We’re Here, We’re Home
October 15, 2024
Celebrating Permanency and the Future at Canal Alliance’s New Headquarters
On October 10, Canal Alliance was honored to host several key funders and partners for an inspiring ceremony to inaugurate our new, permanent headquarters building at 711 Grand Avenue in San Rafael.
The evening included live music by Torogoz con Voz, refreshments, tacos, and desserts and flowers by Canal Alliance small business graduates Nadia Montoya and Iris de Leon. Guests enjoyed a robust program in honor of all those who made this project possible and were invited on staff-led tours of Canal Alliance’s new space.
Guests enjoyed a few words from Canal Alliance’s leadership team about what our new headquarters space means to staff, for program growth, and for the Latino community in Marin. Sara Matson, Chief Development Officer; Morris Beazley, Canal Alliance Board President; Omar Carrera, CEO; and Karen Rodriguez, CFO, were all recognized.
As CEO Omar Carrera put it, “This building, our new home, is a testament to the power of strategy and the collective love and support of our community.”
Canal Alliance’s leadership, in turn, honored other essential collaborators in this achievement, including:
The teams that made the renovations and design possible: Rich Storek from Storek Studio Architecture, Bret Matson from Matson Construction Management, Maria Villani from Villani Inc Commercial Space Planning and Design, and Colin Leong from McDevitt Construction Partners.
Dedicated funders of the project were recognized, including Maja Kristin, Mitch and Susan Cohen, Bothin Foundation, The City of San Rafael, The County of Marin, Ginnie and Peter Haas, The Nancy and James Kelso Fund, Marin Community Foundation, and Morris Stulsaft Foundation.
Also honored and acknowledged were project financing partners and investors, who helped Canal Alliance access and leverage New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) to finance this project, including Equity Community Builders, Novogradac & Company LLP, Goldfarb & Lipman LLP, and Unidos US. A few words about the NMTC financing tool and Canal Alliance’s headquarters project were shared by: Adrian Ruiz, Chief Investment Officer, Raza Development Fund; Jalen Marable, Vice President on the New Markets Tax Credit team at JP Morgan Chase.
A few long-standing corporate partners also shared words of support: Marcos Montes of Comcast, Jason Hinson of Starbucks, and Amy Loflin of Bank of America.
Finally, Canal Alliance was honored to count many elected officials among our guests, all of whom shared their words of support and encouragement. Damon Connolly, California State Assemblymember; Dennis Rodoni, Marin County Supervisor, District 4; Kate Colin, Mayor of the City of San Rafael; Gabby Skarka, Representative for Jared Huffman, U.S. Congressman for California’s 2nd District; and Karen Strolia, President & CEO, San Rafael Chamber of Commerce, all took the stage.
