Smyers Glass, 675 East H St., will start its four-day spring open house Thursday, Judith Keyes said.

Master craftsmen will fill furnaces with molten glass and demonstrate how the glass, heated to 2,000 degrees, can be turned into vases, paperweights and wine glasses, she said.

“This experience is sure to enhance your appreciation of the wonderful world of glass,” Keyes said.

Demonstrations will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, she said.

Those interested may call 707-745-2614, email the studio at smyersglass@gmail.com or visit www.smyersglass.com.

Profitability techniques class offered

Consumer psychologist and retailing consultant Bruce D. Sanders will teach various profitability methods from 1-5 p.m. May 6 at the Benicia Community Center, 370 East L St., said Charles Rieger, interim director of the Solano Small Business Development Center.

Sanders will explain techniques for setting prices, launching sales promotions, increasing the size of purchases, changing shoppers’ preferences and ensuring customers return, Rieger said.

Participants will receive a copy of Sanders’s book, “Retailer’s Edge: Boost Profits Using Shopper Psychology.”

The class is underwritten by a Wells Fargo Foundation community development grant awarded the SBDC.

“Because of the Wells Fargo Foundation sponsorship, there is no fee for participation by owners or operators of small to midsize retail businesses,” Rieger said.

However, enrollment is limited to 20 retailers, and advance registration is required, he said. Participants will receive free followup one-on-one counseling by SBDC business advisers to help them use the strategies they learned in the workshop, he said.

Those interested in registering may call the SBDC at 707-864-3382 or visit the center’s website, www.solanosbdc.org.

Benician wins USG top sales award for excellence

Lauri VanWert of Benicia is among 33 recipients of the USG Corporation’s President’s Award, given to those it considers outstanding sales professionals.

USG Corporation is a manufacturer and distributor of high-performance building products.

VanWert is one of 33 top salespeople from throughout the U.S. chosen by the company for the 2013 President’s Award, given to those who demonstrate “outstanding performance, relationship building and a commitment to excellence.” The USG President’s Club status is earned by only 8 percent of USG’s sales team, according to a news release.

Some of those honored this year have been with USG Corp. for more than two decades; others have been with the company less than two years.

“I believe that it’s the people that make USG a special place to work,” VanWert said. “It’s the team of dedicated, talented and smart people I work with that makes our success possible.”

VanWert received her award this month at a ceremony in the Peninsula Hotel, Chicago.

Benicia included in Gold Rush-themed video game

In 1849, Benicia became part of American history during the Gold Rush. Now the city’s role in that colorful period of American history is being marked in a video game, said Emily Morganti, a public relations consultant for SomaSim, an independent, San Francisco-based game developer.

SomaSim will release a Gold Rush-themed video game, “1849,” May 8, and Benicia will be featured in it, she said.

The game will be available for PC, Mac, iPad and Android tablets, she said.

“1849 is a simulation game in the style of the classic SimCity,” Morganti said. “Through 20 levels that take place in existing California cities, including Benicia, players grow the local economy and balance citizens’ needs against the backdrop of real Gold Rush scenarios and challenges.”

Players get to decide whether Benicia should be a mining town, a farming community or a trade hub, she said. “Will the pioneers flocking into town become productive prospectors or devolve into unruly drunks at the local saloon? That’s your call!”

The game’s graphics were inspired by period photographs and surviving architecture, Morganti said. A trailer that previews the game is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q4Rs0tZOno.

Those interested also can learn more about “1849” at http://www.somasim.com/1849.

Bonilla legislation would overhaul massage therapy law

Assemblymember Susan A. Bonilla, D-Concord, working with Assemblymembers Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, and Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, and the League of California Cities has introduced Assembly Bill 1147, intended to overhaul California’s existing massage therapy law.

“Clearly the current regulatory system for massage therapy businesses in California is not effective,” said Bonilla, Benicia’s representative in the Assembly.

“Bad actors, masquerading as legitimate massage professionals, have exploited loopholes in current law which impairs the ability of local government and law enforcement to regulate them,” she said. “Their actions damage the integrity of true massage therapy professionals.”

The Massage Therapy Act of 2014 was introduced to address problems stemming from Senate Bill 731, passed in 2008, which created a voluntary certification process for massage professionals.

Bonilla said the voluntary process resulted in the dramatic increase of massage businesses. While some are legitimate, she said, many others are places where such illegal activities as prostitution and human trafficking take place.

“It’s time we take back control of our neighborhoods,” Gomez said. “Legitimate massage therapists have a role in our communities. But the current law has allowed criminal elements to hide behind the law and disrupt our communities.”

Holden said the bill would free cities and law enforcement “to do what they do best: guard the best interests of its citizens and resident businesses and protect their community from criminals.

“This bill allows good massage therapists to be recognized and bad actors to be put out of business.”

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

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