An artisan coffee roaster and baker brought their old world values into a new world context when they created the Old Soul Co. boutique coffee roaster and bakery in midtown. Roaster Jason Griest was co-owner of the Naked Lounge when he met baker Tim Jordan, who was one of his early customers. The two realized that they both shared an old world appreciation for true craftsmanship and for quality products that spoke for themselves without the need for glitzy advertising methods. Old World Model Griest said that he and Jordan pictured American immigrants, from the 1700’s and 1800’s, arriving in New York on boats and bringing their strong work ethic and craft to the new world to make better

The first leg of the long-awaited Green Line from downtown to the airport will make its debut Friday at a grand opening celebration. The Green Line is a 12.8-mile-long project that will eventually connect downtown Sacramento to South and North Natomas and the Sacramento International Airport. This first phase, which opens Friday, is a 1.1-mile segment that extends from downtown at the H and Eighth streets station to the the Township 9 station at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard in the River District. In addition to linking the central city to the airport, the Green Line was designed to serve as a key connector to the airport and to the central city for residents in the Natomas area

Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B received LEED Silver certification, airport officials announced Tuesday. The terminal is the largest in the United States to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a press release. “Achieving LEED Silver certification on two buildings this large, with such intense daily public use, speaks to the vision and collaboration of the airport and its partners,” said G. Hardy Acree, director of airports for the Sacramento County Airport System. Nicknamed “The Big Build,” the $1.1 billion project was completed in October. Throughout the building process, officials

     The Sacramento County Airport System has received a $150,000 rebate from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) for energy efficiencies built into the design and construction of Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport. SMUD director Rob Kerth (Ward 5) will present the SMUD Savings By Design Program check to the Board of Supervisors at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 700 H St.     According to SMUD energy advisers, measures in place at Terminal B would yield a greenhouse gas reduction of 793 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, the equivalent of planting more than 33,000 trees or removing 165 cars from the road.      The airport’s Big Build design team worked clo

Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B echoes with the sounds of local musicians this holiday season, with airport officials saying they want to add to the flying experience, especially since travelers are recommended to arrive earlier. “Under normal circumstances, we advise them to get here 90 minutes earlier,” said airport spokeswoman Laurie Slothower. “For the holidays, we’re saying two to two and a half hours early because there are so many little stresses that can be alleviated if you get here early.” Travelers who haven’t been to the new terminal – which opened in October – should check the airport website to be sure they know where their airline is located. Anyone trav

Holiday travelers can enjoy new concessionaires, new restaurants and local entertainment in Sacramento International Airport’s (SMF) new Terminal B. At the same time, most airlines recently moved to new locations. A little bit of preparation and patience can help travelers have a stress-free experience at SMF this Thanksgiving and beyond. Passengers unfamiliar with the new Terminal B should allow extra time to find parking and to navigate unfamiliar surroundings. Airport officials recommend that travelers arrive two to two-and-a-half hours prior to departure. Aeromexico, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Airlines, Jet Blue and Southwest Airl

Sacramento International Airport received the first wave of advanced imaging technology scanners – commonly called full-body scanners – after the opening of Terminal B earlier this month, and the rest should be installed by the end of November. The scanners, which each cost between $150,000 and $170,000 and are paid for by the Transportation Security Administration and are designed to detect both metallic and nonmetallic threats to security, namely explosives, according to TSA spokesman Nico Melendez. “The walk-through metal detectors do a great job finding metallic items, but they aren’t as effective at finding explosives,” Melendez said. “The threat as we know it is definitely explosiv

Here are more photos from Saturday night's big celebration of The Big Build, the name of the Sacramento International Airport's new Terminal B project: For more info CLICK HERE>>>

Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B opened to the public on Sunday to give locals a preview of the $1.03 billion project before it opens for air traffic on Oct. 6. Airport spokeswoman Karen Doron said nearly 4,500 people made reservations to observe the terminal's new art and its elaborate design. “It’s beautiful,” said Merrilyn Hirsch, a 65-year-old retiree. “They really got their money’s worth.” Starting at 10 a.m., guests lined up to be the first to see the architectural feat. They were led onto the trains, called “people movers,” and brought from the terminal’s “land side” to the “air side.” The trains sped across the airport and went back and forth every two minutes, b

More than 1,000 people attended a party Saturday that included Cirque du Soleil performers dancing with hoops, walking on stilts and performing acrobatics from 40-foot-long ribbons hanging from the rafters to celebrate the grand opening of the new Terminal B of the Sacramento International Airport. “We didn’t want to stand in the shadow of another city,” Hardy Acree, director of airports for Sacramento County Airport System, said Saturday. “We wanted to create our own identity here in Sacramento and with this, we certainly have.” The party – hosted by the architect and construction firms responsible for the terminal project, Corgan Associates and Turner Construction – was a grand spectac

An intuitive travel experience is one of the main goals of Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B, according to airport officials. Made up of two buildings – a “land side” portion with ticket counters, and an “air side” portion with security and aircraft gates, connected by two trains – the new terminal is designed to be linear and make passing through the airport very easy, said airport spokeswoman Karen Doron. The $1.03 billion facility will open Oct. 6. One of the ease-of-use features in the waiting area at each gate is the seating arrangement. The familiar rows of seating common to many airport waiting areas are not the standard in the new facility. Terminal B seating is

