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It's time for Cornfest! So strap on your cowboy boots and join the fun. The Brentwood Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its annual festival on July 7th from 5:00pm to 10:00pm, July 8th from 10:30am to 9:00pm, and July 9th from 10:30am to 6:00pm. The event will be held at Brentwood City Park, surrounded by Second Street from Liberty High School to Oak Street. General Admission is ten dollars for adults and five dollars for students and seniors who are 65 or older. Children under the age of five will get in free!

Each year, Cornfest draws thousands of people from the local and surrounding communities. If you are new to Brentwood or the local community, this is a great opportunity to meet wonderful families, new friends, and business owners. The festival will also be packed with attractions and activities for the whole family. There will be live music, a carnival, a car show, pony rides, arts and crafts, great food, local wines and microbrews, a kid's zone, Friday night fireworks, info alley, and plenty of corn!

This event showcases the City of Brentwood as one of the fastest growing communities in Contra Costa County. In fact, Brentwood has experienced population growth of 104.05 percent since 2000. As of 2009, Brentwood boasts a population of 48,448 people making it an excellent location for new businesses and families. Without the help of new local businesses like Fremont Bank, Cornfest would not be the successful event that it is. The Brentwood branch of Fremont Bank which is located in the Sand Creek Plaza across from the Sand Creek Business Center, Brentwood's office and retail hub!  These properties are affiliated with the Brentwood Business Center.

Other event sponsors include the City of Brentwood, Coca Cola, Bud Light, The Monthly Grapevine, Brentwood Press and Publishing, Mike's Auto Body, Black Bear Diner, Kohl's, and many more. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities for your business contact the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce.

You will not want to miss out on this wonderful event, the opportunity to meet your neighbors, and learn more about your local community!

Much has been recently written on the closings of a number of automobile dealerships throughout the United States, and in particular in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the closings has come much pain for all those associated with them, including customers, employees, owners, suppliers, and the like.

Having said this, a question that can be asked is whether or not there is any "silver lining" in this situation. At first blush, one might say what a ridiculous question. With customers having to relocate to different dealerships or find other places for service opportunities, with confusion as to warranty and other maintenance concerns, with traditional and ongoing relationships being severed, as well as a myriad of other related issues, it could be said that the thought of any sliver lining with these dealership closings is thoroughly ridiculous.

In general, a key element of any dealer-customer relationship is trust. This is particularly true when such a relationship relates to service aspect of a vehicle. The superiority of the servicing of vehicles can vary from dealership to dealership, and in those dealerships that have been closed that had superior trust relationships, such closings can be devastating to the customer.

But once again we return to the question of do these closings have any "silver linings." It can be argued that such closing may have the opportunity of unintended consequences of enhancing increased service capacity at a lower cost than was available prior to such closings. For example, dealer service labor rates are quite high in general. If a dealership closes and its service department closes as well, which is usually the case, where will their former customers service their vehicles?

We believe that as choice becomes a more prevalent issue for customers in a variety of industries, the same can hold true for vehicle service.  In this regard, we can see a whole new entrepreneurial output of service shops being spawned out of these recent dealership closings.  Such shops may well provide superior service and a lesser cost. In his book "The Long Tail," Chris Anderson asserts that the "future of business is selling less of more."  In this respect, what we might see is a number of very specialized vehicle service firms locating near one another and enhancing one another, thereby not trying to have a one-size-fits-all model when it comes to auto service.


For many, the American Dream is to be in business for oneself.  For those mechanics and service technicians that have been laid off as a consequence of dealership closings, some will certainly find work with other entities.  However, for those with high skills and training that they have gained at these dealerships, and for those with a desire to have their own business, it can be asserted that there has never been a better time to start their own business since such closings open the possibility to start a business in a growth field, in that Americans appear to be servicing their cars and owning them longer, rather than buying a new car every few years.

In the Oakland Tribune, Gilbert Zamora was quoted as saying that "GMAC is forcing a lot of dealers out of business."  The Wall Street Journal reported that the "National Automobile Dealer Association estimates the closings will add 6,800 people to unemployment." Or, for those who are trained mechanics, is this a time for a new entrepreneurial explosion?  For example, many dealerships are auctioning off equipment such as car lifts and other valuable and specialized repair tools at a fraction of their original value.  Accordingly, it is possible that those who have dreamed of opening their own business could do so now, particularly in the automotive service area.

