The Vintage Owl, a new boutique store of refurbished vintage and antique items celebrating its grand opening Tuesday, has a mission greater than the standard retailer’s hope of earning a profit.

Owner Laurie Anderson-Garcia lost her 10-year-old Rottweiler, Mika, to canine cancer in 2006, and last year another of her dogs, Baron, was treated for another type of cancer, squamous cell carcinoma. She was motivated to develop a furniture donation program to support the National Canine Cancer Foundation and its work toward cures.

Donated furniture gets remodeled, and when they are sold a portion of the proceeds is donated to the foundation.

During Benicia Main Street’s Wine Walk, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, The Vintage Owl, 635 First St., will promote its new store that also is the home of the Northern California chapter of the National Canine Cancer Foundation.

The store will have a sidewalk display, foundation shirts may be purchased through donation, other items also will be sold to raise more money for the cause and dogs will get free treats.

Those buying a foundation shirt will get a 10-percent discount voucher for Vintage Owl merchandise purchased that day.

Douglas Kuznik retiring from Benicia Plumbing

Douglas M. Kuznik, president of Benicia Plumbing Inc., has announced he will retire Wednesday.

Benicia Plumbing’s board of directors issued a statement, saying, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Doug for his 35 years of hard work and dedication. His efforts were instrumental in the many years of business success the firm has enjoyed. We extend our heartfelt wishes for a rewarding and relaxing retirement full of fun, family and leisure. He has certainly earned it.”

The board has chosen Bill Cawley III to succeed Kuznik as president of the company, starting Thursday. Cawley is the eldest child of founding owners Bill and Leeann Cawley.

The new president has a California contractor’s license with classifications of C-36 (plumbing) and C-20 (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). When he isn’t working, Bill spends time with his wife and four children, serves in his church and participates in hunting and shooting sports.

Chamber roundtable to look at successful advertising

“Advertising … What Works for You?” is the title of a roundtable discussion at the Benicia Chamber of Commerce, 601 First St., Suite 100, at 4 p.m. June 25.

Seating is limited to the first 15 people who make reservations by calling 707-745-2120 or emailing beniciachamber@aol.com.

According to a statement from the Chamber, the session was organized after members said they wanted to learn more from others, and members will be asked to share success stories about the topic.

Benicia cork supplier helps Habitat For Humanity

For the second time this year, a 10-person team of volunteers from Cork Supply USA Inc. (CSU), a Benicia Industrial Park company, has provided hands-on support to Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity.

Their latest effort completed the exterior of two homes in Fairfield. In January, an eight-member CSU volunteer group worked in an earlier construction phase at the same build site.

CSU volunteers completed the exterior painting of the Gaytan family home May 21, the final step before interior work on the two homes in this project begins, said Kathy Hoffman, development director for Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity.

“Cork Supply is one of our best partners. We’re especially pleased when our volunteer teams work with us on a recurring basis,” she said.

“It can take nine months to a year to complete a single home, and when volunteers return to the same project further on in the process, they really understand how much we’ve accomplished, with their help,” she said.

The two homes may be finished by fall, and families may move in by the end of the year.

The two homes, the Gaytan and Kenner homes, are the seventh and eighth homes completed in Fairfield and the 14th and 15th finished during the 24 years’ history of Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity, Hoffman said.

The company did more than supply labor, she said.

Lisa Kurtz, chief financial officer for CSU, donated $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity’s construction fund for the Fairfield homes. Kurtz said she supports the volunteers’ resolve to continue contributing to Habitat for Humanity.

CSU is a Lean- and ISO-certified producer of premium wine closures and luxury cooperage products, including wine stoppers, capsules, muselets, barrels, staves and oak products. It provides products to wineries in more than 30 countries and operates production plants on six continents, including Europe, with sites in Portugal, France, Italy and Spain, as well as in Australia, South Africa, South America, China and the United States.

The local Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore, which accepts new and gently used home improvement items, will be removing some of those items from a Willow Court home in Benicia on June 22, Hoffman said.

Through a Habitat for Humanity program called “deconstruction,” usable items such as kitchen cabinets, appliances, bathroom vanities, windows, doors, flooring and other useful elements are removed from business buildings and homes that are being remodeled or demolished.

The items then are sold at ReStore, which also carries new and donated paint, plumbing, tools, home furnishings and building supplies, to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. ReStore, at 104 Commerce Court, Fairfield, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Those interested may call 707-863-0692.

Those interested in Cork Supply USA Inc. may visit corksupplyusa.com. Solano-Napa Habitat for Humanity’s website is solanonapahabitat.org.

Fairyella Ice Pops seeks votes for Chase grant

Kimberli Haris, the Benicia resident who developed Fairyella Ice Pops, has applied for a $100,000 Chase Mission Main Street grant. To qualify, Haris must complete a questionnaire about her business plan detailing how the funds would result in growth of the business and must receive at least 250 votes.

