldest daughter starting college this fall, Autumn has been very involved with the schools, in addition to serving as a Worship Associate at the Unitarian Universalist Church, where she occasionally writes and presents pieces.

During the last four years, Autumn gave her all to taking care of her parents, both of whom have now passed. “Creativity had to take a backseat,” she said. A mixed media artist, she’s looking forward to getting back in the saddle again.  

The ampersand, “&,” is Autumn’s favorite symbol.  She said, “It represents the Infinite AND, not ‘or.’ The ampersand is about possibility. As a figurative symbol, I just love it!” Now she’s starting to wonder, “What else can I accomplish in life?”

Autumn Labbe-Renault, thank you for giving our community voice. Thank you for all the love your pour into Davis. Thank you for infusing our town with inspiration and insight. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Secilia Corona

[Originally published September 15, 2015]

By Repower Yolo's Storyteller, Jennifer Ann Gordon

I met Secilia Corona’s smile first. Then I met the rest of her. Behind the counter at Village Bakery on Second Street by the Amtrak station here in Davis, I was struck by the depth of kindness with which she served me and the other customers.

Having graduated from UC Davis last December with a double major in Chicano-Chicana Studies and Italian, Secilia is an eclectic blend. She is also the first generation in her family to earn a college degree. Sicilia’s dad is Mexican, her mom is Caucasian, and she has Italian in her heritage. Spanish is her first language.

“My major is a little bit random,” she said, “During my first two years of college, I thought I was going to go into biotech, but I wasn’t really passionate about it.” Taking Chem 2E, Bio 2A and Physics 7A in one semester, Secilia decided to throw in an Italian class to get a break from the heavy science classes, loved it, and soon realized, “Science is not going to be my thing.”

When she realized that she did not want to pursue biotech, she investigated Chicano-Chicana Studies, where she discovered a strong sense of community and a caring professor. Secilia said that the demands of a double major “were not a struggle because I was so interested in the topics.” She said, “Languages allow me to communicate with more people and to have rich experiences.”

During her junior year in college, Secilia had a teaching internship in Turin, Italy, for four months. Upon graduation, Secilia looked for a “serious job.” While she was job hunting, she found a house in Davis, and her two sisters, Delilah and Elsa, who are also college students, moved in. She also did not want her parents to keep supporting her, so she decided to wait on traveling and teaching Italian, and applied at Village Bakery.

“I applied at Village Bakery because I liked their food, ate there often, and bought their bread at the Farmers Market on Saturdays. Because I liked their products, I thought it would feel good selling them to others. The pastry chef is super friendly and teaches me. These people are wonderful!”

Secilia is originally from Point Arena, where her mom and dad have a landscaping company. “We’ve always had a ton of support from my parents. They were forced to grow up young and never had the opportunities they’ve given us. They’ve always supported and encouraged us. And they wanted my sisters and me to be united…unified. My family is really close.”

“There are so many people who have helped me. It is impossible to take credit for any of my accomplishments. I don’t feel like I do anything different or important. Being friendly and kind does make a difference in people’s lives. I prefer to listen, rather than speak about myself.”

Thank you, Secilia, for gracing this community with your kindness, humility and care. Thank you for listening to others so intently. Thank you for feeding us with Village Bakery’s finest fare and your smile. Thank you for being such a fine example of a young woman who knows herself and listens to that inner voice for guidance. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

Sacramento Business Journal profiles Chris Soderquist

[Originally published September 9, 2015]

THE GREAT Ed Goldman -- one of our favorite, iconic regional treasures -- recently sat down with Repower Cofounder Chris Soderquist. Here's his story:

Ed Goldman: Chris Soderquist’s newest (ad)venture: Sharing the sunshine

When scientists get around to studying the biological basis of entrepreneurship, Chris Soderquist will make a splendid case study: He seems to prove that it runs in families.

At 46, Soderquist is a former venture capitalist and a serial entrepreneur. He calculates he’s created “about a dozen” businesses and has been an investor or board member of “another 30 or so.” Restlessly intelligent (maybe even antsy), he appears to have settled into a single company that he loves: Repower Yolo, a Davis-based solar energy firm that in the past year-and-a-half has installed “more than 2,500 solar panels on 60 homes and 10 commercial projects,” he says, adding, “all in Yolo County.”

Soderquist is pursuing the venture with business partner and operations manager John Walter. Repower Yolo doesn't install solar systems. Rather, “I consult with the clients and tell them what will work for them and what won’t. Sometimes I talk myself out of a sale, but that’s a small price to pay for integrity.”