One area where the closing of dealerships has proven to be helpful is at the Brentwood Business Center in the Northern California City of Brentwood.  This community is characterized by synergy among the many new automotive uses that are able to promote one another.  In one location, one finds a tune-up shop, a transmission shop, a car stereo facility, an accessories store, as well as a number of classic car restoration firms.  Each of these facilities feeds off of one another, and each is able to provide superior service at generally less than what would have been the case in a higher cost dealership situation.

At the Brentwood Business Center we offer many services to our tenants, but the one service mostly taken advantage of is our free custom website for our new tenants. Since we have helped so many businesses break through to the World Wide Web, we have decided to showcase their custom website here on our blog.

Got U Covered Custom Upholstery is located in the Brentwood Business Center at 570 Valdry Court # C7. They're committed to doing the finest quality custom work on furniture, automobiles, RV's, offroad vehicles, boat, and marine upholstery. Their custom furniture upholstery services allow you to choose from a large variety of fabrics from top designers. Trust only the experts when it comes to working with canvas and leather. Got U Covered custom upholstery provides the highest quality affordable upholstery in the San Francisco Bay Area and are the leaders in giving you customized services at competitive rates. Got U Covered only uses the finest quality materials available and pride themselves with the most professional service around!

Got U Covered is all about what the customer wants, whether it is a one of a kind custom theme, or restoring the original factory look, they believe nothing is impossible to create. With many different fabrics to choose from they are always up-to-date on trends and fashions. As masters of the trade they strive to complete work on time and with precision accuracy. From priceless antiques to your custom car, they take special care with everything.

The Got U Covered Custom Upholstery website was designed locally by JVF Consulting, LLC, the San Francisco Bay Area leader for custom built websites. With professional creativity coupled with clean designs, the foundation for Got U Covered Custom Upholstery to be a successful website has been built, and will truly withstand the test of time. The Got U Covered Custom Upholstery website can be found at www.gotucoveredcu.com.

As seen in the screenshot below, the website is clean and user-friendly which allows for easy access to their contact information. It displays all the different types of vehicles and mediums they can work on as well as an effective map for easy directions. Browse around the Got U Covered Custom Upholstery website and tell us what you think of the design. We would love to hear your feedback!

At the Brentwood Business Center we are focused on helping our tenants while providing quality service. We strive to offer the same great services to all new tenants at the BBC. We are the leaders when it comes to giving you customized services at competitive rates. To see what spaces are currently available visit our available spaces page!

Be sure to mention our free website design offer to your business partners. To view the offer at anytime just visit the Brentwood Business Center website and click on our tenant services page to see for yourself.

Too many new business owners become so excited about launching their new business that they fail to invest the necessary time into finding the right location. Remember that your company's image and its location are closely tied, so finding the right place to set up shop is critical to your success.

The Brentwood Business Center is the East Bay's finest offering of a comprehensively planned and architecturally thematic business park. The BBC provides distinctive warehouse and retail office properties in a landscaped environment. We have a variety of spaces available for immediate occupancy. From small offices and light industrial to warehouse, flex & automobile repair spaces, we are prepared for your immediate move in today!

Located on Valdry Court, one block from the intersection of Balfour Road and Highway 4. We have all types of spaces available for immediate occupancy. From small offices and light industrial to warehouse, flex & automobile repair spaces, we have it all! We also offer large warehouse spaces with 10′ truck doors in each unit. Located on one of the busiest commute arteries in and out of Brentwood, the BBC is the perfect location for your business! Please contact Nate Lorenzini anytime for more information at (925) 918-2861. We look forward to hearing from you.

