Old Wharf Trading Co. hires new manager, looks to grow staff

Inga Hartmann (left), owner of Old Wharf Trading Company, stands with the new store manager, Rina Mitchell.

Old Wharf Trading Company, a clothing and souvenir shop on Stearns Wharf, recently hired a new manager.

Rina Mitchell brings a wealth of managerial experience to Old Wharf Trading Company. Her previous experience includes managing clothing stores, movie theaters and other retail stores.

“Rina has been a wonderful addition to our staff,” said Inga Hartmann, who owns Old Wharf with her husband Patrick Hartmann.

Since joining the team, Ms. Mitchell has assisted in implementing a new software program which has streamlined the store’s re-ordering process, Mrs. Hartmann said.

“Old Wharf is a wonderful place to work,” Ms. Mitchell said. “People are always happy when they walk in here. They are usually on vacation and relaxed.”

As the economy continues to recover and the Hartmanns look toward the busier spring and summer seasons, they will start hiring additional staff, Mrs. Hartmann said.

Old Wharf Trading Company, which has been in business on Stearns Wharf for more than 30 years, features a wide variety of gifts and decorator items, clothing, toys, books and more. For more information, call 962-4118.

Moby Dick general manager celebrates a decade at wharf restaurant

Miguel Flores—general manager at Moby Dick, a family-friendly restaurant on Stearns Wharf—celebrates 10 years at the ocean-front restaurant this year.

Mr. Flores grew up in Mexico City and came to San Jose as a teenager. He attended De Anza Community College and started working in restaurants as a bus boy. He moved to Santa Barbara on recommendation from a friend and got a job at Moby Dick after the same friend, who worked at the restaurant then, referred him. Mr. Flores started as a server.

“The minute I walked into the restaurant, I was in love,” Mr. Flores said. “It was early in the morning and still dark when I first walked in. When the sun rose, I said, ‘This is it. I don’t want to work anywhere else.’”

Now, 10 years later, Mr. Flores is general manager, managing more than 60 employees.

Under Mr. Flores’ leadership, Moby Dick has a re-vamped menu, with fewer, higher-quality options. All ingredients are local, purchased from The Berry Man, Inc., Jordano’s Foodservice, Harbor Meat & Seafood and the downtown farmer’s market, Mr. Flores said.

“Our business is better than ever,” Mr. Flores said. “We are breaking records.”

For more information, visit www.mobydicksb.com.

Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners to expand recycling program

Sasha Ablitt, of Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners and Launderers, next to the company’s bailer machine, which compresses film plastic for pick up by Trex.

As part of its 5-year anniversary of going green, Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners and Launderers plans to switch out their lights in January 2015 to save energy and be more eco-friendly.

This is an extension of Ablitt’s already robust recycling program.

“I have always been a recycler,” said owner Sasha Ablitt, whose parents founded the dry cleaners in 1984. “It’s always been part of who I am.”

In 2010, Ms. Ablitt set up a partnership with Trex, the world’s largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking products. Trex buys bails of film plastic (the thin plastic used to cover dry-cleaned clothes) from Ablitt’s and turns it into plastic flooring. Since Trex’s first pick up almost five years ago, Ablitt’s has recycled more than 5,000 pounds of plastic through Trex, Ms. Ablitt said.

In addition to the film plastic, Ablitt’s also has programs in place to recycle paper, textiles and hangers. The Ablitt family also donates clothes if they are left at the dry cleaners for more than a year.

Last year, Ablitt’s recycled 25 percent of its waste. This year, it recycled 75 percent, according to a Marborg report.

“I am so proud of my staff for embracing and contributing to our recycling programs,” Ms. Ablitt said.

ProHealth reaches 200,000 likes on Facebook

ProHealth’s Facebook page

Santa Barbara-based ProHealth, a nutritional supplement company dedicated to helping Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients, has reached 200,000 likes on Facebook—www.facebook.com/ProHealthInc.

Many of the 200,000 people following ProHealth’s page suffer from Fibromyalgia or know someone who does.

“Our whole philosophy—whether in business or on Facebook—is to help our people who suffer from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,” said Rich Carson, founder of ProHealth, who was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1981. “We want our followers to be encouraged, receive trustworthy advice and know they are not alone.”

“My personal philosophy about healthcare is that our illness doesn’t define us, we define it,” Mr. Carson added.

Fibromyalgia patients suffer from long-term, body-wide musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep problems, headaches and anxiety.

ProHealth’s Facebook page gives lifestyle, diet, physical movement and nutritional supplement advice and encouragement. While these don’t cure the disease, they empower patients’ bodies to deal with the disease naturally, Mr. Carson said.

For more information, visit www.prohealth.com.

EnduroShield glass coating protecting spire of One World Trade Center

EnduroShield will protect the glass on One World Trade Center’s spire from staining and etching.

EnduroShield—a revolutionary, permanent* non-stick, invisible treatment for glass that repels water, grime, and dirt—is protecting the spire of the newly open One World Trade Center.

The building, previously known as the Freedom Tower, reaches a symbolic 1,776 feet—commemorating the year the United States Declaration of Independence was signed—in part thanks to the 408-foot tall, 758-ton spire.

EnduroShield glass treatment was applied to the glass panels in the factory before they were installed into the spire’s steel frame structure. EnduroShield chemically bonds to the glass substrate, turning the glass into a high performance, hydrophobic and oleophobic surface, protecting the surface against staining and etching. The treatment also makes surfaces significantly easier to clean, reducing costs, and has a 10-year performance warranty. The spire will be used as a world-class broadcast antenna.

“We are honored that our product is helping protect part of such a symbolic and meaningful building,” said Adrian Ray, EnduroShield International Business Development Director.

In addition to commercial and industrial buildings, EnduroShield can also be used in homes for shower doors and windows, significantly cutting time spent cleaning. The consumer version, EnduroShield Home, is available at Home Depot stores across the country. For more information, visit www.enduroshieldusa.com. 

*Based on 10 years of simulated normal use and certified by TÜV Rheinland, Germany.