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It certainly has been a busy start to the school year. We are so grateful to have our students back on campus. Each one of them brings an energy and excitement that is nurtured by our faculty and staff who are all working towards a common goal of helping each student achieve their educational goals and dreams.

I thought I would give you a brief update on some recent and current events.

Bolinas Field Station

We did it! Thank you! We completed the $100,000 matching gift challenge provided by Nancy P. & Richard K. Robbins Family Foundation who are long-time supporters of COM and our students. This immensely helped us in getting nearer to achieving our goal of closing the $2.5 million funding gap.

We are so thankful for our donors who invest in ensuring our students have unique educational opportunities, like the Field Station, and who want to make sure that COM is preparing the next generation of stewards of our fragile environment.

Want to stay up to date on the progression of this campaign or donate?
Check out the Field Station website at:
https://advancement.marin.edu/bolinas-field-station

Event at the Bolinas Museum

Our friends at the Bolinas Museum currently have a fantastic art exhibit, “Seeing the Unseen” by Laurie Mahan, as part of their “Pacific Rise: Ocean Health” series. In conjunction with this exhibit, our own Joe Mueller, COM Biology Professor will be speaking at the Great Minds panel discussion about the health of our ocean.

Please join us this Saturday – November 12
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
Bolinas Community Center

I look forward to seeing you there!

Would you like more information about the event?
Check out their website www.bolinasmuseum.org

On September 9, faculty, staff, and supporters gathered to raise over $140,000 for College of Marin’s Learning Communities. On hand was the legendary band Los Lobos to help celebrate the evening. A special thank you to our Premier and Diamond sponsors: Alten Construction, Brick Inc., Dive Lab, Facilitron, Gilbane Inc, Silverado Contractors, Inc., & WR Forde. We couldn’t have done it without you.

On September 12, the COM community came together to celebrate the disbursement of over $189,000 in scholarships to help students cover the cost of books, supplies, and tuition. In addition to the scholarships, students get a deeper commitment to their education as they know that the community cares enough to invest in their future.

A big thank you to our scholarship donors. Here is a highlight of some of the new scholarship offerings this year: Cutler CEP Scholarship for STEM, Austin Geidt Scholarship for students in recovery, Peter Gettner Scholarship for LGBTQ + students, Warren Lefort Scholarship for Performing Arts, and Tiburon Peninsula Foundation.

Interested in hearing from the students?
Check out the Youtube video https://youtu.be/BUqJJ8-fUM

Fun Fact: This year, COM graduated 390 students with 448 certificates or degrees. The youngest was 15 years of age and the oldest was 71 years of age.

Thank you for your continued support!

Keith M. Rosenthal
Director of Advancement

Eugene Lewis is the new chief human resources officer of MarinHealth, operators of MarinHealth Medical Center, the MarinHealth Medical Network, and ancillary services.

He replaces Linda Lang, J.D., who after nine years is retiring, the health care provider stated.

“We’re very grateful for Linda and the many years of service she’s dedicated to MarinHealth,” said David Klein, M.D., CEO of MarinHealth. “When looking to fill Linda’s important role, we conducted an extensive search only to discover the best candidate was no further than the talent within our organization. Eugene holds an impressive track record and skillset that will help us achieve our healthcare goals, spearhead our diversity and inclusion initiatives, and design workforce strategies so our organization can continue to evolve and grow. We are grateful for Eugene’s dedication to our organization and wish him well in this new role.”

Lewis was hired in August as interim chief human resources officer. Prior to that, he held various positions within MarinHealth’s human resources department over the past eight years, including benefits administrator, benefits manager, and director of human resources, MarinHealth stated.

Lewis earned a Bachelor of the Arts degree in sociology with an emphasis in law and society and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in African American studies at the University of California, Davis. He received his master’s degree in business administration at California State University-Sacramento and is a Certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.

https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/marin-hospital-names-chief-human-resources-officer/

Starting this November, Skip Barber Racing School will once again run best in class racing and driving programs at the iconic Sonoma Raceway. Over 30 dates will be offered during the 2022 and 2023 seasons at the historic road course, one of the program’s preferred west coast locations.

Skip Barber Racing School’s full complement of racing and driving schools will be offered at Sonoma Raceway. Their racing school programs will feature the 1 Day Racing School, 3 Day Racing School, and their 2 Day Advanced Race Licensing School and will be available in both their cutting-edge Mygale Formula 4 open-wheel cars and their Mustang GT fleet. In addition to the racing schools, the Hagerty Driving Academy powered by Skip Barber Racing School will give drivers of all experience levels the chance to hone their driving skills to make them safer, more secure drivers on the highway.

“We are pleased to welcome a world-class instruction-based driving program partner like Skip Barber Racing School to our facility,” said Jill Gregory, executive vice president, and general manager at Sonoma Raceway. “These programs will round out the great on-track experiences we already offer and provide even more variety in programming to our clients and fans.”

Sonoma Raceway will continue to offer top-level curated group and corporate driving experiences and continue to service the robust karting community with instruction programs and sanctioned events at the longest outdoor kart track in California.

“We are so glad to partner with Sonoma Raceway to bring the Skip Barber legendary curriculum to even more passionate racers and drivers,” said Dan DeMonte, CMO. Sonoma Raceway is one of the premier road courses in North America, and our programs there will provide an exhilarating experience for all participants.”