There’s a circular perfection to Soderquist’s latest passion. His dad, Charles Soderquist, was also an entrepreneur and venture capitalist who started amassing his wealth building and installing solar-powered hot tubs in Davis. Soderquist the elder, who died 11 years ago of an aneurysm, was also a philanthropist: he left the bulk of his estate to UC Davis.

I had interviewed Charlie Soderquist for my Working Lunch column in Comstock’s Business Magazine two years before his passing. He was a fascinating guy and Chris reminds me of him save for one attribute: while warm and soft-spoken, the dad had a somewhat dour, dark-ish aspect to him (possibly only with columnists) whereas Chris, despite being a serious man, has a lighthearted, almost impish quality.

He’s also, like his dad, a philanthropist, who donates money from every sale to one of 18 Yolo County nonprofits. While he says the principal motivation for doing so is “helping out,” Soderquist says, “There’s a kind of a domino effect at play. If we can re-power homes” — convert them from running solely on gas and electricity, “people will save money and will have more to spend in the community. There’s a lot of sunshine out there.”

And that, he says, “is the only positive thing about climate change I can think of. The less rain, the more sunshine, the more electricity we can generate. But I’d prefer it rained.”

Soderquist and his wife Karen, a manager at a medical software company, have two sons: Scott, who’s 16, and 13-year-old Ty. Perhaps because he majored in journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo — he also has an MBA from UC Davis — he elects to help out his interviewer. “I’m pretty easy to summarize,” he says. “I’m a father, a husband, a Little League coach and the son of amazing parents. I got my work ethic from my dad and my loving side from my mom.” Yes, but that sunshine is all his own.

Ed Goldman’s newest book, “And Now, With Further Ado: More Gravitas-Defying Profiles and Punditry from the Sacramento Business Journal,” is available at Amazon.com.

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Laura Christensen (and Company)

From left to right: Landon, Katie, Chelsey, Laura, Gary. Not pictured: Lynn Christensen and Granddaughters Kayla and Emily.

[Originally published September 2, 2015]

Laura Christensen and her husband, Lynn, have been infusing our community with warmth, kindness and generosity since they opened their store, Parcel Dispatch, PDQ,  in 1981, just three years after they moved to Davis. The business is a family affair. Their three adult children—Katie, Landon and Gary—play big parts in the company. And their two “grandgirls,” Kayla and Emily, spend a lot of time at Parcel Dispatch, too. Last, but not least, Laura considers their one employee, Chelsey, an honorary family member. Laura said, “I couldn’t do it without them. It’s really nice to work for yourself. I’m happy that our family gets along. Knowing your children as adults and working together is so precious.”

For Laura, it’s all about treating people well. She said, "It's easy to be nice and just share with other people." For example, when little children come into the store with their parents, Laura and the others are ready with stickers, a Parcel Dispatch, PDQ tradition which began with an employee named Gina. “She was so friendly and outgoing. She bought stickers,” Laura said. “When I give the children stickers and talk with them, they feel like kings and queens. We also have a rubber snake that peeks out of a hole in our counter for the children to play with.”

Parcel Dispatch, PDQ is a favorite stop for many locals, whether or not they are customers. “My husband Lynn gathers people, sees who they are, accepts them, and befriends them,” said Laura. For example, Esteban. Esteban is himself an entrepreneur. He comes by the store every day to present his menu of soda and candy. Another regular, Jerry, picks up all their cans to recycle. No matter how often Lynn tells Jerry his name, Jerry greets him with a “Hi, Pete!” Bruce the artist, a loyal friend of the Christensens, keeps a folder of his artwork at the store and comes in to look through or add to it from time to time. Laura said, “College students don’t know how to address letters or even where the stamp goes. We have to be very patient with them and show them how it’s done.”

The Christensens also have a wall of postcards from customers who tell them about their travels.“We have mailbox renters whom we’ve known for so long. We knew them when their babies were born. We’ve watched their children grow up,” said Laura. 

Laura said, “My husband compares Parcel Dispatch, PDQ to a play. At 9 AM, we pull the curtains and are on stage all day, with the closing curtain at 5:30 PM.” 

Thank you, Laura (and company), for treating all with whom you come into contact with the deepest respect and care. Thank you for seeing a need in this community and meeting it. Thank you for your humility and expertise. You are a shining example to us all. P-D-Q. Pleasant. Delightful. Quintessentially professional. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

NEWS FLASH: Erin Farmer, a friend of mine from high school, saw this post about Laura and her family on Facebook and responded with her own story about the Christensens:

"I love these folks. Landon and Gary battled flames from a car fire in the lot next to the store, which helped keep us safe when I pulled my dog out of my parked car next to burning car last December. Good people, great place."

