By Faughn Economy 0 Comments

‘Future is bright’ according to 2026 State of Tulare County address

Tulare County leaders highlighted steady financial growth, modernization efforts and major investments in infrastructure, public safety and health services during the county’s 2026 State of the County address.

In her speech, Board of Supervisors Chair Amy Shuklian praised the commitment and dedication of her colleagues on the board and those who work closely with them, as well as county department heads and staff.

“I am confident that because of your leadership and commitment, the county’s future is bright,” she said. “While the state of California faces an uncertain future, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors remains committed to disciplined and responsible budgeting.”

The county’s net assessed roll (total taxable property value) grew by 6% over the year, adding $3 billion and bringing the total to nearly $53 billion, according to Shuklian.

She went on to tout the accomplishments of in 2025 and preview what residents can look forward to in 2026.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/future-is-bright-according-to-2026-state-of-tulare-county-address/ar-AA1XzRgV?ocid=BingNewsSerp

By Faughn Quality of Life • Tourism 0 Comments

Oakhurst Recognized Among Best U.S. Cities For Traveler Hospitality in 2026

OAKHURST, CA – The mountain community of Oakhurst has earned national recognition for its welcoming atmosphere, being named one of the Best Cities for Traveler Hospitality in the United States for 2026 by Booking.com, according to results released earlier this month.

The recognition comes as part of Booking.com’s 14th annual Traveler Review Awards, announced February 4, 2026. The awards are based on more than 370 million verified traveler reviews worldwide and highlight accommodation and transportation partners that consistently deliver high-quality guest experiences.

Oakhurst was included on the list of top U.S. cities alongside Fredericksburg, Texas, which ranked first overall, followed by Palm Desert, California; Cape May, New Jersey; Broken Bow, Oklahoma; Waikoloa, Hawaii; Bryson City, North Carolina; and Snowmass Village, Colorado. The cities recognized represent a wide range of travel experiences, from coastal destinations and desert retreats to mountain towns and tropical getaways.

According to Booking.com, the rankings are determined by the share of accommodation partners within each city who received a 2026 Traveler Review Award, relative to the total number of eligible properties. To qualify, accommodations were required to maintain an average review score of 8.0 or higher out of 10, based on at least three guest reviews as of November 30, 2025. Destinations also needed to meet minimum thresholds for award recipients and were curated to ensure geographic diversity.

“Our U.S. partners offer travelers a wide range of stays, transportation options, and experiences, with something special for every kind of trip,” said Ben Harrell, Managing Director for the United States at Booking.com. “Recognition for places like Fredericksburg, Palm Desert, and Cape May reflects the care and consistency our partners bring to every stay.”

For Oakhurst, the designation highlights the community’s long-standing role as a primary gateway to Yosemite National Park, as well as its reputation for locally owned lodging, vacation rentals, and visitor services that cater to travelers year-round. Located along Highway 41, Oakhurst serves as a base for visitors exploring Yosemite, the Sierra National Forest, Bass Lake, and surrounding foothill communities.

The recognition also reflects broader trends in traveler preferences. Booking.com reported that vacation homes were the most awarded accommodation type in the United States in 2026, followed closely by hotels and apartments. Globally, apartments remained the most recognized lodging type for the ninth consecutive year,

while camping sites, villas, and traditional Japanese ryokans experienced notable year-over-year growth in award recipients. These trends suggest travelers are increasingly drawn to distinctive stays that provide an authentic sense of place.

Transportation providers were also recognized as part of the Traveler Review Awards. In the U.S., rental car companies led the industry in the number of award-winning partners, followed by providers in the United Kingdom and Spain. Worldwide, the number of recognized rental car partners increased by 49 percent compared to 2025, while airport transfer providers saw an 11 percent year-over-year increase. Booking.com noted that these gains highlight the growing importance of seamless transportation as part of the overall travel experience.

