July 16, 2007

Trivia: Beginning in 1864 The California Powder Works converted wood to charcoal, mixed it with sulphur and Peruvian saltpeter and produced blasting powder. This famous Santa Cruz firm supplied a high quality blasting powder to supply the needs of the Civil War and other wars for the U.S. Government. This powder was also used extensively to blast rock to make way for the transcontinental railroad. In 1924 the site was sold to the Masonic Lodge and became today’s Paradise Park.

Real Estate: The median price of a condo in Santa Cruz County hit a high in June of $545,000. The previous high was $550,000 in August, 2006. The highest median price was $572,500 which was reached in January, 2006,

Sales Corner: I saw Chris Gardner speak in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. He wrote his autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, which was a #1 bestseller and then last night I saw the movie (now a rental) which was #1 at the box office. He overcame incredible obstacles to become a top sales person at Dean Witter and then at his own company. Once again there was no secret to his success, he was dedicated, worked hard (making 200 calls per day!) and was passionate about his profession!

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