Author Archives: James Hackett

Cruzio’s Open House Extravaganza 6.0: A Resounding Success

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Last Friday, thousands of excited people partied with us in our coworking and technology hub at this year’s Cruzio Open House Extravaganza 6.0. Community members sipped complimentary beverages, danced to fantastic tunes and enjoyed delicious food as they admired the wonderful work our Cruzioworks members do every day. Let’s take a quick tour:

Cruzio's own Ani Zickuhr's animated depictions of cats lined the walls.

Cruzio’s own Ani Zickuhr’s animated depictions of cats lined the walls.

Cruzio welcomed art enthusiasts, as visitors browsed pieces by local artists Doug Ross, Verna Knapp and Cruzio’s own Marketing Associate, Ani Zickuhr. Ani’s pride and joy, her adorably animated depictions of cats, lit up the entry wall, welcoming our guests into the party.

Through the door into our atrium, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and our fantastic Cruzio volunteers were pouring up delicious free local brews and wine for all of our beloved community members.  Their India Pale Ale was particularly tasty, and very popular with everyone who had a sip.

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Community members gather to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the OHE

From there, guests walked into the Cruzioworks main event space, where our works members showed off their passions, projects and professions. Visitors could hear from city council candidate Robert Singleton, get advice from co-active life coach Karen Gray, and learn about the potential future of a light rail in Santa Cruz county from Colin Young, Tom Padula and Autumn Cardone–all of whom are Cruzioworks members.

And of course, we were on hand to talk about fiber internet in Santa Cruz, and how all of us can take part in bringing the future of internet into their communities. (hint: the survey here is a good place to start!)

Lisa and Alana educate visitors on the benefits of fiber internet at the Cruzio booth

Lisa and Alana educate visitors on the benefits of fiber internet at the Cruzio booth

When hunger struck, guests could head out back. There, the Ate3One food truck, coordinated by local and wildly popular food truck company Food Trucks-a-Go-Go, was serving up delicious meals like Philly Cheesesteaks, Naughty Fries, and Garlic Shrimp tacos.

Brian is ready to enjoy a delicious Philly Cheesesteak at the Ate3One Food Truck.

Brian is ready to enjoy a delicious Philly Cheesesteak at the Ate3One Food Truck.

Throughout the evening, everyone in the building was enjoying the smooth sounds of the always fantastic bluegrass band Full Moon Rooster. And in the band was Cruzio Team Member, and Field Operations Lead (we all like to have a wide array of abilities here at the office!), Ariel Carter showing off her wonderful talent.

Full Moon Rooster played bluegrass tunes all night long

Full Moon Rooster played bluegrass tunes all night long

The event was a spectacularly fun evening. As everyone shuffled out the door, their laughs echoed through the halls. Another fantastic OHE gone by.

The Cruzio crew celebrates a successful night.

The Cruzio crew celebrates a successful night.

One last thing: we want to give a tremendous thank you to Alana, Brian, Ani, Andrew, Robert, Natalie and Shannon. They’re the Cruzio staffers who worked hard all night, and helped to make this event a reality. That’s the crew from left to right in the picture above.

Not pictured above is Andrew’s mom Lisa, who was instrumental in helping us with everything from cleanup to running booths. Thank you Lisa!

And a special shout-out to Andrew, who’s hard work and determination was integral in making this event happen. Without his blood, sweat and tears, the OHE wouldn’t have been half the event we all enjoyed.

Andrew makes his eloquent speech at the end of the night.

Andrew makes his eloquent speech at the end of the night.

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Cruzio staffers Colin, Alex, Dave and Ali take kick back and enjoy the night

Cruzio staffers Colin, Alex, Dave and Ali kick back and enjoy the night

Cruzio Holds Community Party at Open House Extravaganza 6.0

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On First Friday November 4th, get ready to party with Cruzio and our Works members at our Open House Extravaganza 6.0. If you’re looking for rockin’ music, exceptional art, free drinks and fascinating people–we’ll have all of that for you and more. We don’t call it an extravaganza for no reason.

