By Faughn Economy • Education • Workforce 0 Comments

Fresno Area’s Newest College Grads Boast Nearly $24 Billion in Earning Power

Thousands of students are graduating from local universities and transitioning into the work world, bringing fresh faces and ideas — and immense career earning power. Fresno County is home to Fresno State, Fresno Pacific, and California Health Sciences University. Additionally, University of California, Merced is just an hour away. The four universities report a total of almost 8,500 students walking at commencement this spring. This includes hundreds of students receiving master’s and doctorate degrees. Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce says a bachelor’s degree holder will earn a median average of $2.8 million during their career — 75% more than the median average for a high school grad ($1.6 million). Multiply the Fresno area’s 8,500 college graduates by $2.8 million and their career earning power computes to $23.8 billion.

However, the figure is conservative because of California’s higher wages and the expected lifetime earnings of grads with master’s degrees ($3.2 million) and doctorates ($4 million). And it doesn’t include 2025 graduates from schools such as University of Phoenix-Fresno and National University-Fresno. Now here’s more good news for the Fresno economy: Much of that income will be generated, invested, and spent here. Based on data from Lightcast, an economic data mining service that the CSU partners with, of the 20,701 public profiles of Fresno State alumni who graduated between 2015 and 2025, 83.96% live and work in Central California, said Fresno State public information officer Lisa Bell. The other universities do not track where students go after college, but an analysis by Tallo, a website that connects students with resources, showed that 61% of college students plan on finding a job close to where they attended college. In addition, UC Merced and Fresno State report that over 50% of the graduating class are first-generation students.

Top Majors Among Graduates

The programs promising the highest pay are all STEM courses, but there is a wide variety of top majors from the four universities. Engineering and computer science are highest-paying majors according to Forbes. Both were a part of UC Merced’s most popular majors alongside biological sciences. However, Fresno States’ top majors were psychology, liberal studies, and biology. Fresno Pacific undergrads swayed towards liberal arts and early childhood development. There’s a clear mix of humanities, social sciences, and sciences among the Central Valley graduates, promising an even distribution between fields. California Health Sciences University had 109 medical students, and 22 master’s program students graduate with 23% completing residencies in the Central Valley. Sixty percent of the residencies are in Primary Care.

Breakdown of Colleges and Degrees

Fresno State had the biggest graduating class with 6,018 students walking at commencement: 5,125 receiving bachelor’s degrees and 866 getting their master’s. The doctoral cohorts and candidates consisted of 58 students receiving Doctor of Physical Therapy, Doctor of Educational Leadership, and Doctor of Nursing Practice. The College of Science and Mathematics had the largest class with a little over 1,000 graduates. UC Merced had 1,417 students walk at commencement with 1,296 getting a bachelor’s degree, 41 receiving a master’s degree, and 80 obtaining doctorates. The School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts had the largest class with 781 students walking. Fresno Pacific held ceremonies for 863 students graduating this spring. There were 467 students completing a bachelor’s degree and 396 students finishing a master’s degree. The largest number of students, 636, graduated from the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

https://gvwire.com/2025/06/20/fresno-areas-newest-college-grads-boast-nearly-24-billion-in-earning-power/

By Faughn Distribution • Workforce 0 Comments

Massive distribution center to create 1,500 jobs in Stanislaus County

Patterson is now considering a 3.25 million-square-foot distribution center, which is almost three times larger than a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse on Sperry Avenue approved earlier this month. According to applications filed with the city, the huge distribution center at the southwest corner of Rogers and Zacharias roads would be “built to suit” for an e-commerce company to fulfill orders from customers. The company has not been identified. It would be the largest distribution center in the city, which has logistics facilities as large as 1.5 million square feet.

Simply called Project Zach, the center will have five floors and about 1,500 employees. A city use permit is required because the 107-foot height is twice the city standard of 45 feet. Other features include 59 loading docks, a proposed 983 parking spaces for passenger cars and 506 truck trailer stalls. Small products, less than 25 pounds, will be packaged on the ground floor and mezzanine and stored on the upper floors.

The project got a public hearing Thursday evening before the city Planning Commission. The panel was to review a number of issues because of Project Zach’s size and location near the foothills of western Stanislaus County. “The city’s primary concern with large buildings is the potential impacts on residences and views of the hills,” City spokesperson Victoria Castro said by email. “The municipal code includes requirements to ensure projects like this are located far from residences to protect the views.” Issues such as truck traffic and air quality are being addressed through conditions of approval for Project Zach, Castro said. A city report says the proposed facility is more than 2,000 feet from the nearest property inside the city zoned for residential development.