*  Full Commission!
* 3 Months Free Rent!
* Brentwood's Auto and Industrial Hub
* Light industrial, warehouse and automotive
* Sizes from 1,200 to 16,500 SF
* Located on Valdry Court, one block south of Balfour Road and Highway 4 Intersection
* Spaces prepared for immediate occupancy
* Small offices, large warehouse and 10′ truck door in each unit
* On busiest commute artery in and out of Brentwood
* Parking : Available for each unit
* Adjacent to nearby restaurants, Holiday Inn Express, Ace Hardware and other retail services

To help assist our visitors find the best property to fit their needs the Brentwood Business Center has integrated LoopNet into their available spaces page located on their website. Now you can easily view all the available suites at the BBC while at the comfort of your own computer.

LoopNet is the leading online marketplace for real estate brokers, agents, buyers, and investors to sell and buy property. Founded in 1995, the company has grown to feature more than $408 billion in properties for sale and 3.2 billion square feet of space for lease. LoopNet is the ongoing result of the hard work of many employees and contractors.

Brentwood Business Center Offers a full range of professional office spaces ideal for retail, general office, medical, and research & development uses. These suites are all available and listed for lease on the LoopNet website, as well as being listed on the BBC available spaces page. Currently there are suites available as small as 100± square feet and as large as 15,000± square feet. With a comfortable campus style setting, Brentwood Business Center believes in offering more than just space.

The LoopNet integration could not have been possible without the help of JVF Consulting, LLC, the Bay Area leader in custom website design and content management systems. Allowing the real estate professionals at BBC to include the most updated information available for their real estate listings has significantly helped BBC enhance their online marketing capabilities. This new addition is already generating more business by integrating cutting-edge technology to provide visitors with the ability to lease listings. Allowing prospective buyers and tenants to easily understand a property's location and surroundings will keep your spaces leased.

By using LoopNet technology on the BBC website clients are better served. LoopNet streamlines your ability to effectively market listings and best serve your clients. The LoopNet platform allows real estate firms to significantly enhance their online marketing capabilities and ultimately generate more business.

This week at the Brentwood Business Center we would like to focus on another valued tenant of the BBC, DoneRight Automotive Repair. As you know the Brentwood Business Center offers many services to our tenants, but the one service mostly taken advantage of is our free custom website for our new tenants. In 2006 DoneRight Automotive broke through to the World Wide Web by taking advantage of our offer. By doing so their website has expanded their business as a whole. That is why we have decided to showcase them here on the BBC blog.

The DoneRight Automotive Repair website was designed locally by JVF Consulting, LLC, the San Francisco Bay Area leader for custom built websites. With professional creativity coupled with clean designs, the foundation for DoneRight Automotive to be a successful website has been built, and will truly withstand the test of time. The DoneRight Automotive Repair website can be found at www.donerightautomotiverepair.com.

As seen in the screenshot below, the website is clean and user-friendly which allows for easy access to their contact information. It shows the services they perform with an effective map for easy directions. Browse around the DoneRight Automotive Repair website and tell us what you think of the design. We would love to hear your feedback.

Helping our tenants while providing quality service is what we're known for, and we will continue to offer the same great services to all new tenants at the Brentwood Business Center. We are the leaders in giving you customized services at competitive rates. To see what spaces are currently available visit our available spaces page!

Be sure to mention our free website design offer to your business partners. To view the offer at anytime just visit the Brentwood Business Center website and click on our tenant services page to see for yourself.

At the Brentwood Business Center we offer many services to our tenants, but the one service mostly taken advantage of is our free custom website for our new tenants. Since we have helped so many businesses break through to the World Wide Web, we have decided to showcase them here on our blog.

The Brake Stop Auto Service website was designed locally by JVF Consulting, LLC, the San Francisco Bay Area leader for custom built websites. With professional creativity coupled with clean designs, the foundation for Brake Stop as successful website has been built, and will truly withstand the test of time. The Brake Stop Auto Service website can be found at http://www.brakestopautoservices.com.

As seen in the photo below, the website is user-friendly which allows for easy access to their contact information. Browse around the Brake Stop Auto Service website and tell us what you think of the design. We would love to hear your feedback.

Helping our tenants while providing quality service is what we're known for, and we will continue to offer the same great services to all new tenants at the Brentwood Business Center. We are the leaders in giving you customized services at competitive rates. To see what spaces are currently available visit our available spaces page!

Don't forget to mention our free website design offer to your business partners. View the offer anytime located on the Brentwood Business Center website. Just click on our tenant services page to see for yourself.

