Switchback Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary
On Aug. 18, Switchback Public Relations + Marketing, Inc. celebrated its 10th Anniversary in collaboration with Truckee’s California Welcome Center grand opening (See page 16 for more on the Welcome Center). Switchback Public Relations is an innovative, full service public relations and marketing firm specializing in lifestyle, travel and tourism, real estate/development, sports/outdoors, food and beverage, healthcare, luxury services, and business-to-business accounts. switchbackpr.com.
Tahoe TV Moves To Channel 11
Tahoe TV’s innovative and informative daily television program, ‘Get Out! Reno-Tahoe,’ which debuted on Suddenlink in November 2008 on channel 66, has recently been moved to Channel 11 as part of Suddenlink’s channel reorganization.
Get Out! Reno-Tahoe, which airs daily from 7 to 9 a.m. throughout Truckee and North Tahoe, features current weather, events, activities, resort conditions and information from around the region. The program also airs on Charter Cable’s Channel 14 on the North Shore. All of Tahoe TV’s programming and content is also available online at tahoetopia.com. Info: Eric Brandt, 530-583-4206, eric@tahoetv.com.
Bodywise Massage Moves to Truckee
Polly McGehee of Bodywise Massage, which was located in Tahoe City for 16 years, is moving her practice to Truckee. She will be working at Cathy Taylor’s office, Active Family Chiropractic Center, starting Oct. 1. McGehee specializes in craniosacral work and has an eclectic style of healing/body work that has helped and healed many in this community over the past two decades. Info: 530-412-0774.
Airport General Manager Cleared for Takeoff
The Truckee Tahoe Airport Board of Directors regretfully announces that Dave Gotschall has submitted his resignation as general manager of the district. The board expresses its sincere gratitude for the outstanding accomplishments during his tenure. Some of the highlights include:
• Multiple property acquisitions, including the Waddle Ranch and Ponderosa Community Golf Course
• Creation of the Airport Community Advisory Team and ongoing development of innovative noise abatement opportunities
• 2009 award for ‘Exceptional Public Outreach’ among California’s special districts ‘The Truckee Tahoe Airport has become an exceptional General Aviation Airport under Dave’s direction and the board wishes him good luck in his future ventures and know he will find continued success,’ said Bill Quesnel, board president.
Airport District Wins State-Wide Competition
This month, the California Special District Association (CSDA) announced the Truckee Tahoe Airport District as the Exceptional Public Outreach Award winner for 2009, out of 15 state-wide entries.
The district’s 2009 community survey confirmed that its outreach has been successful. The survey showed that 54 percent have a favorable opinion of the TTAD, while only 8 percent are unfavorable. This contrasts with the 2005 survey, which showed 45 percent favorable and 24 percent unfavorable.
Info: truckeetahoeairport.com.
NLTRA Increases Marketing Grant to $30,000
This year, the NLTRA, along with the North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, will offer up to $30,000 in grants, compared to $10,000 last year, to provide marketing and promotional support to special events, projects and programs.
Grant awardees will also get to meet with marketing, special events and public relations staff members at the NLTRA, who will lend their expertise and provide resources on topics ranging from special-use permits to media plans.
The deadline to apply is October 9. Info: Kym Fabel, NLTRA manager, 530-581-8764 or kym@puretahoe-north.com. An application form can also be downloaded at northlaketahoechamber.com.
Forest Charter Has New Director
Forest Charter School is starting the 2009-2010 school year with a new director, Peter Sagebiel. The director earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon, and his Masters in Humanities and a teaching credential from Dominican University in San Rafael. With 11 years of experience in education, Sagebiel started as a high school English teacher in the Bay area and moved to Nevada County in 2002, where he currently lives with his wife, a fellow Forest Charter School educator, and his daughter who will start kindergarten at Forest this year. For the past four years, Sagebiel has worked as the Academic Dean at Forest Charter School during which time he has completed his Administrative Credential through National University. Info: Janice Eggers, 530-550-7205. The school is located at 11775 Pioneer Trail Ste. 101.
Hybrids Get Free Valet Parking at Resort at Squaw Creek
The Resort at Squaw Creeks is offering free valet parking to all guests utilizing hybrid vehicles through December 17, 2009. This is part of the Resort’s green program, Destination Earth, which has thus far implemented a series of over 100 measures to lessen the resort’s footprint on the planet. Info: 800-401-9501, visitsquawcreek.com.
K.B. Foster Hires Two North Tahoe Alumni
K.B. Foster Civil Engineering is pleased to announce the return of Brian Foster to the firm as vice president. Brian is a 1999 graduate of North Tahoe High School and received his degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California Berkeley School of Civil Engineering in 2003. He worked at Cunningham Engineering in Davis, Calif., where he was a project engineer.
As K.B. Foster’s vice president, Brian will be a project engineer, supervise and manage staff, and oversee residential, commercial and municipal projects.
Ryan Thomas, another North Tahoe grad, also joined the firm. He graduated magna cum laude from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo in 2007 with a degree in Civil Engineering. While at Cal Poly, he was a member of Chi Epsilon, a civil engineering honor society, and was also a student member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Ryan spent 19 months traveling through South America after earning his degree. Info: 530-546-3381, kbfoster.com.
TRPA Names Director of Regional Plan Update
Harmon Zuckerman, formerly the principal planner for Douglas County and member of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Advisory Planning Commission, has been named director of TRPA’s Regional Plan Update.
Zuckerman brings more than 14 years of professional planning experience to the newly created position. One of Zuckerman’s first tasks as Douglas County principal planner was to help complete the 20-year update of the county’s master plan. In 2008, Zuckerman authored Douglas County’s open space plan. He also wrote several groundbreaking ordinances, including a new zoning district that promotes traditional architecture and town development patterns and a new code section for agricultural land preservation that has already preserved more than 1,000 acres of ranchland.
TRPA Executive Director Joanne Marchetta said Zuckerman’s proven track record of innovation and groundbreaking planning initiative, as well as his familiarity with Tahoe’s unique challenges, position him well for the job.