For the 6th straight year, you can party with some of the best local businesses and entrepreneurs, who’ll show off the innovative work they do every day here in the high-octane Cruzioworks community. And it’ll all be happening in our beautiful coworking and technology hub in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz.

If you’re looking for inspiration from art, local award-winning artist Doug Ross will park his vintage trailer near our building’s front door. Inside, he’ll show his unique brand of art, which has been featured everywhere from the New York Times to the Royal Bank of Canada. In the building there’ll be lots more art from local artists, so be sure to peruse as you sip.

Also in Cruzioworks, Joanna Nelson of LandSea Science will be on hand to discuss her years of experience and current work protecting our beautiful and precious Monterey Bay from climate change. And co-active life coach Karen Gray will spin her Wheel-of-Life to show you a snapshot of your life, and give you insight into how you can achieve balance and satisfaction.

These are only a few of the interesting exhibits that’ll be featured at this year’s event. You’ll be sure to find even more creative Cruzioworks members showcasing the work and art they do every day in Santa Cruz.

Even with all of these extraordinary exhibits, we know it wouldn’t be a party without food, music, and drinks. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

If you arrive thirsty,  the award-winning Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery will be pouring free certified organic draft beverages all night. And if you’ve got an eye for food, come grab a bite to eat at local food trucks parked right outside.

While you’re here, you can also enjoy the sounds of bluegrass band Full Moon Rooster, which includes our very own award winning Field Ops technician,  Ariel Carter!

And if you’re interested in the future of blazing-fast internet in Santa Cruz, we will be talking about our Santa Cruz Fiber initiative and giving a sneak peak into our plans to bring gigabit internet to your neighborhood.

All of this is only a piece of what you’ll find at this year’s OHE. We look forward to seeing you very soon on November 4th, for First Friday’s Open House Extravaganza 6.0!

Cruzio Was at the Indie Business Expo

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Last night at the Coconut Grove, Think Local First hosted its Indie Business Expo. We saw many current customers and had a few inquires taken to find out more about Cruzio Internet. We met many more who unfortunately can’t yet get our services, but who are in areas that are on our radar for future installations such as Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting in Watsonville. If everything goes through with Watsonville Community Hospital, many more business like Hidden Fortress in that area will soon have access to the fastest local internet.img_2502copy-of-img_2520copy-of-img_2528copy-of-img_2517

The Expo was extremely successful with a long line even before doors opened. We saw some familiar faces; Allterra Solar and Good Times were stationed and ready for the bustling crowd of local business goers.

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This was a fantastic opportunity for us to promote the Fiber Project. With only months away from breaking ground in the first neighborhood, interest is growing steadily. We had a multitude of questions about Fiber! Many visitors to our station certainly wanted to know how long it would take for us to get Fiber out to them, and, conveniently, a number of these individuals lived between downtown and Mission St – a great area to be talking about Fiber as they are closer to our initial neighborhood for Fiber implementation.

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A big thank you to Think Local First for the opportunity to showcase our services at the event. As always, a fun time and a brilliant event for local businesses like Cruzio to promote what we all do for our community.copy-of-img_2515

All-Inclusive Office Space is Available at Cruzio!

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Welcome to the future of full-service office space at gigabit speed, where almost everything is taken care of for you. Located in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz in the Cruzio building, convenience and accessibility are just the start of why our tenants love being here.

We have the rare opportunity of a mid-size space coming available September 1st. 529 square feet and optionally furnished with beautiful Herman Miller desks. There is a coworking facility in a nearby part of the building, with a wonderful community of local professional people — great for conversations over coffee and networking. We were sad to see our last long-term tenants go and are looking for a minimum commitment of 24 months, with lower pricing options available depending on the length of the lease.