The Brentwood Business Center is at it again. We have been busy working with our tenant A Quality Heating & Air assisting them with the launch of their new website. As advertised on the Brentwood Business Center site, each of our tenants are eligible for a free custom three page site that will begin to promote their online presence. To read more about the tenant services the BBC has to offer, including the free website offer A Quality Heating & Air is taking advantage of, visit our tenant services page.

The web site which is being designed locally by JVF Consulting, LLC, the San Francisco Bay Area leader for custom designed websites can be found at the url www.aqualityheatingair.com.

After gaining 20 years of HVAC experience, professionalism and fantastic work ethics, A Quality Heating & Air, Inc. was founded in August 2008. Located in the Brentwood Business Center in Brentwood, CA, prospective customers can now find them on the World Wide Web thanks to JVF Consulting and the free website the BBC has offers their new tenants through their special offer

A Quality Heating & Air remains true to the cornerstone value that continues to fuel its success today; fast, friendly, and honest service. As the leading HVAC service provider in the community, A Quality Heating & Air is committed to helping their customers by not compromising the quality of their work. A Quality Heating & Air recognizes that its success is contingent upon the health and vitality of the community it serves, and they would like to thank the BBC for their continued efforts in the community.

At the Brentwood Business Center our highly trained personnel are constantly being reminded that this is a service business. In this case, the service we provide is the maintenance and administration of usable space and while providing effective communications and response. With excellent communication between the management and tenants, establishing and maintaining a positive tenant relation results in an effective business model. At the BBC we look forward to building more meaningful relations with our community partners, so if you're in the market for flex office space in the San Francisco East Bay, we're the place you have been looking for!

The deterioration of available financing is continuing to wreck havoc on the investment sales market in the fourth quarter of 2008, reports New York-based research firm Reis. Sales volumes fell by double digits compared with the fourth quarter of 2007 in office, retail, industrial, and commercial sectors, all while cap rates continued to rise.

This deterioration spells bad news for commercial property owners because it will limit their ability to sell assets to avoid defaults on near-term notes.

The research firm estimates there are more than $270 billion in commercial real estate loans coming due in 2009, but securing refinancing remains difficult. In the first quarter of 2009, close to 80% of senior loan officers surveyed by the Federal Reserve reported tightening standards for commercial mortgages.

Normally, asset sales can serve as an alternate route for owners unable to refinance. But with the investment sales market at a standstill, projections of the commercial real estate default rate will rise to 4.2% in 2009 and could hit 4.8% by 2012.

So far, the office sector seems to have suffered the most, with a huge drop in the number of sales transactions in the fourth quarter, and a decline in dollar transactions, when will it ever hit bottom?

Despite the economic difficulties our world currently faces, improving the economy should focus its energy on small businesses. At the Brentwood Business Center our tenants objectives are at the forefront of everything we do, resulting in a rewarding long term relationship. We understand that our tenant's real estate needs are ongoing and evolving especially in todays real estate market.

A surge in available office space is sweeping the San Francisco bay area. With new buildings continuing to spring up all over, they remain to stay empty. Filling these new offices leave without leaving huge vacancies in existing buildings stands to be a challenge. The question on the minds of many is whether tenant demand will be sufficient in the face of a sluggish economy.

What do you think the current tenant demand is for bay area office space? Presently, the market seems to be quiet in comparison to last year, which may be due to tenants renewing leases early or the lack of quality alternatives in the marketplace. We have noticed some larger tenants negotiating in the future market looking for a sweet deal, but for the most part its very quiet.

Looking at the existing office space market between now and 2010, new buildings are not being built as fast. While the total square feet of office space is not growing, the availability of existing office space is. Given the state of the economy, businesses are hesitant about expanding operations. While some businesses are still growing, expansion is almost at a standstill.

With the prediction of more layoffs a significant amount of space will be put on the market. Most of these spaces will be for sublease due to existing leases or contracts. As real estate professionals we realize that subleasing is sometimes a necessity in this economy. We are here to work with our tenants during hard times like this, we understand the subprime market issues and corporate downsizing. Our company is proud to offer services that others do not. With our many years of experience we are here to last through this grueling economy.