In addition to the U.S. rankings, Fredericksburg, Texas, also appeared on Booking.com’s list of the Best Cities for Traveler Hospitality on Earth in 2026, placing the Texas city among international destinations in Italy, Taiwan, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Namibia, Japan, Australia, and Lithuania.

Only travelers who booked accommodations, rental cars, or taxi services through Booking.com are eligible to leave reviews, ensuring that all feedback is based on verified experiences. The company states that reviews are published without edits or adjustments, offering prospective travelers an authentic account of service quality at destinations around the world.

As tourism continues to play a vital role in the local economy, Oakhurst’s inclusion among the nation’s most hospitable cities underscores the collective efforts of area lodging providers and hospitality partners. The recognition places the Yosemite-area community on a national stage, alongside destinations known for consistently positive visitor experiences, and reinforces Oakhurst’s reputation as a welcoming entry point to one of the country’s most iconic national parks.

https://sierranewsonline.com/oakhurst-recognized-among-best-u-s-cities-for-traveler-hospitality-in-2026/?mc_cid=b328e9699f

By Faughn New Location 0 Comments

Large industrial park proposed on east side of Highway 99 north of 7th Standard Road

A distribution hub being proposed on the east side of Highway 99 north of Bakersfield would press 739 acres of table grape vineyards into service extending Kern County’s industrial real estate momentum.

The project by Beverly Hills-based Malibu Vineyards LP is expected to go before the county Planning Commission this spring, and from there to the Board of Supervisors, before starting construction as soon as next year.

If built out as planned, the center would put 8.9 million square feet of warehousing and distribution buildings about three miles north of 7th Standard Road in a vicinity with no such land uses.

Hopes are that the development would attract additional retailers to Kern as similar projects in the Inland Valley fill up and would-be tenants hunt for less crowded, cheaper alternatives within a reasonable driving distance from seaports in Southern California.

Local industrial specialist Wayne Kress, who was familiar with the project but does not represent the owner, said the space is needed because interest in Kern is accelerating.

“They’re coming, so it’s a matter of how we plan for them. We don’t want to just randomize the area,” said Kress, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield in Bakersfield.

The property is owned by longtime table grape grower Steven Gilfenbain, who has hired a consultant to lead the development through an entitlement process that includes zoning changes, county General Plan amendments and an environmental review.

Consultant Justin Murray said Monday that Gilfenbain, former CEO of Grapeman Farms, wants to convert the property to industrial use in light of challenges related to irrigation water scarcity, difficult grape market conditions “and given how industrial use in that area is kind of coming toward the property.”

Indeed it is: The Wonderful Co. has found success developing a large logistics center in nearby Shafter that it plans to expand substantially. Meanwhile, Amazon is operating a massive distribution facility in Oildale, and Tejon Ranch Co. continues to build out its own industrial hub at the foot of the Grapevine.

The idea is for Malibu Vineyards to partner with a developer or sell parts of the property once it’s been fully entitled, Murray explained. He noted the project and its potentially two dozen buildings have a 20-year horizon.

“We could hit a stride and get people signed up to develop the site very quickly,” Murray said. “But I wouldn’t think that we’d build those 20 right away.” He added the project dates back to 2019.

He added that work lately has focused on how to cushion the project’s impact on local air quality.

The project was expected to face a final vote by the Board of Supervisors on March 24. But Director Craig Murphy of the county Planning and Natural Resources Department said hitting that date looks unlikely because his staff is still preparing responses to public comments on the proposal. His guess Monday was that the board won’t get a chance to vote on the project until April or May.

Public reception of the proposal has been similar to that of other land-use projects, Murphy said, adding that, “in general, I think it’s a good location for a project.”

“It’s just a question of making sure we’ve gone through our analysis properly, we’ve answered the questions that get brought up,” he said.

Kress agreed the location “seems to make sense. We’re in the path of growth.”

He estimated that, if approved, the project’s first tenants might not move in for perhaps five years. Before that can happen, roads, curbs and gutters need to be built.

