Southern Cal Gas Company has always been a big supporter of the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and recently made a $2,500 contribution to the chamber to help with the costs of their entrepreneurial training. The money was used to sponsor a class currently being held in Shafter. The class will help potential business owners learn how to start a business and will help them complete a business plan to plan for the future growth of their company.

Southern California Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 140 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing safe and reliable energy to 20.3 million consumers through 5.7 million meters in more than 500 communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles in diverse terrain throughout Central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. The Gas Company is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company. More information is on the website at www.socalgas.com.

Representatives from Rabobank presented members of the chamber's Executive Board with a check for $5,000 at a luncheon held recently at the Bell Tower Club. The money will be used to continue the entrepreneurial training classes the chamber is presently hosting in Arvin, Delano and Shafter. The class is a 10-week course on "How to Start a Business and Write a Business Plan". Over 200 people have gone through the course and nearly half have started their own business. The course teaches entrepreneurs everything they need to know to get started in a small business. Guest speakers are brought in every week to talk about one aspect of a business – legal structure, marketing, payroll taxes that need to be paid, banking, etc.

The Community Action Partnership of Kern recently held a Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony to announce the opening of their newest state-of-the-art child care facility, the PETE H. PARRA CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER, located at 1825 Feliz Drive, Bakersfield.

The PETE H. PARRA CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER will serve 120 preschool children, and 32 infants/toddlers, ranging in age from 0-5 years of age. Under the direction of the Partnership’s Child Education and Development Services (CEDS) division, the PETE H. PARRA CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER will offer both full-day/full-year and part-day/part-year Head Start/Early Head Start program options.

On August 8, 2008 several members of the Board of Directors met with Ed Taylor, District Manager with Wells Fargo Bank, and Jesse Bonales, Vice President and Manager of the Downtown Wells Fargo Branch. The group met for lunch at the Bell Tower Club and Mr. Taylor presented the chamber with a check for $10,000

Wells Fargo is a full-service bank that provides excellent service and offers both personal and business checking and savings accounts, personal and business loans and creditlines, and investment accounts. The bank has been a strong supporter of the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for many years.

The contribution will be used to continue the chamber's entrepreneurial training programs and technical assistance to small business owners, and for operating expenses for the chamber.

Certification time for small businesses cut from 6 months to one day

As part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's promise to give California's small businesses and disabled veteran business enterprises (DVBEs) better access to the $9 billion annually in state contracts, Rosario Marin, Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency today introduced online certification for state contracting. This online process will dramatically reduce the time needed to certify small businesses and DVBEs for access to the bidding process. Previously, the process could take as long as six months. Now, it just takes one day for small businesses (SBs).

The Next Frontier of Television is Coming. Are Your Ready?

It’s called the “digital transition”, a dramatic overhaul of the nation’s over-the-air TV broadcasting system. The nation’s over-the-air local television stations are moving from an old system known as “analog” broadcasting to a new system known as “digital” broadcasting. The U.S. government has set midnight, at the end of February 17, 2009, as the time for this change.