Some amenities included in the price:

  • Gigabit (1000 Mbps) lightning fast internet, both wifi and wired, at no extra cost (the fastest internet in the county)
  • Access to coworking facility, including on-site networking events and meet-ups
  • Two break rooms
  • Weekly light cleaning of your office
  • Trash and recycling pick-up
  • Utilities included
  • Private entrance from building’s main hallway
  • Recently renovated, beautifully appointed interiors
  • Yearly building-wide Open House event sponsored by lessor
  • Located in the heart of downtown, the technology hub of Santa Cruz
  • 20 hours of meeting time included in a choice of 3 fully-equipped meeting rooms
  • Onsite parking
  • Excellent networking opportunities with over 30 local companies
  • On site organic cafe
  • Friendly staff on site


Sound like a great fit? Great! We would love to hear from you! Stop by for a tour or contact us for more information. 

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Cruzio announces start of Santa Cruz Fiber project

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Cruzio announces start of Santa Cruz Fiber project, Santa Cruz CA

July 19th, 2016 — Cruzio Internet announced today that they will begin construction of the Santa Cruz Fiber internet network immediately. The gigabit speed, fiberoptic network is being built in collaboration with the City of Santa Cruz and has the goal of providing affordable, next-generation broadband to every home and business in the city.

“We could not be more excited to finally be breaking ground,” declared Cruzio’s President and co-founder Peggy Dolgenos. “True, cutting-edge, locally-operated internet is always a goal, and now that goal is closer than ever.”

Cruzio Internet and the City of Santa Cruz have been developing plans to build out a high-speed network for the past two years with various financing options. Spurring the project forward, and demonstrating the construction methods and business model involved, Cruzio is taking the bold step of initiating this first “neighborhood” — covering around 1,000 homes in the downtown area — independently.

“The best way to demonstrate how successful this network can be is to just start building it,” said Cruzio’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Chris Neklason. “The City Council and staff have been fantastically encouraging and we decided the time was right to take that encouragement and put it into action.”

Starting this fall, Cruzio engineers will program and install the hardware necessary to “light up” the gigabit speeds. At the same time, construction crews will move through the neighborhood installing the backbone fiber path, and connections to the homes of anyone who has signed up.

“We’re thrilled about the low price we can offer City residents,” continued Dolgenos. “We are aiming for $50 per month for gigabit internet — one of the lowest prices in the whole country. This is not an elite service, we want to make it affordable to as many people as possible.”

One gigabit per second, or 1000 megabits per second, is 10-100 times faster than the next best service available in the City and is the same level of service available in Google Fiber markets.

“Cruzio has already proven they lead the way with a gigabit-class wireless network,” said J. Guevara, City of Santa Cruz Economic Development Manager. “Now we get to see the first step for Santa Cruz Fiber by providing fast and affordable internet in Downtown Santa Cruz at an unbeatable price.” The City of Santa Cruz and Cruzio continue to explore how to expand the network throughout the city.

To learn more about Gigabit Broadband and to get your building connected, visit gigabit.cruzio.com. To learn more about Santa Cruz Fiber, visit santacruzfiber.com.

About Cruzio

Cruzio, founded, run, and wholly owned by residents of Santa Cruz, is one of the largest independent internet service providers in California and a registered Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) with a significant market share (about 9,000 households and businesses) in Santa Cruz County. Established in 1989, Cruzio connects businesses and residences around Santa Cruz County and parts of the Bay Area with multi-gigabit fiber internet, business-grade wireless internet, and other internet and web services. Our beautiful headquarters in downtown Santa Cruz serve as an Internet Exchange Point and data center, with colocation, flexible office space and coworking for startups and small businesses.
www.cruzio.com

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Santa Cruz Fiber Project on Track to Break Ground in Early 2017

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Since the City council voted unanimously to move forward with Gigabit-to-the-home fiber in January, we’ve been working non-stop on the Santa Cruz Fiber Project. In fact we’ve been so busy with it we’ve been totally neglectful in keeping everyone updated. We’ll be sure to post regular updates from here on out.

So what’s been happening since? Lots!

Firstly, and most importantly, we’ve been locked away in our Santa Cruz Fiber Project underground bunker with our partners at the City, engaging in high-level cogitation, extreme fine-tuning and the general hashing out of every little detail of the project and the agreement. This is a BIG project and we want to make sure we’re doing everything right. They say you should measure twice and cut once. Well, with this project we’re measuring a dozen times before that first cut. It’s that important. We’re making great progress and still absolutely expect to be breaking ground as we roll into 2017.