The project’s execution stage will be critical, Kress said, because success requires a competent team of professionals to carry out the vision.

It could be that the project would fill up with just 10 or fewer large tenants rather than 24, he said. Either way, the development would go head-to-head with other distribution centers around the county.

“Next question is, will (Gilfenbain) be viable to compete?” Kress asked.

https://www.bakersfield.com/news/large-industrial-park-proposed-on-east-side-of-highway-99-north-of-7th-standard-road/article_08665da8-5d35-433a-b582-1ee6cb7b4fe6.html

By Faughn Economy 0 Comments

Ownership Culture: How ESOPs are helping Valley businesses attract, keep top talent

The competition for skilled employees has pushed employers to rethink what they offer. Health benefits, paid time off and flexible schedules have become table stakes. Increasingly, what separates a company that retains its best people from one that watches them walk out the door is something more fundamental: a stake in the business itself.

That shift is driving renewed interest in employee stock ownership plans, or ESOPs — a retirement and ownership structure that allows employees to accumulate company stock over time. For business owners in the San Joaquin Valley, ESOPs are emerging not just as a succession planning vehicle, but as a strategic tool for workforce development and long-term competitiveness.

What is an ESOP?

An ESOP is a qualified contribution plan — structured as a stock bonus plan or a combined stock bonus and money purchase plan — in which a company sets aside shares for employee benefit. Employer stock is purchased and allocated to individual participant accounts. When employees retire or leave, they can receive their distribution in cash or shares, which are then sold back to the ESOP.

Plans generally take one of two forms. In a nonleveraged ESOP, the employer contributes cash directly to the plan, which uses it to purchase company stock. In a leveraged ESOP, the plan borrows funds from a bank or other lender, with the employer guaranteeing the loan or committing to pay dividends, make contributions or both.

The scale of ESOP adoption nationally reflects growing employer interest. According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, 309 new ESOPs were reported in 2023 — the most recent year for which data is available — adding 55,663 active participants. In total, 6,609 plans were identified as ESOPs in the United States, holding total assets of over $2 trillion.

Local momentum

The Valley’s business community has not been slow to take notice. Local companies operating under ESOP structures include Geil Enterprises, Horn Photo, Span Construction, engineering firm 4Creeks, FFB Bank, Teter Architects, and Swinerton Inc.

The most recent addition to that list is Milano Restaurants International, the Fresno-based parent company of Me-n-Ed’s Pizzeria, Me-n’-Ed’s Victory Grill, Blast & Brew, and Piazza del Pane. In late February, the company announced a newly established ESOP that enables employees to earn shares of company stock over time as tax-deferred retirement wealth.

“This structure will only make the Company even more efficient, innovative and responsive to meet our customers’ needs,” said CEO John Ferdinandi. “This is about more than ownership; it’s about creating a culture where every team member feels invested in our shared future.”

A changing workforce calculus

Deborah Nankivell, CEO of the Fresno Stewardship Foundation — a nonprofit with a mission to promote inclusive prosperity and wellbeing in the San Joaquin for present and future generations — sees the ESOP trend as part of a broader shift in how employers must think about talent.

“People are starting to realize if you do human development intentionally, more people will stay with you,” Nankivell said. “Even if they leave, it adds to the talent pool in your community, which also benefits you.”

Nankivell notes that each generation brings different strengths and expectations to the workplace, and younger workers in particular are looking for partnership, life-work balance and a sense that their contributions matter beyond a paycheck. She has also observed a broader diversification of the regional economy, with workers increasingly motivated to add value to the communities where they live — not just the companies that employ them.

Younger employees, she adds, are skeptical of the economic models that defined prior generations of business leadership. “For them and in business schools it’s all about the single bottom line and the shareholders,” Nankivell said. “How did that work out? People with a 401K or who want cheap consumer goods are happy, but people who want peace in the neighborhood — not so much.”

