SVO shakes up image, honors business leaders
The Silicon Valley Organization — the artist formerly known as the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce — had its first big event with its new identity. And if the SVO wanted to shake up its vibe, it did a pretty good job with its new Members Celebration, which ditched tables and a banquet meal for couches, food stations and bars.
But as the crowd of more than 700 people — at least 100 were walk-ups, I’m told — mingled around the dimly-lit barroom at the San Jose Marriott, there was still a little business to conduct, namely the SVO’s annual awards.
Bert George, who owns Joseph George Fine Wines on Meridian Avenue, received the Distinguished Business Leader award for his work in support of nonprofits and community events throughout the valley. SVO CEO
Matt Mahood said George is always one of the first people to offer to help out, and there’s no way to count just how much wine he’s donated — or personally poured — at charity events.
“He’s just getting started, honestly. He’s not that old,” Mahood joked.
Other honorees included Blach CEO Mike Blach (Businessman of the Year); Orchard Supply Hardware’s Lara Lee (Businesswoman of the Year); Sushi
Confidential (Small Business of the Year); Bay Area Tutoring (Non-Profit of the Year); San Jose City Councilman Johnny
Khamis (Business Advocate of the Year); and Cosme Fagundo of silicon valley IDEA (Business Volunteer of the Year).
The SVO also inducted four new members into its Business Hall of Fame, which consists of valley businesses that have been around at least 50 years. This year’s class is B.T. Mancini, Western States Oil, the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, and KLIV/KRTY Radio. GOOD CHARACTERS: Thursday was a big night for the Silicon Valley/Monterey Bay Council of the Boy Scouts of America, which honored five Silicon Valley role models with its annual Character Awards at the Rotary Summit Center in downtown San Jose.
“This event honors leaders who represent the best in personal character,” said Jason
Stein, executive director of the local council. “As an organization, character development is one of our primary goals.” This year’s honorees were
Brad Baron, a financial adviser with RBC Management; Kelly
Dippel, a commercial real estate adviser with Coldwell Banker in Los Gatos; San Jose Unified School District Board President Pam Foley; DAL Properties Managing Principal Mark Lazzarini; and the Rev. Gerald Sakamoto of San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin.
COMING SOON: City Lights Theater Company supporters packed Mosaic, the restaurant at the downtown Four Points by Sheraton, on Wednesday in breathless anticipation of hearing what next season has to offer. City Lights Executive Artistic Director
Lisa Mallette didn’t disappoint, revealing a slate of six — well, actually five — shows centered around the theme, “Family Matters: Who Do You Think You Are?”
“We have all felt the push and pull between the families we choose versus the ones we’re born into,” Mallette said. “It’s an intriguing contrast that always makes great theater.”
Great theater, sure, but sometimes difficult titles to print in a newspaper. Such is the case with the opening show, “Stupid (Expletive) Bird,” a riff on Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” City Lights isn’t omitting the word, I am, and you can probably fill in the blank without much difficulty. The big question is, what will they put on their marquee, which is just down the street from Notre Dame High School? Heavens!
The rest of the season isn’t as challenging to print. The holiday work, “Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley” finishes out 2017, followed by the civil rights-era tale, “Alabama Story,” Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” and the summer musical “In the Heights,” whose creator, LinManuel Miranda, has gone on to some unprecedented heights of his own. A fifth show, before “In the Heights,” is still being figured out. For now, it’s officially TBA — and that’s no expletive. THOUGHTFUL WORDS: There’s still time to enter the “Saying Goodbye with Love” essay contest that’s being hosted by the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care. The competition is being held to raise community awareness on the importance of advance care planning. It is also meant to give the community a chance to share — in 1,000 words or less — their stories about saying farewell to loved ones with compassion.
The deadline to enter is April 30, and $2,500 in cash prizes will be awarded. The essays will be judged by Southern California World Journal chief editorialist Shyh Yaw Chen; Chinese award-winning authors Lily
Hseuh and Teresa Cheng; CACCC founder Sandy Chen
Stokes and my Mercury News colleague, Lisa Krieger, who was the author of the “Cost of Dying” series.
For details and a registration form, go to caccc-usa.org/essaycontest. PARTING THOUGHT: California’s Great America made a big announcement for Earth Day, and no, it wasn’t an environment-themed coaster. The Santa Clara theme park has partnered with Silicon Valley Power to cover 100 percent of its electricity use with renewable energy through Santa Clara Green Power. That means that the 100-acre park will be powered exclusively by wind energy. You’d think they could get all that wind just from the screams of people on the new Patriot coaster.