Everybody’s business

Bank on it
Golden Valley Bank has succeeding in raising its goal of $11.7 million—and then some—and has closed its stock offerings.

Mark Francis is president of the new Chico-based bank, which was established by a group of 28 organizers, who got the go-ahead from federal regulators in December 2005.

Here’s a list of the bank’s Board of Directors; some real local movers and shakers: the aforementioned Francis, Dan Cargile, Scott Chalmers, Marilyn Everett, Ken Grossman, Doug Gullion, Robert Harp, Don Hubbard, W. Howard Isom, Gary Katz, Syl Lucena, Brian Sweeney, Audrey Tennis and Don Wallrich.

The bank will open at 190 Cohasset Road in a few months.

Good PR
New Urban Builders, the developers of the Meriam Park project, has engaged the public relations services of the Linscheid Company.

Meriam Park is the traditional neighborhood development planned for land near 20th Street and Bruce Road. It will include a variety of styles of residences, along with features such as retail, parks and even a ball park within walking distance. In 10 to 12 years, 5,000 people could be living there.

The Linscheid Company will provide outreach and promotions services, and it’s working already because you’re reading this.

Put some ‘Cats in your life
Chico State’s Associated Students have found someone to run the yet-to-be-built Wildcat Activity Center.

It’s Rick Scott, who has been directing Adventure Outings, another A.S. program at the university.

The $60 million student fee-funded center will replace a warehouse on Cherry Street with a 110,000-square-foot complex including weight rooms, basketball courts, a pool and other amenities designed to attract students and keep them healthy. It’s supposed to be done by fall 2008.

Picture this
I went to the Chico Mall last week to check out the final days of Gap Kids/Baby Gap. It was my first time there since “the incident” over a month ago in which I stormed out of The Picture People making the “talk to the hand” sign like someone off of Jerry Springer. I never make a scene like that; it was pretty embarrassing.

I had a coupon for a free 8-by-10, so we got our son’s picture taken a couple of days before it expired. I asked if it mattered when we picked it up (because I usually choose my favorite online) and they said no. But when I came back a few days later, they wouldn’t honor the coupon because it had expired by then.

Later, I called the corporate number, but they said the same thing. “The computer” wouldn’t have let them override it even if I had been sweet as sugar, said the guy, who agreed to give me the address of CEO “Charlie Manson” (he was wrong; it’s “Mason.”), but said he “probably wouldn’t care.”

So, word to the wise: If you want to use a Picture People coupon, the entire transaction, not just the sitting, has to be completed by the expiration date. Go figure.