Art installations are largely complete as the Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B readies to open Oct. 6, and they include a range of pieces from technologically advanced works to traditional painting and mosaic pieces. While not the first thing arriving passengers will see, a giant red rabbit seemingly jumping from outside the building into a waiting suitcase opening up like a vortex on the floor is one of the most-talked-about of the 12 currently installed works. More than 1,600 aluminum triangles make up the rabbit’s exposed surface. The work, entitled “Leap,” is by Denver-based artist Lawrence Argent and is suspended above the ticket hall in the “land side” portion of t

Sacramento International Airport's nearly $1.1 billion Central Terminal B complex is expected to open this fall – months earlier than originally scheduled. When construction began in 2008, the terminal project was expected to cost $1.27 billion and was scheduled to open in spring of 2012. The project will open months ahead of that because of changes in construction plans due to the recession. Plans for a hotel and new parking garage were dropped to save money. A new garage will be built once there is enough need. Other cost savings were found during a simultaneous design and construction phase, , airport spokeswoman Gina Swankie said. The construction schedule was later revised to refle

Every year, the Sacramento County Airport System creates 11,000 jobs with a payroll of $442.5 million and contributes approximately $4 billion to the local economy, according to the Airport System’s most recent economic impact study.  The results of the study were delivered to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The study includes data from Sacramento International Airport, Mather Airport and Executive Airport. “The Sacramento County Airport System is a bright spot in this slowly recovering economy,” said Interim County Executive Steven Szalay, “and the new terminal opening later this year at Sacramento International Airport will ensure that our region has an airport r

What do a local restaurant menu, a preloaded MP3 player with chart-topping songs and souvenirs from the American River Parkway have in common? All three are being considered for inclusion in the New Central Terminal B 2011 time capsule at Sacramento International Airport. Sacramento County Airport System is asking local residents to share their creative ideas for more items to place in the capsule. Ideas should include small items that focus on the year 2011, Northern California or the airport. The County Airport System recently launched a survey about the time capsule. A link to the survey can be found on sacairports.org or bigbuild.org. Airport fans can also share their ideas via Twitte

Sacramento International Airport’s expansion – dubbed “The Big Build” – is on-track to be completed by the end of next year, providing 19 new gates and an all-new, two-building terminal. “We started this effort in May of 2000,” said G. Hardy Acree, director of the Sacramento County Airport System. “We started construction in June of 2008 and are 30 months into a 42-month construction cycle.” The new terminal, known as Terminal B, will be composed of two buildings connected by an above-ground people-moving train system. The “land-side” portion of the terminal will front a two-level roadway, with one level for arrivals and the other for departures. That section will also include ticket sa

The message from officials at Wednesday’s third annual State of Sacramento County forum was that things might be tough now, but hard work today is laying the groundwork for prosperity in the future. “We should always question our assumptions that things tomorrow will be as they are today,” said Roger Dickinson, chair of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and State Assemblyman-elect. The Metro Chamber event was held at Sacramento International Airport, and 260 people attended, according to Communications Director Hal Silliman. Dickinson said the $1.08 billion airport expansion – also known as “The Big Build” – is iconic of what is in store for the county and will “inspire us to f

The Old Soul Co. coffeehouse chain isn’t on the list of recommended vendors for the Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B, but company owners are hurriedly gathering signatures on a petition to put before the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors at their meeting Tuesday. At that meeting, the board will make its final decision on which companies will provide food and beverage concessions at the terminal, and Old Soul Co. co-owner Tim Jordan said he hopes to be included. “This is a decade-long contract,” Jordan said. “We feel like our bid was very strong, and we’re the locally owned choice at that.” In the terminal plans, three spaces are going to be used for coffeehouses, J

Don Campbell, a pilot for more than 30-years, took several members of the press thousands of feet in the air Thursday morning. He pointed out different landmarks and roads where the Amgen Tour of California will be held Sunday. The roughly 30-minute flight passed over Auburn, Grass Valley and Nevada City. The number of pilots in the air has been free-falling in the last few years, he said. Campbell, Sierra Vista Aviation founder and flight instructor, said 70 percent of flight students worldwide don't finish their flight training. "It boils down to the economics," he said, adding that completing pilot training can cost up to $7,500. Add that to the cost of fuel at $4.95 per gallon and th

Sacramento Regional Transit has launched a new website devoted to the Downtown-Natomas-Airport light rail line at www.sacrt.com/dna/ During last week's web chat, RT General Manager Mike Wiley said RT is advancing the time schedule for the DNA line completion: "The RT Board of Directors directed staff to accelerate completion of the Downtown-Natomas-Airport (DNA) project as much as possible. We have therefore sped up planning for the project, with an anticipated completion date in 2017 for the connection to the Airport. This would coincide with the completion of the Airport's Terminal B expansion. As a "down payment" on this commitment, RT just this week released a Request for Qualificati