It is the stuff of a modern fairy tale. Business-savvy American girl meets artistic French chef in San Francisco, and after a six-week whirlwind romance, they marry and launch The French Patisserie. Thirty years later, they are living happily ever after in scenic Pacifica, California, while their business and its subsidiary, Looka Patisserie, have emerged as award-winning producers of gourmet food service desserts and a large retail manufacturers of French macarons.

PreGel America, established in 2002, is the North American subsidiary of PreGel SpA, a manufacturer of specialty dessert ingredients. PreGel is dedicated to offering quality products, exceptional customer service, and outstanding continued education to the food industry.

In the lush California hills, Rich Sambado meets his brother Tim and father Lawrence. Lawrence, who is now 80 years old, is supervising dozens of employees who are patiently picking ripe apples. Unlike when Lawrence first picked apples from the farm, many employees no longer climb up and down handmade wooden ladders, but use industrial platforms…

Store development company Load King provides turnkey store packages with all necessary services under one roof. Over the last two years, the company has been intent on improving and expanding internal processes and capabilities by investing in state of the art equipment and personnel training and education. Now, after a great deal of work and investment, Load King is poised to diversify into other market sectors and is aggressively seeking new opportunities.

Is there anything better than fresh doughnuts and a cup of delicious, steaming hot coffee? From the tantalizing first bite to the very last crumb, nothing beats the taste and aroma of baked goods. And for almost twenty years, James Morton has been on a mission to bring the best available donuts, bagels, muffins, sandwiches, and beverages to America though Donut Connection.

The business of producing the food we eat and the flowers we enjoy is not as simple as planting a seed and watching it grow. There are many steps involved, and many businesses that manufacture the solutions to ensure the quality of the food and flowers that are produced. In Ontario, Canada, Zwart Systems has been a key provider of one of the most important steps – horticultural irrigation – for almost fifty years.

“We are a regional commercial real estate brokerage firm. We have specialists in industrial manufacturing and distribution, office, retail, and multi-family. Although we cover all the major commercial real estate disciplines, in a brokerage capacity we focus on providing strategic solutions,” explains Eric Hinkelman, Voit Real Estate Services’ Chief Executive Officer.

The engine of economic development has gotten a tune-up in Haywood County, North Carolina. Community leaders have partnered with their urban neighbors to recruit and welcome both start-ups and well-established companies to a very special part of the state’s Mountain Region.

Right in the heart of North Carolina lies Harnett County, one of the state’s fastest growing counties by population. Known for rural charm in a convenient location, there are a number of reasons why this central North Carolina community has seen a population boom over the years.

Jefferson Riverport, located in southwest Louisville, Kentucky, has been securing and developing land to service a multitude of industries for decades. The land has numerous infrastructural strengths which make it an appealing and logical choice for business investment…

When state officials earmarked space for a thoroughly studied, brand new, 12 acre industrial mega-site in Fairfield County, South Carolina, locals knew that this is where the area’s next big boom would be headed. The completion of this verdant county’s state-of-the-art facility is set to dwarf all others in the area.

Beaufort County Economic Development (BCED) was created in 2013 to facilitate the creation of new employment and increase business activity while encouraging the development of more advanced manufacturing in the area.

Mayor Kevin Zahara sits in the middle of the council chamber absently adjusting his tie when the internet live-stream begins. Sitting beside him are six councillors, made up of equal parts men and women, representing the town of Edson, Alberta, as well as city staff members, including Mike Derricott, Chief Administrative Officer, who provides details on how city staff are implementing strategies as well as recommendations…

Situated along the shoreline of Lake Michigan in Mason County, located between Traverse City and Grand Rapids on Michigan’s West Shore, the Ludington and Scottville Area offers authenticity and boundless potential.

In the southeast region of British Columbia, Canada, known as the Kootenays, not far from the State of Washington, you will find yourself surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, majestic lakes and rivers, and two quaint little cities with a lot of ambition.

Taking its name from the Kissimmee River, this wonderfully diverse community in Florida is multilingual and progressive. Osceola County was noted by Forbes Magazine as the country’s tenth-fastest growing county in 2014. Since then, Kissimmee has become the fastest-growing city in the state, with a significant annual population growth rate of two to three percent.

It’s been an interesting year for Allegany County, New York, a scenic region located in the Allegheny Mountain foothills. While very rural, Allegany boasts three post-secondary institutions, a world-famous center for ceramics, college of technology and a highly skilled workforce. Profiled previously in the December, 2017 issue of Business in Focus, Allegany County remains eager to attract new businesses while retaining its bucolic charm.

Workforce development cannot and should not take place in silos and nowhere is this more clearly understood than in the Barre Area of Central Vermont. There, multiple agencies, organizations, community stakeholders and market players have come together to advance economic stability and prosperity for everyone who calls the region home.

The collaborative Aroostook Partnership is funded primarily by business investors in Aroostook County, Maine. It also benefits from collaboration with Northern Maine Development Commission and the four institutions of higher learning in the area: Northern Maine Community College, Husson University, and the Universities of Maine at Presque Isle and Fort Kent.