There will be much more at stake than civic pride when the Amgen “Tour of California” bicycle race rolls into Modesto on May 19.

“Our downtown (business) corridor really benefits, as do some of our outlying businesses, especially restaurants and hotels,” said Andy Johnson of the Modesto Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Department. “Amgen brings as much as $10 million in revenue to its host cities. We plan to apply for it (host-city status) every year, as long as the community continues to support it.”

Real estate has been at the forefront of the nation’s economic woes.

But things appear to be turning around here in the heart of the Central Valley, if recent activity is any indicator.

Using hydrogen as a potential source of energy is not a new concept.

What is new, however, is the process pioneered by Ed Stockton, CEO of Hydrogen Technologies Inc.

Don’t look now, but Turlock’s business “incubator” is about to hatch its first brand new business.

“Eclectic Charm,” which will feature handmade Renaissance-themed jewelry, among other things, is aiming for a May opening.

The new shop is owned by Susana Love. During a recent visit by The Business Journal, her husband, Ken Love, was working feverishly to finish a “honey-do” list of chores that needed to be completed prior to the opening.

It’s definitely a family affair at Property Management Experts, the Stockton-based company that has been managing properties – primarily residential  – for 30 years.

PME was founded by Terry Hull Sr., who remains the firm’s CEO. Hull’s daughter, Karen Carlson, is PME’s president. His son, Terry Hull Jr., known as “TJ,” is president of PME’s companion company, Property Maintenance Experts.

John Godi hadn’t considered the possibility of helping run the family business until last August.

Sure, he had worked for his Dad in real estate for a time, and in property management, for his grandfather. Godi, a graduate of Stockton’s Lincoln High School, Brigham Young University and Pacific’s Eberhardt School of Business, had forged a successful career on his own.

Ideas were flying furiously at Pacific’s latest “Beyond Our Gates” fact-finding session.

First, the good news: the recession is at an end.

For Brandon Graspointner, it’s all about opportunity and location, location, location.

Unlike most alarm companies, which alert property owners to intruders only after they have illegally entered a business or home, Crimetek Security seeks to stop crimes before they happen.