For entrepreneurs who want a profitable business that also adds value to the community, Nankivell argues the logic of ESOP structures is compelling: when a business performs, the people who built that performance share in the reward.

What business owners should know

Nankivell acknowledges that the specifics of an ESOP structure will look different depending on the size and ownership model of the business — whether it’s a small independent, a family-owned enterprise or a larger corporate entity. The values and vision of the leadership team matter as much as the mechanics.

In her experience, business owners become more motivated to explore the ESOP model once they see it working elsewhere and begin asking, “what’s in it for me?” Some may not be aware of the opportunity at all until they watch one of their best employees leave for a company that already has one.

Her advice to owners considering the transition is to start by listening — to employees, to advisors and especially to other business owners who have already made the move.

“The old model of ‘top-down, don’t mess with me because I said so’ — that’s done,” Nankivell said. “Leaders need to be humble, they need to listen, learn, hold people accountable and at the same time accept that human beings need grace.”

The best information, she says, doesn’t come from a white paper or a consultant’s pitch deck. It comes from the people who have been through it. “The best information is not an idea, but experience from the people who have done it,” Nankivell said.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/ownership-culture-how-esops-are-helping-valley-businesses-attract-keep-top-talent/

By Faughn Economy • New Developments 0 Comments

Executives offer upbeat outlook during review of projects at Castle

While the future of High Speed Rail in Merced has been a topic of debate among leaders, supporters and critics in recent weeks, county officials and company executives are pointing to progress happening right now at an existing transportation hub for the region and beyond: the Castle Commerce Center. 

Corporate leaders of three major firms making investments at the former Air Force base flew in to take part in a “year-in-review” presentation to the Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. 

They spoke in glowing terms of Castle as a “mobility center” that’s taking part in groundbreaking automotive and hybrid aircraft testing, growing strategic investments at the airport, and placing railroad tracks into the ground — with more on the way — to expand an inland port project that’s already moving locally grown produce to faraway destinations by way of intermodal freight transportation. 

“Castle’s original mission was as a training field, and it supported national priorities,” said Brett Roubinek, president and CEO of Transportation Research Center. “Today, the legacy continues. It remains a training and proving ground, and it’s focused on the future of mobility. As advanced air mobility (AAM) and advanced ground mobility (AGM) converge, Castle has a unique advantage.”

AMM is a new concept of air transportation using electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to move people and cargo between places. AGM refers to smart cars with autonomous driving technology. 

The TRC company is closing in on five years at Castle, and Roubinek said they have conducted nearly 78,000 hours of testing on a 225-acre, custom-built urban landscape site. He said the company has 124 employees and supported 198 jobs in Merced County, and created an economic impact of $43.9 million for the region. The effort was boosted by a $6.5 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), as well as another $6.1 million invested by TRC and its clients. 

Next up, Rob Thrall, the senior vice president of business development for Patriot Rail, pointed to another CalSTA grant — this one to the tune of $49.6 million awarded to Merced County in 2023 to build out an “inland port” at Castle to support green energy initiatives and reduced truck traffic across the state. 

Thrall called it a “game changer.” 

“This is going to change transportation in Merced County,” he said, adding that his rail and freight operation at Castle is already partnering with the Port of Los Angeles and a growing number of Central Valley growers. 

He said the funding will provide critical infrastructure as they develop 203 acres of railpark, including 700,000 square feet of wherehouse space, and 85 acres of transload and laydown space. 

In 2024, Patriot Rail acquired Hydra Logistics for a 16-acre site at Castle for transloading and warehousing purposes. They’ve also constructed a dock facility with a portable ramp. Thrall said customers include agricultural companies such as Morningstar out of Los Banos, as well as the global firm Goodpack. He added that Patriot Rail has worked with the nearby BNSF Railroad to expand interchange service from two days to five days. 

Regarding Castle Airport, and one of the longest runways in the West, the co-owner of KT Aero spoke about his company’s role as a Fixed-Base Operatior (FBO), which provides essential services, such as fueling and line maintenance, to general aviation, private and corporate aircraft. 