The 102-acre site is within the West Patterson Business Park Expansion planned for 13.5 million squares of feet of light industrial and commercial uses. The owner is NCP Patterson Holdings. A representative of Panattoni Development Co. did not return a message from The Modesto Bee. The city required an amendment to the 2012 environmental study on the business park expansion, but the adverse impacts of Project Zach are not more severe than impacts of the entire expansion, so there’s no need for major revisions, the addendum concluded. The city turned heads by landing distribution centers at a time when some California cities were desperate for any job creation. Patterson’s business park expansion, driven by Interstate 5 access, was capped by a 1 million-square-foot Amazon Fulfillment Center in 2014. But warehousing and distribution draw more complaints today regarding substandard wages, truck traffic and air emissions.

A city planning report says Project Zach is exempt from Assembly Bill 98, which was passed by the Legislature to restrict truck routes and impose more stringent requirements on logistics projects in California. Project Zach is part of the Arambel Business Park master plan, approved years ago. Initial standards of AB 98 went into effect Jan. 1. In 2012, the EIR found that the West Patterson Business Park expansion would eliminate 749 acres of prime farmland, 278 acres of unique farmland and 82 acres considered important by the state. The new distribution operation, including 652,000 square feet on each floor, is expected to exceed San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District emissions for volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. The center will generate 400 vehicle trips during the busiest morning hours and more than 900 trips in the worst hours after noon.

State regulations will require a five-minute limit on idling diesel-powered vehicles at the facility. Before building permits are issued, Project Zach is expected to comply with San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District rules to reduce nitrogen oxides emissions by 33% and tiny particle emissions from diesel trucks by 50%. That can be done through onsite emission reductions or payment of mitigation fees. The environmental study on the entire West Patterson Business Park expansion anticipates 11,755 vehicle trips during morning hours and 15,319 after noon. Project Zach is expected to fund its share of road and intersection improvements before a final map is approved. As the business park continues to develop, the plan has called for improvements of the I-5 and Sperry Avenue interchange, signals where Rogers Road meets Highway 33, and other intersection improvements.

In addition, Project Zach will contribute fair-share fees for an I-5 and Zacharias Road interchange connected to the proposed South County Corridor expressway. The Planning Commission’s approval June 12 of a 1.2 million-square-foot logistics center on Sperry Avenue sparked some jeers on social media bemoaning another warehouse and that this one would eliminate a corn maze popular with families. Castro said the city is seeking diverse development and is reviewing multiple applications including nearly 2,000 housing units and commercial projects such as a new shopping center. It’s reviewing proposals for additional industrial buildings including manufacturing and medical facilities, she said.

Patterson part of primary logistics market an economic development whitepaper for the Modesto 2050 General Plan Update and EIR in 2022 analyzed the rapid expansion of the logistics industry in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. There was steady growth in e-commerce before the pandemic and then the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 spurred enormous global growth in online sales. San Joaquin County is a major hub for warehousing and distribution due to truck and rail transportation modes, relatively inexpensive land, labor supply and freeways like Interstates 580 and 205 connecting with the Bay Area and Port of Oakland, the whitepaper said. Tracy is a leader with regional warehouse and distribution businesses in a primary market taking in Lathrop, Manteca, Stockton and Patterson. The report noted that Patterson and Stockton are equal distance from the Port of Oakland. Although Patterson has a smaller labor supply, it has the least expensive land and fee costs, the whitepaper said.

Modesto lies southeast of the primary market area and is at a disadvantage for logistics development, with the greater mileage increasing costs for operators, the paper said. The city inhabits a secondary market with opportunities, but with supervisors earning around $25 an hour and robotics taking on much of the warehouse work, the 2022 paper said some communities question the desirability of logistics development.

https://www.modbee.com/news/politics-government/article309423915.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

By Faughn Economy • New Developments • Tourism • Workforce 0 Comments

Visalia’s retail growth just doubled the national average, what’s behind the surge?