We’re also meeting with as many fiber electronics manufacturers, construction companies, engineers and designers as we can. At Cruzio we’ve been building and running broadband networks since before there were broadband networks, but there’s always room to learn more about the next wave of tech. The companies we’re talking to are on the cutting edge of fiber-to-the-premise deployments nationwide. We’ve talked to the designers, owners and suppliers for many of the biggest, most successful (and not so much) networks in the country. We’re determined to make sure that Santa Cruz’s network is the absolute best.

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Speaking of information gathering, a couple of weeks ago Cruzio’s project team, and the City of Santa Cruz’s team, all headed out for a week in Austin, Texas for the Broadband Communities Summit 2016. Everyone who is anyone in community broadband was there. We all learned a ton, met some great people and got lots and lots of encouragement from folks building the same kinds of community-owned broadband networks all over the country. It was pretty inspiring to hear from all those community leaders and it felt great to get some props for the way we’re approaching the Santa Cruz Fiber Project.

Austin, Texas Broadband Communities Summit Broadband Communities Summit

We also got major kudos out in Austin because it happened to coincide with the announcement of more Gigabit goodness in Santa Cruz. Cruzio and the City have teamed up with Siklu wireless to jump start the Gigabit project by serving 17 community, residential and business sites with Siklu’s gigabit, millimeter-wave wireless hardware. This is the first project of its kind in the country and we couldn’t be happier to get this quick an easy win for the city. You can read all about the project here and here.

That’s it for now. Thanks to everyone for all the support so far. In the summer, we plan to open up for pre-signups and we’ll want as many folks as possible to commit to the service and help us plan out the schedule of the build. The first people on board will be guaranteed service faster than anyone else. And, most importantly, the more people who sign up quickly, the lower the cost will be for every single subscriber.

Thanks again. Go Go Gigabit!

Santa Cruz City Council Approves City-Wide Fiber Internet Network

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Santa Cruz Mayor, Don Lane, called the vote the “Main Event” for the City Council meeting that took place on Thursday, December 9th.

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Santa Cruz Economic Development Manager, J. Guevara, and Economic Development Director Bonnie Lipscomb first addressed the stages behind the project and what involvement would be needed from the city.

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Speaking for Cruzio and discussing the importance and benefits of gigabit Internet was their co-CEO, Peggy Dolgenos.

The floor was opened up for other speakers and a few people from the community stepped up and showed their support. Afterward, the City Council expressed their thoughts, all showing support for the project. The vote was unanimous to proceed with the Santa Cruz fiber project.

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More details to come!

Cruzioworks Celebrates Community with 5th Annual Open House Extravaganza!

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Date: November 6th
Time: 6pm-9pm
Where: 877 Cedar St. #150, Santa Cruz

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On Friday November 6th get ready for a First Friday party as Cruzio and our Works members celebrate with another Open House Extravaganza. We’re kind of renowned for throwing wild parties and this year’s looks like it’ll once again dazzle and amaze. Cruzio has been a part of the local Santa Cruz scene since 1989 and Cruzioworks began on its journey in 2011 in the fully refurbished former Santa Cruz Sentinel building.

The Open House Extravaganza is first and foremost a showcase of the local businesses, freelancers, and entrepreneurs that work hard every day in the Cruzioworks community and would love to share their experiences with you.

Choice Provisions, an award winning local video game company behind such titles as the “Bit Trip” series and “Woah Dave!” will be rockin’ the party! Game designer Mike Roush promises guests can “play our video game arcade of games made in the heart of Santa Cruz.” Also featured at their table will be the brand new “Tharsis” which promises to be a “turn-based, realistic space strategy game. With dice. And cannibalism.” Now that’s a party!

TōTel Communications, Santa Cruz’s go-to telecom company, will be in attendance and on hand to answer any and all questions. They provide VoIP, digital voice phone service over your Internet connection, for local business in the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Area and in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Learn about healthy fats in your diet from global expert, author, and registered dietitian nutritionist, Gretchen Vannice. Check out her newest book on The Good Fat, a simple overview of fat in our food. Stop being confused about fat! Can bacon, butter, fish, and walnuts co-exist in a healthy diet? Learn how 5 calories a day could save your life.