“Customers, fans and community members can show support for Fairyella Ice Pops by voting at www.MissionMainStreet Grants.com/b/75801,” she said. Voting deadline is Friday.

Grant recipients will be chosen by a panel.

“Prior to my mom’s passing from breast cancer a few years ago, we wrote and published a book called ‘The Adventures of Fairyella the Toothfairy and Dragonfly Floyd,’” Haris said. “My mother, Marti Haris, created recipes of juices that I use in the four lines of my ice pops. Fairyella Ice pops are fun, vegan, low-glycemic and come from local, sustainable produce.”

Haris said if she gets the grant she will use the money to buy equipment to automate the manufacturing process, lease commercial kitchen space in Benicia to incubate other small producer startups, and expand both her product lines and her reach.

“We want all kids to be healthy and get superpowers from Fairyella Ice Pops,” she said.

Through Mission Main Street Grants, Chase will award $2 million to 20 small businesses across the U.S., Haris said.

Applicants meeting eligibility requirements will have access to a small business webcast by LinkedIn, a sponsor. In addition, the 20 grant recipients will receive a trip to LinkedIn headquarters.

Recipients will be announced in September. Those interested in learning about about Mission Main Street Grants may visit MissionMainStreetGrants.com.

PG&E accepting Economic Vitality Grant applications

In an effort to promote local economic growth in California, PG&E has opened its application period for the company’s Economic Vitality Grant Program.

This is the third year the utility has offered the grants, an economic development program that provides up to $200,000 to local governments and educational and nonprofit entities, said Brittany McKannay, spokesperson in the utility’s corporate relations. The grants are intended to underwrite projects or programs that spur innovation and create jobs, she said.

“PG&E wants to help the communities where we deliver gas and electricity to grow and thrive economically,” said the utility’s chairperson, CEO and President Tony Earley. He said the grants also continue the utility’s history of supporting agencies that provide career training and create additional California jobs.

Applications for PG&E’s Economic Vitality Grant program are being accepted through July 31. Applications can be made through www.pge.com/evgrants.

Magician on ‘Wall of Fame’

Benicia magician Rick Allen is an inductee to the Wall of Fame of the Society of American Magicians. Allen was honored at the Society’s Chapter 112 monthly meeting, when Larry Wright of Concord, the chapter president, presented him with the award.

Allen has been named Magician of the Year by the Society twice in recent years.

The Wall of Fame award isn’t given out every year; it is only issued when the Society board of directors determines someone has done an outstanding job in extra service to the organization.

The Society of American Magicians was founded in 1902. One of its first presidents was the legendary Harry Houdini. Those interested in learning more may call 707-745-0100 or 925-686-1800.

Crowdfunding campaign to underwrite doula training

A Benicia woman who dealt with pregnancy, birth and child rearing at 19 is the cofounder and doula program director of Hatch, an Oakland-based organization that is seeking to support young parents in multiple ways.

Allison Stanton, a 2008 graduate of Benicia High School, began focusing on young parents based on her own experience. In 2011 she earned a bachelor’s degree in social welfare with an emphasis in gender and women’s studies from the University of California-Berkeley. The mother of two boys, she also has become a doula, a non-medical birthing companion who helps women and their families before, during and after childbirth. Doula training is one of the services Hatch is hoping to provide.

More parents are hiring doulas to attend their births, according to information provided by Stanton’s organization. The U.S. slipped two places in ranking for maternal and child health to 33rd of 179 countries, she said, and one in three American women gives birth by cesarean section.

Doulas often reduce risks of cesarean surgery, the organization contends. In the Bay Area, the costs range from $800 to $2,500, according to the agency.

Hatch is trying to make doula services accessible to low-income young parents, including those who are former foster children, saying 60 percent of them become parents within two years of leaving the foster system. Stanton started a crowdfunding campaign June 5 on Indiegogo to raise money for doula training sessions.

“Every donation empowers young parents to build a web of support around their families, transforming generations through economic opportunity, child-parent bonding and the stability of community,” said Kat Whipple, executive director and co-founder.

“This is a critical, transformational time in a parent’s life,” Stanton said. “Regardless of circumstance, every family deserves culturally appropriate, evidence-based support.”

Those interested in contributing or who want to become a paid doula or doula mentor, or who are new or prospective parents, may visit the organization’s website, thehatchcommunity.org, or call 510-250-2883.

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.

Submissions will be edited for length and content; and need to answer the questions who, what, when, where, why and how, preferably in the body of an email; and provide contact information.

Deadline is 3 p.m. Friday for news items that will appear in the next Tuesday edition’s Benicia Business Beat. Please email news releases and accompanying high-resolution photographs and logos to beniciaherald@gmail.com, and put “Attn. Business Beat” in the subject line, as well as the name of the business.

The Benicia Herald also appreciates area companies’ advertising patronage. For advertising services, call 707-745-0733 or email adsbenicia@yahoo.com.