Biz Buzz: Paso tour company offers knowledge in trade for rent

The Wine Wrangler agrees to provide tourists with area advice in exchange for a free home at the train depot

The Wine Wrangler, a North County wine tour business, will receive free rent at the Paso Robles train depot in exchange for providing information services to travelers.

A five-year lease between the city and the business, owned by Coy and Sarah Barnes, was approved this month by the City Council.

The space at 800 Pine St., in the northern portion of the train station, has been vacant since a city agreement with the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Conference Center to provide tourist information there was not renewed. The Barneses will pay for improvements they want to make, and their employees will answer questions from the public about area attractions and events as part of the agreement.

The Wine Wrangler has offered tours around San Luis Obispo County for groups and individuals since 2003.

—Leah Etling

Poly’s practical about its wine at festival

Cal Poly students and alumni will “learn by tasting” at the sixth annual Cal Poly Wine Festival next week.

The April 26 fundraiser supports the university’s Wine and Viticulture Pro-gram and Vines to Wines, a student group devoted to wine education and networking.

“These programs introduce students to the world of wine and viticulture and offer hands-on experience for those students seeking a career in the wine industry or to those who just enjoy the art of wine,” event organizer Sara Steffens said. “We have so much support from the wine industry, especially Cal Poly alumni.”

More than 70 wineries and 10 restaurants have signed on to participate, along with local band The Shival Experience.

The university’s label will pour its vintages, crafted by student winemakers under the tutelage of Christian Roguenant of Baileyana and Tangent wineries.

The event is run completely by students, said Tori Kline, a wine and viticulture major who is organizing the festival’s golf tournament on April 25.

“Being on the committee is helping to give me experience in event planning,” said Kline. “This sort of thing is exactly what I want to do when I graduate.”

Tasting tickets for 1 to 4 p. m. are $50 or $30 for students. Up to 200 Gold Passes offer early admission for an extra $20. For details, visit www.calpolywinefestival.com . —Raven J. Railey

Praise for keeping SLO beautiful

The San Luis Obispo Downtown Association recently honored more than 24 businesses for efforts to keep the area beautiful in 2007.

Recipients received awards for new construction, remodeling, tenant improvements, signage, awnings and merchandising. The award program started 20 years ago.

The highest honor—the Mayor’s Award from Mayor Dave Romero — was given to the Copeland family’s Court Street property between Higuera and Monterey streets along Osos Street.

It houses Abercrombie & Fitch, Sephora and Giuseppe’s Restaurant, along with other businesses.

—Sally Connell

AT&T hopes new cell sites boost service

Communications giant AT&T is placing four new cell phone antenna sites in San Luis Obispo County to improve its service, according to company spokeswoman Courtney Suthoff.

Three towers are going in the Arroyo Grande area and one in Atascadero. The company’s existing towers also are being upgraded, she added.

The new antenna locations are part of $310 million in new investments that the company is making in Southern California, which will include 74 new cell sites overall.

—Melanie Cleveland

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Lot sales are continuing at Santa Ysabel Ranch, a custom home development seven miles north of Templeton.

The Paso Robles-based Weyrich Development Co. project opened in May 2007 with 146 home sites on one-to five-acre lots.

Today, the 850-acre gated community featuring lighted tennis courts, hiking trails and a private lake, has 47 remaining parcels for sale with prices starting at $315,000.

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Willis & Bennett Inc., a furniture and home accessories business in Arroyo Grande, will sell goods in the 2008 Pasadena Showcase House For The Arts, owners Greg and Julie Moore said.

Held from Sunday through May 18, the showcase is a fundraiser for national music programs and grants for other nonprofit groups that provide musically oriented programs such as music therapy, music education, scholarships, and the underwriting of concerts.

The Moores will be one of various vendors selling home accessories and donating 25 percent of their proceeds to youth music programs.

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Call America recently moved its offices to 545 Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo so that the communications company could have more space to expand staff.

In the past year, the firm added eight employees, according to President Jeff Buckingham. It was at its old location since 2004.