The Visalia metropolitan area more than doubled the national average for retail growth between 2020 and 2024, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers. The report, conducted by Michigan-based printer Printastic, ranked the area 27th for retail establishment growth among midsize U.S. metropolitan areas, with an 8.1% increase. The analysis also showed that retail employment in the area increased 9.5% during the same period. Nationally, the increase in retail stores was 3.7% between 2020 and 2024, according to the report. The study showed that there were 1,123 retail establishments in the Visalia metro area last year, and they employed a total of 16,668 people. These numbers indicate increases of 84 retail establishments and 1,450 retail employees since 2020.

“That’s consistent with what I’m seeing in terms of new building permit activity for retail and the buildout of new shopping centers across town, not only on Mooney, but in North Visalia (Orchard Walk West and the North Costco) and East Visalia (The Hub at Walnut and Lovers Lane, and the second Vallarta by Noble and Lovers Lane),” said Devon Jones, Visalia economic development manager.

Jones offered three reasons for the local growth in retail business.

“First and foremost, we are fortunate to have excellent retail development and property owner partners such as Paynter Realty, Brookfield Properties, the Orosco Group, Cal Gold Development, and the Shehadey and Shannon Families to name a few,” he said. “We’re lucky to have lots of investment interest in Visalia and will continue to be a strong development partner for those that choose to invest in us.”

Jones said that Visalia is fortunate to be the metro center for the Tulare/Kings and southern Fresno County region.

“Being the metro and services hub gives us the benefit of drawing visits from the broader trade area population beyond our own city’s population,” Jones said. “This gives us a true ability to provide quality sites for regional retail tenants. This is in addition to the flow of visitors we see annually for Convention Center events and the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.”

Lastly, Jones said that the city is remains focused on the “basic formula” for sound economic development and economic diversification.

“That is, creating primary jobs that add outside wealth into the local economy to spur new job creation that leads to new housing demand, which in turn generates more demand for local services such as retail, healthcare, education, etc.,” Jones said.

Primary jobs are those that produce goods and services in excess of what can be consumed at the local level, thereby exporting income into the local economy, he explained.

“Essentially, this export income grows the local economic pie that we divide up amongst ourselves – other businesses/vendors, public agencies, local services,” Jones said.

“In Visalia, we are blessed to have many primary job sectors including health care and tourism, but the sectors with the greatest reach are those typically found in our industrial park, such as food processing, manufacturing, and logistics/distribution,” he added. “Many of these businesses serve international, nationwide, or Western U.S. markets. Luckily, we have lots of great companies in our industrial park and again, have strong industrial development partners that will help us to realize more growth for years to come.”

There is an effort to encourage future growth, according to Jones.

“We will continue to focus on economic diversification and primary job creation as a core economic development priority, and also be a strong development partner for those seeking to invest in Visalia, whether it be commercial, industrial, or residential,” he said.

https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/local/2025/05/15/visalia-metropolitan-retail-area-is-booming-heres-whats-driving-growth/83589547007/

By Faughn Economy • Top Stories 0 Comments

Central Valley cities, counties lead California in population and housing growth

On May 1, the California Department of Finance released a report highlighting the state’s 108,000-person increase during the 2024 calendar year.

In addition to the 108,000-person increase, California also saw an increase in K–8 enrollment of 13,890 students, a nearly 25,300-person increase in the 65-and-older population and the natural increase (births minus deaths) contributed 114,805 people, up almost 10,000 from 2023. The Central Valley followed these trends—Fresno County’s increase of 0.9% put it at the third-highest rate in California, while Tulare County’s 0.7% increase put it in sixth.

Lassen County, located in northeast California along the Nevada border, had the highest increase rate, at 2.9%.

At 2.7%, Madera County had the highest housing growth among all counties. Kings County was the eighth-highest county with a 1.2% increase. The state average housing growth for all counties was 0.8%.

With a city population of 557,032, Fresno was the fifth most populous city in California, behind Los Angeles (3,835,263), San Diego (1,408,937), San Jose (979,415) and San Francisco (842,027). Bakersfield was ninth with a population of 419,238.

Hanford and Tulare were among the fastest-growing cities with populations over 30,000, with increases of 2.3% and 2.0%, respectively.