Information on all of the programs offered at Sonoma Raceway can be found at sonomaraceway.com/experiences/driving-experiences/

For more information contact:

Brandy Falconer
Director of Communications
BFalconer@SonomaRaceway.com
O: 707-933-3981  |  C: 707-231-6005
SonomaRaceway.com/Media
Social media: @racesonoma

Sonoma Raceway is considered a gem in the road course community for schools, experiences and races not only for the track itself but also for its idyllic wine country location and proximity to San Francisco. It is a 2.52-mile and 12-turn road course and quarter-mile drag strip located at Sears Point in Sonoma County, California. Built in 1968 the track is carved into rolling hills with 160 ft of total elevation change. It is host to one of the few NASCAR Cup Series races each year that are run on road courses. It is one of the world’s busiest racing facilities, with track activity ranging from experiential and instructional programs to track days, scheduled an average of 340 days a year. A complete and versatile motorsports complex, it is home to one of the nation’s only high-performance automotive industrial parks with approximately 70 tenants.

About Skip Barber Racing School

With international racing experience, celebrated skill, and the firm belief that competitive race car driving was teachable, Skip Barber founded his legendary racing school in 1975. Since that first class, over 400,000 students have become racers and champions. 

Today, we are the world’s largest automotive education and entertainment company offering driving and racing schools at the finest tracks in America. We operate the Skip Barber Formula Race Series, field championship race teams in TC and TC America, create innovative OEM programs that elevate the finest automotive marques, and produce corporate programs that build teamwork and recognize outstanding achievement.

No experience rivals the Skip Barber Racing School. For more information on our programs, call us at 866-932-1949 or visit us online at skipbarber.com.

One of the North Bay’s largest mixed-use developments now is opening a sizable coworking center as part of a rollout of live-work services ahead of construction of hundreds of homes at the project.

The developers of SOMO Village, a 176-acre project on the southeast edge of Rohnert Park in central Sonoma County, are set to unveil the 24,000-square-foot SOMO Cowork facility Saturday and have it ready for members to get down to business there on Monday. At the helm of the center is Maciej (pronounced “MA-jik”) Tlich.

Housed on the second floor of the existing 1500 Valley House Drive building, the coworking center has 65 private offices, common work areas with available dedicated desks, two meeting and two conference rooms, four videoconference rooms, five soundproof “phone booths” for private calls, a podcasting room, massage room, yoga studios, indoor cycling exercise area, and showers.

This will be part of “The Hub” of SOMO Village, a place for workers in the commercial space to come for lunch or a break and for residents of the future housing to gather, said Brad Baker, CEO and part of the Codding family venture that acquired the former Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies plant in 2005.

Infrastructure for the first of 10 planned phases of housing is going in now at the property, with the goal to start build 148 dwellings this winter, Baker said. The second phase starting sometime next year would be 300 to 400 homes, largely in multifamily buildings. At buildout, the project will have nearly 1,700 homes and nearly 50 accessory dwelling units, also known as “granny units.”

“This will be a community gathering spot,” Baker said. “People will be walking over and sitting for coffee and have beer and work for couple of hours then go to the gym. This is a community where you do not have to get into your car but can walk to work.”

The coworking space is designed around natural light, views of nature in greenery and local artwork and outdoor spaces. This fits with the OnePlanet sustainability certification that SOMO Village first earned in 2007, according to Baker.

The 600,000 square feet of former Agilent commercial buildings at SOMO Village have been repurposed into a multitenant property that’s home to companies such as tea maker Traditional Medicinals, recyclable single-use foodware producer World Centric, Morton & Bassett Spices, plastics-to-energy recycler Resynergi, high-tech work desk manufacturer Altdesk, and Rieke, which acquired Innovative Moldings and is part of the global company TriMas. Credo High School also occupies part of one building.

To further expand The Hub, Old Caz Beer has applied to the city to put in another taproom, to be located below the coworking facility. Started in summer 2018 by Sonoma State University alumni Bryan Regal and Tom Edwards, the brewery is located on State Farm Drive at the north end of Rohnert Park.

Codding is in discussions with a couple of operators for a coffee shop in an adjoining building to the coworking center. Also in the works is a fitness center called Complex, eyed for a winter 2023-2024 opening.

SOMO Cowork memberships have multiple tiers. The entry level is $49 monthly for two days of common-area access per month. For $375, members get a dedicated desk in the common area, where a second monitor could be left hooked up. Private offices run $800 to $1,400 a month, for one- to two-person and 12- to 14-worker suites, respectively. Included are coffee, unlimited printing, high-speed internet, sparkling water on tap with flavors. Dogs can come into to the office on a leash, and the center has contracted with a dog-walking service.

About half the memberships for the private offices (32 of the 65 available) are reserved so far, Baker said.

In the works are rentable storage for members that have equipment or products, such as an audio-visual company that works on SOMO Village live events at the complex’s events center. Currently, 5,000 square feet total is set aside, but options for more space are possible in adjoining buildings, Baker said. Another possibility for the coworking center, based on demand, is creating a shared photography studio for members that need product shots or portraits.

Codding had tried something similar to SOMO Cowork several years ago. Called SOCO Nexus, that 30,000-square-foot center was aimed more at being a business incubator, where fledgling companies are mentored by each other and a managing guide toward greater chance for success.

But Baker said a top thing learned from that unsuccessful effort — the incubator space was repurposed for Credo High School — was that members want private offices more than open-area desks. So SOCO Cowork was designed with twice the secluded spaces that the incubator had.

Also, the center had to have innovative design, rather than simply reusing the Agilent office space. And lastly, the coworking center needs to align with the development’s commitment to OnePlanet principles, key among them are promotion of health and wellness.

https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/article/24000sf-coworking-center-opening-at-large-sonoma-county-mixed-use-developm/

These women have reached the highest level of the typically male-dominated Bay Area sports arena.

https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2022/10/07/bay-area-female-sports-executives.html