PacBell Receives ‘Small Business
Friendly’ Award
She’s about 50 years old, four stories tall and weighs 3,500 pounds. And still, she’ll be twirling her baton for years to come.
The future of San Diego’s famed neon majorette has been secured at its new home in the College Grove shopping center. Center owner Vestar Development Co. donated the historic landmark July 27 to Save Our Heritage Organization, a San Diego preservation group.
Under the terms of the agreement, SOHO owns the majorette, as well as an easement on Vestar’s property. College Grove will continue to maintain the structure, said Jan Percival, spokeswoman for Vestar.
The neon majorette has been a landmark in San Diego since 1948, when it was first installed at the Campus Drive-In Theater at 61st Street and El Cajon Boulevard. At the time, the majorette was one of the tallest neon installations in the country, Percival said.
The majorette remained at the drive-in until 1983, when the site was redeveloped. The structure barely escaped demolition and was put into storage, she said.
Two years later, the neon sign was purchased for display at Mann Theaters, which then had a multiplex at College Grove. It stood at that location from 1989 to 1998, Percival said.
During reconstruction at College Grove, the majorette again went into storage, before being moved to a more prominent location visible from the Martin Luther King Freeway. The relighting ceremony in March 2000 attracted thousands of San Diegans, Percival said.
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Small Business Friendly:
A new program was unveiled this month to recognize large companies for their services and advocacy efforts on behalf of small businesses throughout the state.
The California Small Business Roundtable, a division of the California Small Business Administration, unveiled the certification program Aug. 2. Pacific Bell has received the program’s first “Small Business Friendly” certification.
Large businesses and vendors go through a detailed review process for a “seal of approval.” Certified businesses can show they offer great service to small business, said Betty Jo Toccoli, president of the California Small Business Association and chairwoman of the California Small Business Roundtable.
The program also will draw upon resources and services available from major companies in California to support small businesses during increasingly challenging economic times, she said.
“Small businesses in California have entered extraordinarily rough seas,” Toccoli said. “Our goal is to provide a reliable source for information on services and vendors, ultimately saving time and money for small businesses throughout the state.”
Pacific Bell received the award for its advocacy practices, services and commitment to the state’s small businesses , all key criteria in the small business roundtable’s selection process. Other recipient companies will be unveiled over the next several months, Toccoli said.
“We envision that the ‘small-business friendly’ certification program will provide an increased layer of security to business owners, and save them the hassle of researching which companies are their best partners in business,” she said.
Beach, Horses And Now A Web Site:
A new Web site hopes to become a forum for Del Mar community members and business professionals to meet, share their stories and pictures, and catch up on local events.
DelMarPost.com, whose launch was announced Aug. 3, will reach out to the area and the world to attract more attention and business to the city. As a “local search engine,” it offers easy access to area information and is heavily marketed to community members, said Eric Fuller, spokesman for DelMarPost.
Also, information on DelMarPost is promoted on most major search engines, he said.
Taste Of National City: The 10th annual celebration Taste of National City will be held Aug. 23, starting at 5 p.m. The event will feature specialties from 20 local restaurants, as well as entertainment.
Catch the event in National City’s historic “Heritage Square” in the 900 block of A Avenue.
Tickets can be obtained from the National City Chamber of Commerce for $10, or $8 for seniors. For more information, call the chamber at (619) 477-9339.
Contact Lee Zion with small business and retail tips at lzion@sdbj.com, or call (858) 277-6359, Ext. 112. The deadline for the Aug. 27 issue is Aug. 17.
