Editor, Jason Schaff I wrote a column a while back asking readers to send in some nominations of local human resources professionals they feel should be honored by the Business Journal at an event and in a special report. Well, we received nearly 90 great nominations. It was extremely hard to narrow it down to just a dozen honorees which were announced at an event on March 3. They’re featured in this human resources report which also focuses on employment law. Thanks for helping us find some of the best HR people around. It’s always gratifying when we get substantial reader response. The Business Journal’s goal is to cover local business as completely as possible and in an interesting way. We try to focus as much as we can on the people who are integral parts of our businesses. As we move forward through 2010, let’s turn our attention to other things that make our businesses thrive. And we need your help again. We’re looking for readers to send in nominations for two upcoming projects we’re working on. We’re looking for some of the Best Non Profits in the area as well as once again the Best Places to Work. Our Not for Profit Leadership Awards special section will be published on May 24 after an event on May 12. Nomination deadline is fast approaching however – April 9. What we’re looking for here and what we’ll be evaluating non-profits on is how effectively these organizations are run. Non-profit organizations are important to our community because of what they do in a social sense, business sense and for education and health care mostly. What’s their role in the business world? They’re very important because they provide great services to the community as a whole. Businesses can’t function effectively unless the community as a whole is doing well. Businesses also give a lot of money to non-profits and they need to know that these organizations are using their funds effectively. Non-profits, in effect, must be run like a business in order to be effective. We’re looking for both effective non-profits and non-profit leaders to honor in May. Go to our website www.sfvbj.com and pull down “EVENTS” to get nomination forms for categories such as “Best Board of Directors,” “Best Chamber of Commerce,” “Best Managed Organization,” Best Fundraising Special Event.” Those categories are for organizations. There are others for individuals involved in Non-Profits. These are “Best Chairman of the Board,” “Best Community Volunteer,” “Best Not for Profit Executive Director/President/CEO,” “Best Not For Profit Manager,” and “Best Not For Profit Volunteer Board Member.” We’re looking for the best of the best — organizations and individuals who exemplify well-run and effective non-profit missions. For the third year in a row, we’re also looking for the Best Places to Work in the area. This Business Journal competition is managed by an outside company that undertakes an objective mathematical process to evaluate companies so a lot more time is needed in the evaluation process. Our event and report is not until August, but companies must register by April 16 with this outside company to be considered as a Best Place to Work. Go to www.bestplacestoworksfv.com to register by the April 16 date. Your company will then be taken through an evaluation process that will definitely be worth your while, I believe. Thanks for your participation and don’t forget the April 9 deadline for the non-profit nominations and the April 16 deadline to register for Best Places to Work. Business Journal Editor Jason Schaff can be reached at (818) 316-3125 or at [email protected].