Cal Poly professor Brian P. Lawler – a writer, historian, photographer, typographer, entrepreneur and balloonist – has won this year’s Educator of the Year Award for Higher Education from the Electronic Document Systems Foundation.

The award is presented to academic professionals who are dedicated to the advancement of the industry through education and who have made significant contributions in the classroom with their students, in curriculum development and within the document management and graphic communications marketplace.

“The EDSF Awards Selection Committee had a difficult task this year. We were fortunate to have very strong submissions, worldwide. It is an honor to recognize you and your program,” Brenda Kai of EDSF noted in a letter to Lawler.

In June, a first time partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County and the San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Department allowed "Littles" and "Bigs" to better experience the nature at the Lake Lopez Recreation Area.

Rangers Glenn Simpson and Dan Chapman supplied camping equipment, fishing lessons, and an educational boat tour for over twenty Bigs and Littles.

Women from Central Coast Funds for Children (CCFC) recently toured the newly completed child abuse interview rooms in the offices of the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney.

The new interview rooms were purchased with a $10,000 grant received from CCFC. Assistant District Attorney Dan Hilford provided the history of the program. 

Traci Nix, child abuse interview specialist, shared how the new “person-friendly” rooms (equipped with advanced technology, special dolls, comfortable furnishings, natural lighting, toys, and books) make a difference to the children and dependent adults being interviewed.

CCFC volunteers raise funds to benefit children in need within SLO County through private funds and fundraising events supported by a generous community.

Jerry Michael, principal and leader of RRM Design Group’s Engineering Division, was recently elected as the president of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California.

Michael is a registered professional engineer in California, Arizona, and Hawaii and licensed land surveyor in California and Arizona who is multi-talented — both professionally and personally, according to RRM's website.

Whether he is providing engineering in the office, reviewing progress of projects in the field, or flying in his spare time, Michael’s sights are always set high.

The Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak recently named member Brian Conroy as the club’s Rotarian of the Year.

Conroy, a local architect and active community volunteer, received the coveted annual award in recognition for his tireless work behind the scenes in the club’s administration and at the weekly meetings.

He also played a key role in Rotary’s “Community Garden” project in Meadow Park, a collaborative effort recently completed by the three San Luis Obispo Rotary Clubs.      

Pacific Energy Company recently helped a local winery go a little greener by installing solar modules at the vineyard. 

With 252 made in California SolarWorld* 230 watt photovoltaic modules set in line with the vines – it appears to be "cells on the vine" at Cass Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles, California.

The modules feed DC power to a made in America Solectria inverter for interconnection to the utility grid. The MPM racking system was custom manufactured in New Mexico by Power Fab.

Sometimes the most painful part about going to the emergency room (ER) is the wait time. Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, a hospital in San Luis Obispo, Calif., recently introduced a new way for patients to find out ER wait times, before they ever leave the house.

Before heading to the ER, patients can now access the hospital’s website at www.SierraVistaRegional.com and check out the average door-to-bed wait time on the hospital’s homepage. Door-to-bed wait time is the average time a patient waits to be escorted to a bed from the time they arrive in the ER.

“We know that no one wants to wait to start feeling better," said Georgette Sabota, RN, Sierra Vista’s Emergency Department director. "Our nursing staff and physicians work hard to ensure that patients are treated as quickly as possible, and now, just how quickly we can do that is available for everyone to see."

Hathway Tech, one of the Central Coast’s leading web development firms, is relaunching its company with a new name, a new team, and new vision.

Hathway Tech has reinvented its site and company as Hathway, a comprehensive digital media agency.

"I am extremely proud of our accomplishments over the years," Jesse Dundon, CEO and founder of Hathway. "While the new company has a very similar name to our old company, we want to be clear that dropping the 'tech' from our name represents a paramount shift in our focus."

Last Friday, Hathway Tech relaunched its company as a digital media agency under the name Hathway. Its new website www.WeAreHathway.com showcases the talented new team of programmers, designers, consultants, and its impressive lineup of clients, including Expression College, UC Berkeley, and Pyramind, among many others.

By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and safety, French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™.

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission is the nation’s leading health care standards-setting organization.

Specially trained investigators assess whether hospitals, nursing homes and other health care organizations meet very prescribed and stringent standards.

FHMC earned the Gold Seal of Approval after the Joint Commission's on-site survey in April.

"Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization's performance and the outcomes of care," says Mark Pelletier, R.N., M.S., Executive Director, Hospital Programs, Accreditation and Certification Services, The Joint Commission. "The community should be proud that French Hospital is focusing on the most challenging goal -- to continuously raise quality and safety to higher levels."