Since September 11, 2001 America has been involved in a war on terror. Thousands of our countrymen and women have served around the world in an effort to combat this crisis that has faced our nation. As a result of those efforts, a new crisis has emerged—the post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries suffered by our returning service members. Pathway Home is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to helping to address the needs of those service people. Their treatment facility is located on the grounds of the California Veteran’s home in Yountville that works independently of, but in collaboration with, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. There they provide the support and treatment that our brave heroes need so that they can return to a more normal and enjoyable life. They do this not with taxpayer money but with private donations and grants. Their only wish is that they could provide even more of this high-quality care so that they can serve an even greater number of these heroes and help them discover their pathway home again to their families, friends and lost lives.
100 California Dr., Yountville, CA 94599
707-948-3031
www.thepathwayhome.org
Buck Kamphausen might have been born in Littleton, Colorado, but his heart is definitely in Vallejo, California with all that he has contributed to this waterfront city.
In 1966, Buck moved to Sacramento where he managed Sacramento Memorial Lawn, which was to become one of many cemeteries he would purchase. In 1971, he acquired Fairfield Funeral Home and Ambulance, and Skyview Memorial Lawn in Vallejo. It was then that he became a resident of Vallejo. In addition to Skyview, Buck owns many other end of life facilities in and around the Bay Area.
Buck’s interests are varied and his business holdings diversified. He owns a commercial diving company, SML Construction and Diving, now known as DRS Marine, Inc. He was also one of three investors in 1986 when Marine World Africa USA relocated from Redwood City to Vallejo. Buck is a partner in RM Auctions, one of the largest collector car sales companies in North America and Europe and he combined his love of antique automobiles and his desire to showcase one of the only privately held collections of memorabilia from the Titanic into creating the USA World Classics Event Center at the old USA Bowling Lanes building on Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo.
In addition to his business holdings, Buck invests in people. He has been a loyal supporter of many charitable, civic and educational organizations such as: the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce, The Vallejo Symphony, Loma Vista Farm, Vallejo chapter of the NAACP, The Fil-Am Chamber of Commerce, Omega Boys and Girls Club, PAL, GVRD, the Hispanic Community, Boy Scouts of America, Vallejo Little League and many more.
Many honors, awards and proclamations have been bestowed upon Buck personally and Skyview Memorial Lawn as a business that are just too numerous to name here.
Buck has enjoyed remarkable success in every avenue he has endeavored, inspiring others through his professional achievements. Perhaps the most fortunate recipients of all are the citizens of the City of Vallejo that have benefited so much from Buck’s benevolence. Thank you Buck!
200 Rollingwood Dr
Vallejo, CA 94591
916-798-5848
Jay has been the Executive Director of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce for nine years. During this span there has been a lot of change in Lafayette. The community spent five years working through a Downtown Specific Plan and weathered a recession. Lafayette led the state of California with the lowest unemployment rate. When other organizations were holding tight, we took a risk and swung the doors open for business. The chamber of commerce added programs and events to serve their members. The Chamber of Commerce has also grown their membership to 725. Jay’s philosophy is simple: Have fun, listen to his customers, make a difference.
Jay is also the proud father of three daughters and Papa to his beautiful grandson. His bride Kathy Doyle is an RN at Kaiser Walnut Creek. They have been married for 30 years.
“It is truly a pleasure to serve the businesses and residents of Lafayette. We are lucky to have such a wonderful place to call home. This community has a heart and soul and I will do whatever I can to make sure the Lafayette Chamber is busy contributing to our collective success,” Jay Lifson recently wrote in his bio.
The staff at Local Happenings Magazine has known Jay for going on six years now and he has always been quick with a smile and a person we could reach out to for help.
When we asked various people about Jay they always say the same thing:“We just love him!” “He does everything!” “He’s always ready to work and volunteer.”
I guess that’s enough said, “We love you Jay, thanks for being the person you are.”
100 Lafayette Cir., Lafayette, CA 94549
925-284-7404
www.lafayettechamber.org
Chardonnay Golf Club is an 18-hole, semi-private golf facility located southeast of the city of Napa in Jameson Canyon at the gateway to the world-renowned Napa Valley wine district.
Unlike virtually all courses today, Chardonnay’s golfers are not asked to play amidst any private residences. Chardonnay’s 18-holes of championship golf offer a variety of challenges for players of all skill levels. The 18-hole layout features a unique blend of golf holes consisting of six par 5s, six par 4s and six par 3s that meander through over 150 acres of Chardonnay vineyards and feature numerous lakes and creek crossings, five sets of tees (Professional – Black, Tournament – Burgundy, Men’s – Green, Senior’s – Ivory, and Ladies’ – Gold) to choose from and a wide variety of native trees, shrubs and wildlife. Several areas of the property are designed as wildlife preserves and are dedicated to maintaining wildlife habitat among the vineyards and fairways.