Fresno County’s Huron and Firebaugh both made the top 10 for multi-family housing unit growth. Huron was fifth with a 13.73% growth, while Firebaugh was 10th at 9.81%.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/central-valley-cities-counties-lead-california-in-population-and-housing-growth/?mc_cid=47909cbf57&fbclid=IwY2xjawKTUdFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFEQ3p6WXB5U0x2VE9JRmJVAR5UGJn3VvA_zQujEXiTcHxmxrnhKlT4jDsRAXdIOdDSASYekJGLLSlm-KMdwA_aem_XiAjxnVejOjnVtlzoOyBrA

By Faughn Energy • Hi-Tech 0 Comments

Championing the Transition to Clean Energy

Mechanical engineering Professor Ricardo Pinto de Castro has turned a penchant for systems-level thinking and a longtime love of cars into a climate-resilient research mission. From electric vehicles (EVs) traversing San Francisco’s busiest streets to electric appliances such as induction stovetops and heat pumps becoming ubiquitous in homes, modern American society is transitioning away from fossil fuels to electric power from renewable energy sources, with climate change motivating even more rapid advancement.

De Castro, who also is a principal investigator at the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society and the Banatao Institute (CITRIS), has been interested in exploring how people adopt new technologies from his earliest days as a researcher.

“In undergrad, I really enjoyed opening a book and reading it from start to end,” said de Castro. “I am always driven to learn why things work the way they do. If you are in academia, you have to be a curious person, because the ‘why’ question is very important.”

De Castro holds three patents and has worked on projects ranging from electric tractors to robotic vehicles. Since joining the UC Merced faculty in 2021, de Castro has led a lab that combines power conversion with advanced control and optimization methods to achieve efficient, durable and reliable energy storage in electric and robotic vehicles. His team also explores the automation of vehicles, emphasizing safe motion planning and resilient control systems. And he advises the Bobcat Racing EV team that is designing and constructing a formula-style race car to compete in the Formula SAE competitions.

https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2025/championing-transition-clean-energy

By Faughn Food Processing • New Developments 0 Comments

Local pistachio growers plan expansion | John Lindt

Central Valley pistachio growers, including a number from Kings County, are moving to expand their processing capacity this year. One big player in this group is Setton Pistachios with their main processing headquarters in Terra Bella. The company has now purchased the former Touchstone Pistachio plant owned by the Assemi Group also in Terra Bella. The purchase was through the bankruptcy process that has now been completed says Setton Pistachios general manager Lee Cohen. The facility is the former Aro Pistachio plant just a few miles from Setton.

“We are planning to operate the plant this fall” in time for the harvest of 2025, states Cohen. The facility is small by Setton standards — they are the No. 2 pistachio grower in the US,  producing about 125,000,000 pounds of pistachios annually. That number is growing not only with this new local facility but a new Yolo County plant.

The collapse of the Assemi empire not only provided an opportunity for Setton to again expand their processing capacity, it also likely has motivated other smaller pistachio growers to think about expansion at this time. Another key factor is the growing popularity of pistachios, particularly new food uses for the popular snack nut as well as new research indicating the health benefits of pistachios. Helping to bolster demand for pistachios is a new food product called Dubai chocolate — a bar that contains filling made with pistachios. The product was promoted by social media influencers, especially on TikTok, and has spread like wildfire to other companies offering a similar products. The product is now a hot seller on Amazon and on the shelves at Costco and at the ice cream parlors of Baskin Robbins.

NPR reported last fall that the internet had “gone bananas” for Dubai chocolate. The chocolate bars are like a KitKat bar stuffed with pistachio nuts and aromatic pistachio nougat, says NPR. On the health front, new research says the snack nut provides a measurable source of lutein, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect your eyes. Pistachios are the only nut that provides a source of lutein.

Cohen says this fall’s pistachio crop looks smaller than previously thought, likely to come in at 1.5 to 1.6 billion pounds offering good quality on about 25,000 new bearing acres to harvest. The predictions are for the pistachio crop in California to grow typically most years, having reached the 1 billion pound mark in 2020 and perhaps a doubling by 2030 over today’s numbers.

Also looking to boost their production, at least three pistachio growers and processors in Kings County are indicating expansion plans.

Those include a new company, Golden Harvest Pistachios, who is converting a walnut operation to the pistachio nut project — filed with the county. The new plant is at 14662 Seventh Ave., Hanford, says the Kings Planning Department. Applicant Nader Malakan plans a dry hulling and peeling system at Golden Harvest Pistachio. The company plans to construct an 8,000 square foot warehouse, 21 silos covering approximately 64,537 square feet, catwalks, and additional parking.

