The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce welcomed new member SLO Donut Company with a special ribbon cutting ceremony on Dec. 8.

The eclectic shop features some unusual donut creations, including the Bacon Maple Bar and the Cereal donut. The shop provides coffee from Joebella Coffee Roasters and a 24-hour Internet café – perfect for business professionals and college students alike.

“We have a daily contest on our Facebook page that gives people a chance to win a free donut,” said SLO Donuts Owner Jacob Pickering. “It’s just a really fun way to engage our customers.”

The first public workshop to discuss the proposed Palm Nipomo parking structure was held at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (formerly San Luis Obispo Art Center) on Wednesday evening, Oct. 20 and was attended by 37 interested stakeholders.

In addition to representation from the local neighborhoods, San Luis Obispo Little Theater, San Luis Obispo Downtown Association, Obispo Beautiful Association, Historical Society, and Art in Public Places were among the organizations represented. The Planning Commission, the Architectural Review Committee and the Cultural Heritage Committee also had members in attendance. Several journalists from the news media attended as well.

Thirty Cal Poly students joined local artists, a former mayor and ARTS Obispo for an in-depth exploration of Art in Public Places (APP) in downtown San Luis Obispo on Nov. 6. The APP tour is the first of four collaborative workshops offered by Cal Poly’s City & Regional Planning (CRP) Department in collaboration with ARTS Obispo’s Art in Public Places Committee.

Ann Ream, ARTS Obispo’s longtime APP committee chair, began the tour at ARTS Space Obispo in the SLO Creamery by explaining the history of Art in Public Places in SLO. Artists Sandra Kay Johnson, Carol Paulsen and Jim Jacobson gave personal perspectives on the APP process, their inspiration, and City involvement while on the walking tour.

Johnson spoke first as the students gathered around her Web of Life sculpture located along San Luis Creek not far from the SLO Children’s Museum. She explained that being able to touch Web of Life is both unique for a work of art, and essential to this work’s intention. Students were encouraged to gently push the giant bronze sculpted globe, spinning it to reveal three-dimensional creatures sculpted on its surface.

Hathway, one of San Luis Obispo's creative digital agencies that focuses on web development, graphic design and innovative marketing strategies, recently contributed to the Kid’s Cancer Research Foundation (KCRF).

KCRF is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping victims of pediatric cancer by connecting financial donors with forward thinking doctors whose research could provide a cure. Its focus will be primarily on neuroblastoma, increasing the likelihood of curing this form of cancer, while also unlocking solutions for combating other forms of cancer including breast, kidney, brain and liver, as well as melanoma and glioblastoma.

Frank Kalman, a local San Luis Obispo businessman, founded KCRF after experiencing his daughter Calli’s struggle with neuroblastoma. Since the age of 12, Calli has fought this disease tremendously.

Recent growth and new business propel AeroMech Engineering (AME) to double its production and engineering space at new corporate headquarters in San Luis Obispo.

AME, a leading engineering and manufacturing firm supporting the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) market, has recently signed a deal with Vachell Lane Properties, LLC to expand into new space at 125 Venture Drive in San Luis Obispo. 

The building was previously occupied by Dioptics, Inc. and offers 37,000 square feet of office and 79,000 square feet of high-bay warehouse space. AME will occupy a mix of office and warehouse space totaling 78,000 square feet. AME, established in 1999, will use the new space to improve its operation while expanding production capacity in response to new business. AME builds high-endurance special mission UAS's and provides aeronautical, mechanical, electrical and software engineering capabilities as well as full system manufacturing services to defense customers worldwide.

The City of San Luis Obispo announced recently that the bike lane and temporary sidewalk on the east side of Los Osos Valley Road, from Auto Park Way to Froom Ranch Way, have been temporarily closed for the next 30 days — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The bike lane and sidewalk are scheduled to re-open during the first week of January 2011.

Closures are due to installations of new driveways and a permanent sidewalk for the Target store site at Perfumo Creek Commons. 

French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) is the first on the Central Coast and in Southern California to use the latest ophthalmic surgical microscope available in the ophthalmic industry, called the OPMI LUMERA 700.

This microscope provides significantly greater clarity and depth perception during cataract surgery to help doctors deliver the best post-cataract surgery outcomes possible.

Compared to conventional microscopes the OPMI LUMERA 700 features a proprietary illumination system, called Stereo Coaxial Illumination (SCI), which sends two parallel beams of light down the pathway of each eye. This eliminates corneal flashback and provides a crisp, stable image that reveals objects and nuances in the eye that could not be viewed previously in real time during surgery.

SCI greatly enhances contrast and improved depth perception, thus enabling surgeons to more easily identify and distinguish subtle anatomical structures of the eye, such as the cornea epithelium and fine folds in the posterior lens capsule.

After much work, Niner Wine Estates has launched its brand new website with a vast amount of information on its estate-grown wines, upcoming events, the winery's facility, team members and much more.

Niner Wine Estates is the visionary initiative of Richard Niner, who believes that a blend of exceptional people, vineyards, tools, and ideas is the key to creating world-class wines and providing a one-of-a-kind experience in the heart of Paso Robles wine country.

The California Department of Transportation recently recreated, redesigned and re-launched its website. The new streamlined site invites users to easily navigate destinations, book travel and much more.

“The reinvented website focuses on customer friendly access to Amtrak California destinations, events and timely passenger information including a seamless booking link with our partner at Amtrak.com,” said Caltrans Director Cindy McKim.

This travel-friendly website is loaded with features including an enhanced station directory using powerful search technology capabilities and an interactive map to locate train stations near specified destinations. To promote travel on Amtrak California’s Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin routes, the website showcases key destinations, including San Luis Obispo, Calif.,  to assist with vacation ideas and trip planning.