The Chardonnay Golf Club food and beverage staff can assist you with any and everything from breakfast to box lunches, banquets to bridal ceremonies. Annually, they host a large number of bridal ceremonies and receptions combined with golf. These have created memories to last a lifetime in one of the most visually dramatic environments anywhere. The staff at Chardonnay truly knows how important these moments are and your entire party shall notice their true talent and commitment.
2555 Jameson Canyon Rd., American Canyon, CA 94503
707-252-5982
www.chardonnaygolfclub.com
Valerie Ozsu MSN CNM NP, ProEFT Practitioner
Maintaining health is challenging in today’s world with the chemicals, metals and radiation that we’re exposed to in our foods, lifestyle and environment. Valerie Ozsu opened Natural Health and Wellness Center, Inc. because she wanted to incorporate her 38 years in advanced nursing, kinesiology and nutritional education to design individualized programs to help men, women and children. Her restorative medicine practice seeks to find the cause and how to reverse a person’s illness rather than just recognizing and treating the symptoms as in traditional medical practices. Dynamics in illness and healing requires that a person understands how to reverse the cause(s) of their disease.
Valerie’s mission is to educate and promote longevity without the use of unnecessary drugs or medical procedures. She wants to restore her patient’s lost vitality and reverse their health problems by using various methods to help patients understand their bodies and nutritional needs. She is very knowledgeable in hormone balancing for men and women, and recently added Thermography (a non-radiation form of breast cancer screening). She has success in allergy clearing in addition to designing individual detoxification and purification programs using only organic whole food supplements.
Feel free to join Valerie at her free community workshops or learn for yourself by scheduling an evaluation and discover why so many of Valerie’s patients are so excited about how much better they feel, and the progress they have made in improving their health and well being.
524 Merchant St, Suite A, Vacaville, CA 95688
707-474-9670
www.healthybalancedwomen.com
Dr. William J. McClure and Dr. Rebecca L. Jackson of Napa Valley Plastic Surgeryhave provided plastic and reconstructive surgery care to Northern California patients since 1984. Their newly completed main office and nationally certified surgery center are in Napa, and they also maintain satellite offices in the cities of Sonoma and Vacaville. Though most of their patients are from the San Francisco Bay Area, they attract many patients from a greater distance who come to them to undergo treatment and recuperate in the beautiful Napa Valley.
The surgeons at Napa Valley Plastic Surgery are trained at The Stanford University Medical Center, the country’s premiere and most highly competitive plastic surgery training program. They are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and are members of the American Society of Plastic Surgery. The doctors maintain separate practices, carrying out their own consultations and performing surgery. However by working in close association and by sharing a well-trained staff and modern facilities they can provide excellent service and 24/7 coverage. Working with acaring and committed staff, the surgeons perform the newest surgical and non-surgical procedures in a safe and welcoming environment using state of the art equipment.
“Mirror, Mirror…” is the medical spa at Napa Valley Plastic Surgery serving patients in Napa, Sonoma, Marin and Solano counties. Their physicians established this medical spa to insure that our San Francisco Bay Area patients could experience the most current cosmetic skin procedures in the safest environment.
Our doctors offer the latest in Non-Surgical Facial Rejuvenation including the newest in injectables and skin resurfacing. Dr. William J. McClure and Dr. Rebecca L. Jackson are different from most plastic surgeons in that they personally administer BOTOX Cosmetic®, and the dermal fillers Juvederm® and Restylane® to patients at their offices. They also have two highly trained medical aestheticians on their staff.
You can see why this office was selected as the Local’s Choice!
1175 Trancas St., Napa, CA 94558
707-258-6053
www.nvpsa.com
Dr. Barbara Persons and her highly skilled team pride themselves on serving the Greater San Francisco Bay Area through superior cosmetic and reconstructive surgery while utilizing the latest in state-of-the-art equipment and technology. The entire team is dedicated to completely understanding each patient’s unique surgical goals. Whether you’re ready for a facelift, mommy makeover, breast augmentation, laser rejuvenation, or other cosmetic surgical procedure, it would be our pleasure at Persons Plastic Surgery to consult with you and we are confident that we will exceed your expectations.
911 Moraga Rd. #205, Lafayette, CA 94549
925-283-8811
www.cosmeticandreconstructivesurgerycenter.com
Well the votes are in and they have all been tabulated and the winners of the Local’s Choice Awards for 2015 are… a drum roll please… well, you will just have to read it for yourself. We would also like to thank everyone who voted and helped us to decide this and that so many people voted. If your favorite business, event or person did not win, we hope you will nominate them when the voting opens up for our 2016 winners on September 1st. Please offer hearty congratulations to all of the winners this year. To review last year’s winners check out our “2014 Local’s Choice Winners” page.
If the businesses, events and people that you are about to read about on this web site are new to you, please let them know you discovered them in Local Happenings Magazine… cheers!!
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