In the past week two more projects were announced

California Pistachios has filed a plan with Kings County as well near Kettleman City. The company is proposing to expand an existing pistachio processing facility in two phases. Phase 1 includes a new 72,000 square foot processing building and truck dock, two shaker decks, two silos, two cat walks, two silo feed conveyors and three  EV charging stations. Phase 2 includes the installation of 22 additional silos for a total of 24 silos. The existing pistachio processing facility is located at 30650 Quebec Avenue.

Nichols Farms wants to enlarge capacity as well. A proposal to expand an existing pistachio plant located at 13868 First Avenue, Hanford, Assessor’s Parcel Number 016-230-036 in two phases. Phase 1 includes the installation of two silo dryers, two harvest receiving pits, five harvest dryers, six silos, one  12,000 square foot processing building, one product receiving pit and four  aspirators. Phase 2 includes the installation of nine additional silos for a total of 15 silos.

The family-owned farm is already a major player in the Kings County pistachio industry. They have a one-megawatt solar facility on First Avenue that powers their processing plant.

Between these three Kings processors they plan to add some 60 new massive silos, a good measurement to gauge what growers expect to store and ship in the near future. Pistachios must be hauled and dried quickly after the harvest, and then stored in the big silos.

Other pistachio processors in the two county region include Keenan Farms in Kettleman City, Horizon Nut in Tulare and Wonderful Pistachios in Lost Hills, the largest of all the pistachio growers. Many of the workers who work at the Lost Hills farms live in Avenal in King County.

https://hanfordsentinel.com/business/agriculture/local-pistachio-growers-plan-expansion-john-lindt/article_b25d768e-36f7-413c-8863-b594e3757a7a.html

By Faughn Economy • Education • Food Processing • Top Stories 0 Comments

‘Overnight success that has taken 30 years’: Wonderful’s Resnick jokes with audience at Shafter ribbon-cutting

His success in business is evident across the southern Central Valley, in sprawling ag fields and in a large distribution hub in Shafter. But it’s not often Stewart Resnick is seen at large events in Kern County. Late Thursday morning, though, the co-owner of Los Angeles-based The Wonderful Co. walked up, stood before an audience of more than 200 people just north of 7th Standard Road and took a moment to adjust the microphone downward. Then he opened with a joke.

Resnick, diminutive in a blue button-down, long-sleeve shirt and jeans, said normally when he comes to such events people look around and say, “You’re Stewart Resnick?”

“I say, ‘I used to be 6 foot 4. My competition came and beat me into the ground,'” he said.

He’s humble, folks. Even when surrounded by dignitaries celebrating another one of his company’s large investments in the local economy. Resnick had come to join them to mark the opening of Wonderful’s new Amenities Center, a gleaming new complex with a tech training center, office building and subsidized restaurant with an urgent care center still to come. The center serves as the welcoming heart of the Wonderful Logistics Center, which the company proposes to almost double in the years to come. If the City Council approves, the company hopes also to build thousands of new homes for workers and their families.

Resnick called the already large development “one of our most ambitious projects,” a state-of-the-art facility populated by Fortune 500 companies on land where three decades ago there were only orchards.

“This is an overnight success that has taken 30 years,” he quipped after thanking those in attendance for sharing the day.

“Now let’s go show the world what Shafter and the Central Valley can do!” he said in closing.

Wonderful has already had a big impact on farming communities in the valley portion of Kern County, especially in Lost Hills and Delano, where in addition to being a major employer, the company has opened charter academies, wellness centers and more. Shafter is the next big focus. If Wonderful moves forward with an expansion of the distribution-center hub, the logistics center’s employment base is expected to expand over time from about 13,000 to 50,000. Housing units the company proposes to build would expand Shafter’s population by about 40%. The Amenities Center is sort of a precursor to those developments. Its training center works in partnership with Amazon and Bakersfield College to introduce job-seekers to tech-oriented warehouse jobs. The office building boasts numerous art pieces, and the restaurant serves healthy meals at relatively low prices.

Thursday’s gathering drew representatives of many of Kern’s most prominent business, government and educational organizations, many of whom accepted offers to tour the new buildings. Resnick’s humility was matched by that of invited speaker Supervisor David Couch, who said he was coming from a local government perspective when he told the audience, “We can’t do anything, and I mean anything, until you all make something, provide a service.”

