ALLAN LEMONE CELEBRATED HIS FIRST 25 YEARS IN BUSINESS July 1 at Affordable Quality Cabinets, 4852 East Second St.

Lemone began working out of his home in 1990. Later, he began renting First Street window-front space to display his cabinetry, first at what is now Adobe’s resale store and later at what is now Buon Appetito.

He then established a physical presence at the former Steve’s Carpets, on Military East, after which he moved to Passalacqua Studio. When he had a chance in 2004 to buy a place in the Benicia Industrial Park, he joined another company, Laminations Unlimited, to form Affordable Quality Cabinets and Countertops Inc. and make the purchase.

As newer counter materials were introduced, Affordable Quality Cabinets and Countertops ended its manufacture of laminate tops, instead offering contemporary selections such as quartz and granite.

Lemone carries two affordable, high-end cabinetry lines, Columbia Cabinets and DeWils.

Of the company employees, designer and salesperson Susy Jones and office manager and countertop salesperson and Mary Ann Esparza have been with Lemone for 10 years.

Among his community contributions, Lemone has been a member of the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission, has coached and sponsored Little League teams, has supported local arts in town and has been a member of the Benicia Chamber of Commerce. He has also been the acting president of the homeowners association in the Benicia Industrial Park.

His business is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and is available by appointment during evenings and weekends.

BOTTG to present ‘War of the Worlds’ staged reading

Benicia Old Town Theatre Group and director Chuck Schilling will present a staged reading of the radio play “War of the Worlds” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the BDES Hall, 140 West J St. Tickets are $25 and will be sold at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The show is a fundraiser, and organizers hope to raise $2,000 to pay for new chairs.

“This one-night production of ‘War of the Worlds’ radio show will be a fun, exciting event to raise funds for 50 new padded folding chairs for our loyal audiences,” said Dyanne Vojvoda, the theater company’s spokesperson.

Cast members will be BOTTG veterans. Tickets include the she and free bar bites; a no-host bar will be open.

Mare Island jobs continue to grow

More than 50 new full-time jobs were added on Mare Island, Vallejo, in the first half of 2015, according to a June jobs survey at Lennar Mare Island (LMI).

The survey indicates the island and former Navy base has more than 2,400 jobs at 105 separate businesses that sit on more than 3.6 million square feet of land.

Much of the job growth has come from expansion of existing businesses, the survey showed. To accommodate this, LMI is upgrading five buildings, or about 200,000 square feet of space. In addition, the company is demolishing some obsolete structures and undertaking infrastructure projections. “Lennar Mare Island works hard to attract new businesses to our unique location and to help our existing businesses grow and succeed,” said company spokesperson Jason Keadjian.

LMI has invested more than $112 million at the former Navy shipyard, Keadjian said, and “The job gains we are seeing are the direct result of our investment in things like infrastructure, building rehabilitation and environmental cleanup, and these will continue to drive future growth.”

It is the ninth straight reporting period in four and a half years in which Mare Island has shown consistent job growth, he said.

“We are excited to see Mare Island’s ongoing contributions to a healthy local economy in Vallejo,” Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis said. “Mare Island’s job growth shows just how desirable Vallejo is for businesses.”

Those interested may visit the website www.discovermareisland.com.

The Benicia Herald’s weekly Benicia Business Beat column is an opportunity for local businesses and companies to tell our readers about business-oriented news, such as moves, grand openings, awards, promotion of employees, staff changes and changes in goods and services.

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