Econo Lodge comes to West Texas Street

Thomas Mc Mahon, with Western Sign Company in Placerville, installs the sign for the new Econo Lodge on West Texas Street on Wednesday. (Brad Zweerink/Daily Republic)

FAIRFIELD — It’s “goodbye” to the Travis Lodge and “hello” to the Econo Lodge at 1349 W. Texas St.

Travis Lodge operated along West Texas Street for several decades. Its sign came down last week and the Econo Lodge sign took its place.

The motel underwent $500,000 in renovations over a year for the conversion, according to a press release from Econo Lodge. Owned and operated by Kenny Bhakta of Fairfield, it has 36 guest rooms with such features as free high-speed Internet access, cable television, a microwave and a refrigerator.

The Econo Lodge brand is franchised by Choice Hotels International, which has more than 6,000 hotels with 485,000 rooms in the United States. Among its franchises are Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn and Roadway Inn.

Leadership conference

An event called “Developing Exceptional Leaders Within Your Organization” is coming to Fairfield.

The Northern California Human Resources Association is putting on the event. Dianna Wilusz, co-founder of The Pendolino Group, is the presenter.

It will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 12 at NorthBay Healthcare, 4500 Business Center Drive.

Participants will learn to define a measurable and customized leadership structure, conduct leadership assessments, create a strategic development framework and train managers to lead their teams more effectively, according to an event press release.

For more information, please go to http://www.nchra.org or call 415-291-1992.

Sleep Train shoe drive

Sleep Train is collecting new pairs of shoes for foster children through May 13. People can drop off the new shoes at any Sleep Train. Sizes can be from toddler through adult.

Local Sleep Trains are at 1595 Holiday Lane and 5121 Business Center Drive in Fairfield, 140 Nut Tree Parkway in Vacaville and 900 Admiral Callaghan Lane in Vallejo.

Sleep Train collected 15,247 pairs of pajamas during its recent fourth annual pajama drive for foster children.

“Falling asleep in a new environment can be difficult and a simple comfort item like cozy new pajamas can make that a little easier,” said Joann Beattie of the Agape Villages Foster Family Agency in a press release.

Realtors honor government leaders

Nearly 50 elected government officials have been invited by the Northern Solano County Association of Realtors to a “Salute to Local Government” event Thursday.

“We are hosting this event for a variety of reasons,” association President Michelle Perez said in a press release. “First and foremost, we want to thank the individuals who are serving during very difficult times.”

The event will take place at the association headquarters and will be a mixer with appetizers and locally produced wine. The association has invited county supervisors, council members from local cities and locally elected members from Congress and the state Legislature.

“We have even invited Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein,” said Dave Clutts, the association’s government affairs committee chairman.

Business plan class

The Small Business Development Center at Solano Community College is offering a “Business Plan 101″ class Wednesday.

The workshop is to cover the basic components of a business plan. It will be from noon to 2 p.m. at Solano College SBDC, 360 Campus Lane, Suite 102.

Participants will receive a basic outline for a plan they can use to grow their business or secure funding for their business, according to an event press release.

To get more information and register, please go to http://www.solanosbdc.org or call 864-3382.

Do you have an item to submit to Biz Buzz? Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929 or beberling@dailyrepublic.net.

Thomas Mc Mahon, with Western Sign Company in Placerville, installs the sign for the new Econo Lodge on West Texas Street on Wednesday. (Brad Zweerink/Daily Republic)

Barry Eberling

Barry Eberling has been a reporter with the Daily Republic since 1987. He covers Solano County government, transportation, growth and the environment. He received his bachelors of art degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

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