PG&E’s Net Energy Metering (NEM) is Wonderfully Simple

[Originally posted September 1, 2015]

PG&E’s accounting methodology for solar homeowners (aka, Net Energy Metering) is wonderfully simple. It’s the bill credit mechanism that makes solar lucrative for Yolo County homeowners. Unfortunately, many solar homeowners we speak with are caught off guard when they receive their annual “true up” bill from PG&E. In all of these cases, the homeowners have leased their solar system from a national company and said that the company's salesperson did not explain the process.

To wit, when you have solar, here’s how it works:

1. You are enrolled in PG&E’s Net Energy Metering program, and you have a 20-year contract with PG&E whereby they are required to credit you for the solar electricity you generate.

2. When you generate electricity, you are credited at the full retail price (per kilowatt hour), the same rate you pay when you use electricity.

3. As a solar homeowner, you only pay your PG&E electricity bill once a year. Every month, PG&E sends you a Net Energy Metering statement, quantifying and valuing your net electricity use. Some months, you are a net generator (you make more electricity than you use) and PG&E owes you money; conversely, there are months where you use more electricity than you generate and you owe PG&E money.

4. At the end of your 12-month solar year with PG&E, you receive an annual true-up, reconciling each month’s net electricity use. Thereby, if you were a net user, you pay PG&E; if you were a net generator, PG&E pays you.

It’s that simple. Please feel free to contact us — whether you already have solar or are considering it — if you have any questions.

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Rita Montes Martin

Having orbited the Sun more than ninety times now and with no desire to retire, Rita Montes Martin has led an extraordinary life. And she is still going strong.  A serial entrepreneur and creative problem solver, Rita has several irons in the fire most of the time—an inspirational media company in development, some real estate deals, political activism to make it mandatory for Davis to be entirely off the grid and reliant on solar, authoring books, and turning a friend’s book into a screenplay, for example. Her friend Ruth once asked her in amazement, “Where do all your ideas come from?”

Rita has worn many hats, but the preponderance of her career has been in real estate. She was a loan officer and the only female appraiser for Great Western, as well as several other financial institutions, and has worked closely with builders and developers throughout her career.  Rita recalled that land developers were surprised when the appraiser walked into their office in spike high heels with her hair done up.

Rita’s vocation in real estate began by running a stoplight in LA, where she lived at the time. A new stop sign was installed on an old, familiar route and Rita whizzed right by it and got a ticket. She didn’t have a job and, on the way to court to address the ticket, she stopped off at a flower shop to apply for work. During her job interview, Rita mentioned that she was on her way to court to pay the ticket. The flower shop owner asked her if she had any money. She said, “No.” He gave her $20 on the spot.

When she got to court, the man seated next to her was an attorney.  And the bailiff was someone she had met at a dance. When the attorney found out that she was looking for work, he gave her the business card of a man who worked for Los Angeles Federal Savings and Loan, and told her to go see him…that he’d give her a job.

"I was always the instigator. I like stirring things up."

Meanwhile, Rita got herself into hot water by contesting the ticket and requesting a jury trial. (She had always loved Perry Mason and theater, so she decided to seize the opportunity.) The judge then set bail, which she could not pay, and ordered her to jail. The bailiff, whom she already knew from the dance, stepped in on her behalf and got her out of the predicament. She then had to pay the ticket. It was $20, which she had, thanks to the flower shop owner. Rita saw the gentlemen on the card, got the job at Los Angeles Federal Savings and Loan, and has been in love with real estate ever since. “Real estate is fascinating,” she said, “It grows. There is always something to learn and a lot of money to be made. Over the years, I’ve learned the many facets of the building industry.”

Thank you, Rita, for being such a vibrant light in our community and inspiring us all. Thank you for showing us the beauty, wisdom and grace of experience. Thank you for your insatiable appetite for learning and adventure. Thank you for being so extraordinary.

Synergetics, à la Aleksy Golovka

[Originally posted August 21, 2015]

Did you know that Stanford University, the alma mater of Repower cofounder John Walter, has a Solar Poetry section, among many fascinating soulful solar-related expressions--art, photography, folklore, ancient observatsion and more--on its Stanford Solar Center website? Check it out. 

Synergetics is written by Aleksy Golovka, a Russian Solar-Terrestrial Physicist. Enjoy! And, by the way, if you've been wondering about whether or not going solar is right for you, fill out the form to the right of this post. We'll get back to you right away. 

Synergetics

Through the telescope I observe the Sun,
And I must aver: no, the ancient
But still unanswered key question
Of life's relation to the Sun is not simple.

A flower grows, collecting in its stem
Particles of air, and moisture, and earth.
And in about the same way, playing in forms,
A spot grows, adorning the Sun's face.

Cascades of flares, webs of fibrils,
A waterfall-like sheet of a prominence -
The work of the fire-breathing dragon,
Bathing in plasma, stuns us.