“2025 has been a fantastic first year for KT Aero,” said co-owner Diego Duran. “We’ve had quite a bit of operational improvements, upgrades to our facilities, and we really took a look at our pricing strategy. We feel now that Castle is positioned as a professional asset to the community, and to the larger aviation community.”

The company has a staff of four employess who support daily airfield operations, including three full-time line servce technicians and one operations manager. Duran said they have made more than $250,000 of renovations and improvements, and even purchased a six-person golf cart for clients to drive throughout Castle and to the Air Museum that’s quite a walk from the airport terminal. He added that KT Aero has lowered fuel prices, improved customer service, and increased coordination between management, tenants, and visiting operators — all to attract to more air traffic to Castle, as well as bring positive attention to Merced County. 

Merced County Fire Chief Chris Trinidade was also invited to speak on growing Cal Fire operations at Castle.  

He talked about the onsite Cal Fire facility that is bringing in more than 1,200 trainees per year and making a significant local economic impact. The Cal Fire Mariposa-Madera-Merced Unit has also moved its administration to Castle, bringing with it some 30 to 40 onsite staff. The overall Cal Fire presence represents $50 million worth of investment and economic growth at Castle, he said. 

Trinidade added that bringing a Cal Fire air program to Castle remains a goal. “If I was king for a day with Cal Fire, and I could move around aircraft in this state, I’d be moving our C-130 program to Castle.”

Mark Mimms, the county’s community and economic development director, rounded out the presentation by taking note of Castle as a growing cultural and entertainment center. He said individual events held at the Commerce Center brought in some 40,000 visitors in 2025, including 20,000 that attended the Luke Bryan concert on the airport tarmac last May.   

He said 2026 will bring in the construction of a new administration office and warehouse for M-Mig construction, new testing grounds for autonomous planes, new investment from FFA for the airport, and the launching of a new Worknet site aimed at bringing employers and potential workers together through networking services, interview opportunities, and job fairs. 

Board Supervisors Lloyd Pareira, Scott Silveira and Josh Pedrozo singled out their colleague Supervisor Daron McDaniel for his leadership in making Castle a priority for investment and development. McDaniel represents District 3, which includes the Castle Commerce Center. He is also running for re-election to a fourth term in office. His opponent, candidate Luis Lara, has been critical about the pace and direction of development at Castle, particulary for the airport, and has called for making job-creation a priority. 

Supervisor Pareira recalled that when he first came to the board nine years ago, McDaniel was already “driving the converation” about Castle. 

“I’m on the ad-hoc committee with him, and it’s just been fun to watch this all develop,” Pareira said. “10 short years. Quite a bit has happened.” 

Supervisor Silveira said that he feels fortunate that investments made by the county over the past decade are now starting to pay off during his time on the board. However, the District 5 representative also said the county needs to take the momentum and create a renewed focus on economic development “for the rest of the county.” 

“There are things out on the West Side. There’s things out in the Planada and Le Grand area. … Now that Castle’s kind of standing up on its own, growing up. It’s in its teenage years. It’s not a toddler anymore. We’re able to take that effort throughout our community, and the economic development department can focus on those areas.”

Supervisor McDaniel was the last to comment, and he gave a lengthy an upbeat description of the progress of Castle since he started on the board in 2015.  

“I said, ‘Let’s be the best in the world at what we’re currently doing.’ And that was our goal from that point forward. And we saw opportunities grow from there.”

Including at the airport, he added. 

“Let’s understand, the airfield had always been our focus. And we always wanted to grow the airfield. And it was a struggle because we had all these grand ideas to grow the airfield for everything else. But every study we did, and everybody we talked to, they kept putting up barriers. But we continue to work towards it. And I think we’re finding our niche.”

https://mercedcountytimes.com/executives-offer-upbeat-outlook-during-review-of-projects-at-castle/