Mission Valley Plaza holds grand opening

It's unveiling time for a major new commercial plaza in the Yuma Valley being developed by All Valley Developers. A grand opening will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Mission Valley Plaza, 3970 W. 24th St. People are invited to come by to see the plaza, meet the new tenants and enjoy refreshments.

Located at the northeast corner of 24th Street and Avenue C, Mission Valley Plaza provides a central location for valley residents to conduct business, dine out and shop.

When completed, the development will have four two-story buildings, each 26,000 square feet, with units to accommodate a variety of businesses for retail and office use. Units are available in sizes ranging from 465 to 1,800 square feet. So far, one building is completed and the second is nearly finished. Two more are in the planning stages.

For information about buying or leasing a unit, contact Barbara Kehl Realty at 782-4222.

Occupants open so far include Century 21 Action Group: The Krill Team (329-8888), Yuma Valley Contractors and Yolanda's Tax Service.

Coming soon are San Diego Nails, Homemade Bakery and Hair Dimensions.

---

Although Brent Dana has requested a refund of his building fees from the city of Yuma, as reported in this column Jan. 13, for a planned expansion of his Country Club Honda dealership, he definitely plans on continuing with the expansion.

The Sun regrets any misunderstanding.

---

As of Friday, Yumans will have access to a local Qwest store where they can sign up for service, turn in their payment and receive assistance from trained professionals, including Spanish-speaking associates.

The new store is opening its doors Friday in the Yuma Palms Regional Center located at 1401 S. Yuma Palms Parkway, Suite 3.

Qwest offers local and long distance phone service, digital TV, broadband Internet, Small Business Solutions and wireless services, including Pay As You Go.

For more information, call David Ruffulo at 1- 602-796-6270 or Laura Duran at 261-5542.

---

Los Roys Butcher Shop, 2241 S. Avenue A, Suite 15, in Palm Plaza, is now carrying Kammann sausage - the original Kammann recipe as made by grocer Don Olsen.

In a deal just inked with Olsen, the butcher shop has become the exclusive retailer in Yuma for the sausage. People can buy the sausage one link at a time or by the bulk, said Charlie "Butcher" Keeme, master butcher for Los Roys who at one time worked for Olsen. For more information, call 783-MEAT (6328).

Patrons of Brownie's Restaurant are assured the popular sausage is still on the menu there. And Olsen will continue to work with nonprofits that serve the sausage.

By the way, in addition to cuts of Angus beef, Los Roys also now carries wild game meat and buffalo burgers.

---

As part of its grand opening Saturday, Steel Roots Hair Studio, in Southgate Mall will be having a hair show from 2 to 4 p.m. Owner Marisa Lujan and the salon's other stylists, Ana Portillo and Loyda Lupercio, will demonstrate haircuts and other services on several of their clients. They also will be raffling off a basket of hair products, with proceeds to benefit Hospice of Yuma.

The salon is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. The phone number is 344-1234.

Lujan previously owned Styles Unlimited in the Big Curve Shopping Center. "We have a new name and a new location but it's the same us," she said.

---

Steve Ortiz, owner of Taqueria Jalisco Restaurant, has branched out with a new restaurant on 4th Avenue. The new establishment, named TJ's Marisquero Restaurant, is now open at 2855 S. 4th Ave. (where Small Fry's previously was located).

The new restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, serving up Mexican dishes and seafood. Also, breakfast is served all day. The phone number is 317-0911.

By the way, Taqueria Jalisco is located at 2241 S. Avenue A and can be reached at 783-7878. It's open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

---

KSWT's parent company, Pappas Telecasting has retained a financial advisory firm to help assess "strategic alternatives" for the company, which may include selling some of its 27 television stations.

"We'll be assessing the most likely buyers to see if we can put a deal together," said Steven Alfieris, vice president and special counsel for Pappas. "It's premature to say if the Yuma station might be put on the market."

Harry Pappas, head of Pappas, has expressed an interest in scaling back after more than 40 years in the broadcast business to spend more time with his family.

Another factor is the looming deadline for broadcast stations to convert to digital signal by Feb. 17, 2009, according to KSWT manager Andrew Wyatt. "That's very expensive."

KSWT-13 is the local CBS affiliate.

---

A new restaurant is now open at Arizona Ted's, 197 S. Main St. in downtown Yuma. Leroy and Karla Bozarth have opened Amo's (pronounced with a long "A") Diner - so named for the nickname his younger brother started calling him back when he had a pet store, Leroy explained.

The coffee shop was the dream of Karla, who has been in the business since she and her mother opened a restaurant when she was 17. They saw the restaurant opportunity listed on Yumasun.com and jumped at the opportunity.

Amo's - actual address is 100 E. 2nd St. - is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. The menu includes such items as build-your-own omelet, hot and cold sandwiches, Mexican dishes and all-you-can-eat Friday night fish frys, with additional menu items like pizza to come.

Karla does much of the cooking, including making the sandwich breads herself, while Leroy is the waiter and dishwasher. The phone number is 329-4700.

---

Need a new fender or want custom chrome wheels? No problem.

Central Auto Parts, a new business at 1322 W. 4th Ave., Suite A (used to be Tony's Pool Hall), likely has just the thing in stock for the most common car, truck and SUV models on the street from 2004 and newer. If the desired item isn't in stock, "I will get it for you," pledges manager Javier "Javi" Quintero, through his wide network of salvage yards, vendors and manufacturers. And at prices that will meet anyone locally, he added.

The store stocks such aftermarket automotive items as grilles, wheels, tires, lights and Interstate batteries. It also can get motor parts, Quintero said. He can even search for non-auto stuff like household appliances. "Whatever the customer needs, we will try to get it," he said.

The store can be reached at 782-2820.

Owner is Tony Gallego, who has other automotive businesses, including Desert Auto Sales and tow trucks.

---

Barry Julian has opened his own real estate office, Julian Realty Investments Inc., at 9280 E. County 8-1/2 St. A Yuma resident for 16 years, he has 12 years' sales experience in insurance, real estate and investments. Julian previously worked with J.B. Shrader of Shrader Realty and Associates and considers him his mentor.

Julian specializes in commercial properties and farmland, especially in eastern Yuma County, where he has family ties.

He can be reached at 341-4875, 920-9288 or barryjulian86@yahoo.com.

---

The Yuma Art Center Gift Shop, 254 S. Main St., once again is open with "wonderful new gifts galore," among them treasures found by the head shopper in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. The gift shop can be reached at 329-6607

---

Dr. John Gregory Ridgeway is re-establishing his family-based practice. The doors to his new office are now open at 2451 S. Avenue A, Suite 5, in the Kachina Medical Plaza. For more information, call 726-9765.

Most major insurances are accepted.

---

The March issue of Yuma Business Direct is now available online at businessinyuma.com. The issue's cover story is a profile on Richard Hernandez, leader of Yuma Regional Medical Center's Six Sigma project, which applies data analysis to the hospital's operations to increase service efficiency.

The issue also features General Motors Desert Proving Ground, the automotive test complex the auto manufacturer is developing at Yuma Proving Ground. GM was honored as the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce as its Member of the Month.

And Jerome Lauderdale, district sales and marketing director for Yuma's Merriott hotels, answers "20 Questions," an ongoing series on leaders in Yuma's hospitality industry.