Such harmony of motion exists
In a crystal, a laser, in boiling wax,
The arraying of a row of instants
And positions into a regular network.

We are close to the truth! The mosaic of neurons
Organizes what I took in with a glance:
I think! Bowing, I proffer to the Sun
The Sunlike globe of my head.

-=Aleksey Golovko=-
Senior Researcher of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Emily Griswold

[Originally published August 12, 2015]

Emily Griswold is in love with plants. "I really got going in high school. My relatives' beautiful gardens inspired me. I find the beauty and diversity of plants fascinating. It's always challenging to figure out how to grow them. They're living beings and have their own things going on."  

Davisites have reaped the benefits of Emily's biophilia and green thumb for many years now. Her work has enhanced our lifestyle, provided respite and refreshment for people from all walks, given UC Davis students opportunities to serve and get some "horticulture therapy," built community, and convened enthusiastic gardeners and environmentalists. And this is just the tip of the Extraordinary-Ordinary-berg! 

Emily is the Director of Horticulture for our very own world-renown UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. Simply put, she oversees the well-being of all the plants and the volunteers who care for them. 

In her "free" time, she oversees Central Park's gardens along 'B' Street between 3rd and 4th Streets here in Davis as a volunteer. "The conversation began in 2006," said Emily, "when the City of Davis didn't have the resources to keep the gardens up."

Scrabble paved the way for Emily's volunteering in the gardens. Yes, Scrabble. Her husband often plays Scrabble in Central Park and she needed something to do while he was occupied with Triple Word Scores. She noticed that the garden provided a great space for getting people interested in plants and horticulture. Emily said, "I would look over at the garden and think, 'It would be kind of nice to work on that garden. It would be cool if the Yolo County Master Gardeners had a demonstration space.'" (The Yolo County Master Gardeners share science-based information from the university on growing things.)

The way she has grown her team is as natural as the garden itself. Emily has a cadre of experienced gardeners who volunteer to nurture those who are new to gardening. She said that she has "a series of volunteer leaders who have adopted the roses and other parts of the garden and help coordinate other volunteers." 

The garden is part of a larger ecosystem. For example, the tomatoes and other goodies harvested in the vegetable garden section go to Davis Community Meals and other nonprofits. The City of Davis provides workers comp for volunteers, keeps the irrigation system working, prunes the trees, picks up the green waste, and provides woodchip mulch and decomposed granite for path repair. 

Emily stays current on everything "gardening" in Davis, such as the Davis Farm-to-School Connection that coordinates all school gardens, recycling programs, and organic farm visits for the students. Emily said, "I really like getting to know people when I'm working on a focused project. This project has made me a full-on townie. I am more engaged in local politics than I ever thought I would be." Emily also serves on the Parks and Recreation Commission. 

Emily Griswold, thank you for all you do. Thank you for cultivating such beauty and community here in Davis and beyond. Yours is a special kind of photosynthesis. Thank you for being so extraordinary!

The Extraordinary Ordinary: Wilson Lam

[Originally published August 5, 2015]

Walk into Copyland on G Street here in Davis and, chances are, you'll see blueprints rolling out of the printer, students on the computers, business people making copies and others discussing their visions with Wilson Lam. The shop can get pretty busy, but amidst the positive maelstrom of the thriving business is Wilson, the epitome of "calm, cool and collected." Wilson is all about service, but what makes him so special is the way he goes about serving...quietly, expertly, responsively. 

When I asked him how he came to be who and how he is, he replied without a second's hesitation, "My mom, the way she raised me to always respect people and treat them the way you want to be treated...to do what you can to help them." 

Wilson became aware that he wanted to help people in middle school. After high school, he became a Nurse's Assistant and loved it. Then he attended Unitek where he earned his Vocational Nursing License (LVN), but the increased stress and bureaucracy that came with the job didn't click with him. After a brief stint as an LVN, he got a job working at T-Mobile. When T-Mobile closed, he walked next door to Copyland and asked owner Paul Wang for a job. Paul gave him the job on the spot. 

Seven years later, Wilson still likes his job. "People come in with an idea and we help give it a physical form. It makes me feel happy that I am creating something out of nothing." 

Turbo, Wilson's dog, also likes his job at Copyland. On Wednesdays or Thursdays, depending, Turbo greets customers and gives them the joy of petting him. Wilson said, "Turbo likes to come in and relax, and enjoy the customers." The Lams are bonified Davisites. Wilson's mom works at the United States Post Office on Fifth Street and his older brother is a doctor here.  

Wison, thank you for making people's experiences at Copyland seamless. Thank you for your positivity, promptness and patience. You are extraordinary. (And, by the way, we'll be sending you a print job later today.)