“The revenue that local government gets comes because you all come to work every day,” Couch said. “It all starts because somebody … took the risk to invest their money in this community.”

Shafter Mayor Chad Givens was up next. He said the city prides itself on how business operates in Shafter and how it is able to move in operators as fast as possible.

“We’re a very business friendly city and we’re thankful for that,” he said before expressing gratitude to Wonderful for its work in the city.

Former City Manager John Guinn, now Wonderful Real Estate’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, told the crowd Resnick and his wife, Lynda Resnick, have shown their commitment to the families of the Central Valley. In his experience, they want nothing more than for the region to become a strong, vibrant place to live.

“Everything they talk about, they actually do,” he said. “That’s uncommon.”

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/overnight-success-that-has-taken-30-years-wonderfuls-resnick-jokes-with-audience-at-shafter-ribbon/article_69e65582-0b2f-4266-bec6-8130c9954d6e.html

By Faughn New Developments • Tourism • Workforce 0 Comments

A big supermarket is coming to Madera. Can it spur a Highway 41 retail surge?

A 40,000-square-foot supermarket is coming to the Riverstone community, marking a long-awaited arrival of a grocery store to serve the growing neighborhoods of southeast Madera County. The Sacramento-based grocer has announced plans to build a Raley’s O-N-E (“organics, nutrition, education”) store as part of a 61,000-square-foot expansion of retail space at Riverstone’s Riverwalk shopping center at Avenue 12 and Highway 41. Riverwalk already features several storefronts and is planned as the future home of a Riley’s Brewing Co. project that will add another restaurant, brewery, taproom and farmers market event center. But the arrival of a supermarket means residents of Riverstone, Tesoro Viejo and other Highway 41 neighborhoods will no longer have to travel elsewhere for groceries. “This new store won’t just serve our residents — it will become a destination for the surrounding region, offering convenient access to healthy, fresh food and a shopping experience that reflects the values and lifestyle we’re building here in Riverstone,” Tim Jones, the community’s developer, said in a news release Tuesday.

This Raley’s would be the second in Madera County. According to the company’s announcement, the Riverstone location will “include an extensive selection of fresh prepared foods, natural and organic products, locally sourced produce, and a café.” Construction is expected to begin early next year and the store could open in 2027. Raley’s a ‘catalyst’ for retail?

The coming construction of a supermarket as a retail anchor for Riverwalk also represents a significant step toward a future where enough new storefront pop up to fill residents’ needs along the Highway 41 corridor. The area, which has experienced a housing boom since Riverstone began selling homes in 2017, is home to several large commercial centers in the planning stages. In Tesoro Viejo, developers plan to offer 3 million square feet of non-residential space for businesses. To the south, Valley Children’s Hospital plans to build “The Hill,” a mixed-use development that will include 30 stores on 443 acres of its property near the San Joaquin River. At full-buildout, Riverstone’s Riverwalk would be a 1 million-square-foot retail-focused development.

District 1 Madera County Supervisor Jordan Wamhoff said the arrival of Raley’s represents a “huge boon” for the area. “This store is going to serve as a catalyst for other development in that area,” he said in a statement. “It’s going to open up a new wave of retail, commercial shopping centers.”

Kristina Gallagher, executive director of the Madera County Economic Development Commission, said in a Wednesday phone interview that multiple businesses are going through the process of completing letters of intent to lease space at Riverwalk. But for now, the names of those businesses have to remain confidential, she said. “We’re looking at all kinds of options,” she said. Riley’s Brewing Co. still coming to Riverstone, owner says Riley’s Brewing Co. is still planning on building a brewery, restaurant and a 12,000-plus square-foot taproom and farmers market event center in the Riverstone shopping center. The company’s owner, Dan Riley, first announced the brewery’s Riverstone plans in 2023, describing the project as a “beer garden … designed to be kind of the local hangout.” But the year before the announcement, a fire had destroyed the brewery’s main facility in Madera. Since then, the brewery has opened a taphouse in Selma, but Riley said he is still waiting for banking approval for the planned Riverstone location. “Things have been a little bit slow with the economy and the fire we had, but we’re still moving forward,” he said. Riley said the arrival of the Raley’s supermarket will provide some assurance to shop-owners that business will be strong at Riverstone. “I always believe one plus one is three,” he said. “The more things for people to do there, the better.”

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article306908471.html