May 28,2015
NPS Solicits Concessionaire For Sequoia
The National Park Service is seeking a 10-year contract for a concessionaire to operate commercial visitor services in Sequoia National Park. Offers are due by September. More people appear to be visiting Sequoia making the bid attractive and also good news for the park’s gateway cities.
From the solicitation figures revenue has grown from $9.1 million in 2012 to $9.4m in 2013 and up $10.4m in 2014 – over 10% jump. The operator would pay 3.8% to the government. The current operator is Delaware North who also has the Kings Canyon and Yosemite contracts.
The soliciting for proposals is in response to a business opportunity to operate lodging, food and beverage, retail service, and other related services at Lodgepole Village, Wuksachi Village, and Bearpaw High Sierra Camp within Sequoia National Park.The new operator will be required to build a dining deck off the Wuksachi restaurant at the cost of around $500,000.
Visalia Makes Top Ten Metro Areas For Logistics Labor
How do international distribution centers decide where to locate? One key factor is trained labor. Visalia made the top ten list of metro areas identified by Site Selection Group this Spring. Given recent developments in sophisticated automation systems, distribution centers now require more technical labor than in the past.
What cities have a strong pool of skilled labor? Site Selection Group identified metropolitan statistical areas with a population of more than 250,000 that have the highest concentration of industrial forklift operators, freight and stock laborers, and material movers.
While number one was Memphis – in California the Visalia metro area was the only metro area to make the list. Our metro area has over 7000 workers trained in logistics or 3.4% of the workforce, a high percentage of the labor pool.
Visalia Bank To Open Kingsburg Location
Suncrest Bank, 400 West Center Avenue, Visalia, California has filed an application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish a permanent branch to be located at 1580 Draper Street in Kingsburg.