Expect to see a lot of other fantastic community members share what they do with the general public in what is shaping up to be the party of the year.

This isn’t our first rodeo here at Cruzio Internet, and as such we realize that you can’t have a great party without great music, food and drink.

Headlining the event is the chaotic, melodic, and psychedelic funk band known only as The Redlight District.

Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery, an award winning, local, certified organic brewery, will be pouring free draft beverages. A taco truck will be serving steamy and spicy plates for a small fee. And because you can’t have dinner without dessert, Aunt Lali’s ice cream and espresso will be available for purchase.

During last year’s event, the whole town was lit up with our peerless Cruzio swag, so if freebies are the key to your heart, look no further. There’ll be tons more going on at this year’s OHE so stay tuned for more information coming up. We can’t wait to see all your beautiful glowing faces at our First Friday: Open House Extravaganza — we hope to welcome you to our beautiful building very soon!

 

O’Neill Cold Water Classic 2015

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Working hard by the ocean.

Working hard by the ocean.

Cruzio loves Santa Cruz and that means we love surfing! This past weekend, surfer from all over the world descended on Santa Cruz for the longest-running surf event in Northern California, the O’Neill Cold Water Classic!  It’s a Santa Cruz tradition and, as we have for the past several years, Cruzio was on the scene helping make it all happen. Thanks to our awesome tech team everyone at the event was able to stay connected, and folks unable to attend could stream the whole thing live online. Check out some photos we managed to snap while out at the Cold Water Classic 2015.

Camera crew getting the shots for those who couldn't be here!

Camera crew getting the shots for those who couldn’t be here!

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Happy Friday!

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Happy Friday to all you Cruzio folks out there! Here’s some fun events happening around your neighborhood this weekend!

1. First Friday Art Tour

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August 7, 2015

Happening every first Friday of the month, First Friday is an independent event designed to support a strong cultural environment through the promotion of Artists. Managed in conjunction with the participating Art venues, First Friday is a free event for enthusiastic Art Goers and an opportunity for our many talented Artists to exhibit and promote their work.

For more info. visit: http://firstfridaysantacruz.com/

 

2. California Beer Festival Santa Cruz

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August 7, 2015 – August 9, 2015

Happening at the Aptos Park, Saturday is Craft Beer Heaven with over 85 craft beers on tap, food, bocce ball and live entertainment. Sunday bring the family, blankets and chairs for the hamburger and hops music festival.

Best hamburgers, gourmet & fusion sliders, craft beer and an amazing live entertainment lineup.

Kids 12 and under are FREE. There is no beer sampling on Sunday but beer and food available for purchase.

For tickets and more info. visit: CaliforniaBeerFestival.com

 

3. Church Street FairChurch

August 8, 2015 – August 9, 2015  11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Music and art all day for two days, Saturday and Sunday August 8th and 9th. There will be food, an array of music,  a crafts tent for kids, and lots of artwork!

For more info. visit: http://cabrillomusic.org/church-street-fair/

 

4. Santa Cruz Shakespeare 2015 Summer Festival

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June 30, 2015 – August 30, 2015

Santa Cruz Shakespeare brings to life professional, thought-provoking & passionate shakespearean theater. This season features: Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, The Liar and Fringe Show: The Rover (This weekend is the opening for The Liar). Performances take place in the Sinsheimer-Stanley Festival Glen in the Santa Cruz redwoods, one of the most beautiful theater venues in the nation.

For tickets and more info. visit: SantaCruzShakespeare.org

 

5. Cabrillo Music Festival 

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August 2, 2015 – August 16, 2015

Plan your Festival Experience with the Cabrillo Music Festival, including your choice of concerts, talks, meetups and more! During the first two weeks of August each year, audiences are joined by both preeminent and emerging composers, an orchestra of dedicated professional musicians and renowned guest artists from across the globe to give voice to works which are rarely more than a year or two old.

For tickets and more info. visit: CabrilloMusic.org