Western Growers CIT is an Exciting part of the Salinas City Center Boom
Posted on August 03, 2018 12:11 PM by elyons
There have been many exciting updates around the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology’s location in the Taylor Building – right in the heart of Salinas City Center!
First of all, we have fun, new neighbors on the first floor at 150 Main Street, Salinas. The retail level of the Taylor Building has filled out with the opening of 1st Capital Bank, Portobello’s, Gifts on the Go, Starbucks, and Casona on Main.
Starbucks and Portobello’s are keeping the WGCIT agtech startups fed and caffeinated. The Taylor Farms’ Starbucks offers the regular, full menu plus limited-edition, seasonal beverages and ‘happy hour’ specials. Portobello’s has extended their hours to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, and their full bar is connected to the courtyard that the WGCIT shares with the restaurant. Portobello’s boasts that their entire menu is made in-house. “All the vegetables, fruits, and greens are fresh, sustainable and locally sourced, and the specials change daily.”
Casona on Main features unique home furnishings and décor. They source an eclectic mix of old world pieces from Central Mexico, as well as specialty products made by local artisans. Casona on Main has a wide variety from Carmel Dish Company, Annieglass, and Coastal Barrelworks. The ladies at Gifts on the Go can help you select the perfect gift for any occasion, as well as party favors and greeting cards.
The Salinas City Center Farmer’s Market is moving to a new night! Beginning Thursday, August 23rd, weekly Salinas Valley Farmer’s Markets will run from 3 – 8 p.m. at the regular location down West Gabilan Street, between Main Street and Salinas Street. This is less than half a block from the Western Growers CIT, right in front of the Gold Leaf Tea Shop and Blue Aces Bakery. Having the ‘Salad Bowl of the World’ Farmer’s Market at our disposal every Thursday afternoon will make grabbing fresh produce convenient for our innovators. The Farmer’s Market also allows us access to local, organic producers. Salinas City Center also celebrates the first Friday of every month with First Fridays and a downtown Art Walk. Businesses around the WGCIT stay open late and many offer wine and appetizers to visitors.
Special events are also taking place around the Western Growers CIT. The Salinas Valley Food & Wine Festival is taking place outside the Taylor Building on August 10 – 11, 2018. The Salinas Valley Food & Wine Festival raises money for the Grower-Shipper Association Foundation’s More Produce in Schools program. More Produce in Schools “is a proactive, innovative solution to a serious local and national health problem. Although surrounded by wholesome and healthy produce, our community and children of the Salinas Valley are not immune to the national obesity epidemic. The time is now to encourage and provide healthy lifestyle choices for children.” Grower-Shipper Association Foundation (GSAF) is helping put forth a solution by putting salad bars in schools. This is fabulous event that is terrific for networking with the local grower-shipper, and processor community. Western Growers members, like Driscoll’s and Taylor Farms, are donating fresh produce to the Salinas Valley Food & Wine Festival.
Finally, the building’s gym is populated with the newest technology and offers even more training packages now. The gym is right across Salinas Street at 26 Central Avenue and is run by Alpha Project. You can join the gym at the monthly rates or pay a $20 drop-in rate. The daily drop-in rate includes access to the gym, unlimited classes, and access to the showers and locker room amenities. Alpha Project trainers can analyze your body composition with the InBody 770. InBody is a premier body composition analysis that monitors weight, muscle, fat, and water, in less than 60 seconds. InBody scans include consultations for weight control, preventative health, and fat loss.
There is now a massage therapist available at Alpha Project. Lulu Rodriguez is a graduate of the Monterey Institute of Touch and has more than ten years of experience. Lulu is “dedicated to helping patients perform better, recover from injuries quickly, and prevent future injury with massage therapy.” WGCIT innovators and sponsors can schedule massage appointments directly with Lulu by calling 831-737-8011. Please feel free to ask Emily Lyons for the Alpha Project Massage Therapy Menu for more details. The rates are incredibly affordable, so this is a great opportunity for our innovators to take advantage of.
As you can see, this is an exciting time to be working in Salinas City Center! The Western Growers CIT is bringing together agtech startups from around the globe, but it is important to remember why we are based in Salinas. Salinas is known for its vibrant agriculture industry as the “Salad Bowl of the World.” Nobel Prize Laureate John Steinbeck based many of his novels in Salinas, as it was his hometown. The city’s coastal climate is ideal for the floral industry, grape vineyards, and fruit and vegetable growers. Salinas serves as the main business, governmental, and industrial center of Monterey County.
The WGCIT lead, Dennis Donohue, was the mayor of Salinas from 2006-2012. As the mayor of the most productive agricultural city in California, Donohue left office with the goal of connecting the Salinas Valley with the Silicon Valley. The WGCIT will be announcing its next round of resident programming soon, and the focus will be on bringing together our global agtech companies with the local grower community in a more precise manner. We look forward to being part of the boom in Salinas City Center!