Jim Lester of Pacific Auto Service Retiring
After nearly 40 years of servicing automobiles and telling stories to his customers, Jim Lester is retiring and closing shop the first week of November.
Always a natural at mechanics, Jim began his automotive training in his teens in 1968 while attending MBHS. He soon began working for E&H Garage in Morro Bay then later at Pacific Motor Imports in San Luis Obispo, and eventually Jim’s Automotive in Morro Bay.
The ocean was Jim’s first love, so, in between mechanics jobs, he did several years of commercial fishing with Art Johnson on the Corregidor out of Morro Bay Harbor. He loved the adventure and hard work, and Art was a great mentor and friend. As Jim’s family grew, he retired from commercial fishing but it was never far from his heart.
In 1984, he ventured out on his own and started Pacific Auto Service in the old Sunland Station on Morro Bay Blvd., now the location of Pacific Premiere Bank. He soon moved to Quintana Road in Morro Bay, and by then his son, Nick, was his trainee, another natural at mechanics. A few years later Jim opened Pacific Offroad for motorcycle enthusiasts, and his son, Charlie, managed that operation.
In 2010, when the auto shop on Los Osos Valley Road in Los Osos became available, he jumped at the chance to work “on the boulevard” as he said. He has enjoyed the central location and the community has treated him well.
Jim says he will miss all his customers who have become more like friends through the years. On his next venture, he will enjoy some well-deserved time while boating, fishing, traveling, and working on his hobbies.
Happy retirement from all of us at Estero Bay News. Thank you for keeping us up and running over the years.
Mustang Media Group Earns 28 National Awards
Cal Poly’s Mustang Media Group took home 28 national awards at the 2021 virtual ceremonies of the Associated College Press (ACP) and the College Media Association (CMA).
Of the 28 total awards, 16 were individual, including advertising, video, digital, print and broadcast journalism. The organization received three first-place awards, four second-place, two third-place, five fourth-place, one sixth-place, one 10th-place, and three honorable mentions from ACP. Among these awards, eight of the 16 were in the Best of Show Category.
Mustang Media Group also received one of the most prestigious awards of the ACP competition: the Online Pacemaker Award, which is judged by coverage and content.
Omar Rashad, senior data and investigations editor at Mustang News, took fourth place for ACP’s Reporter of The Year. “I take journalism really seriously, and I’m humbled and honored to be recognized at the national level alongside other student journalists I deeply admire,” Rashad said.
Mustang Media Group took home eight total awards from CMA, including four first-place, two third-place, and two honorable mentions.
“I can’t express how proud I am of the efforts across the board,” Mustang Media Group General Manager Jon Schlitt said. “This past year, they had to do their work for the most part virtually and under the most extreme of circumstances, so to see these efforts gain such national recognition is outstanding. To see the team win the Pacemaker award is truly amazing. It reflects the cumulative effort of all of their hard work since the pandemic began and shows that said work was truly among the very best in the nation.”
SLO Chamber Looking for Citizen of the Year
Know someone who has contributed selflessly to the SLO community over the past two years? The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the 2020/2021 Citizen of the Year Award.
This honor is the sole award given at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner in recognition of outstanding and unselfish service to our community. This year’s unique combined award will honor one recipient who was the Citizen of the Year for both 2020 and 2021.
Anyone may be nominated who lives or works in the San Luis Obispo area; however, only Chamber members may nominate someone.
Those who submitted nominations last year for the 2020 Citizen of the Year will have their submissions rolled over for consideration this year. Members are also welcome to update their nominations from last year or submit new nominations for the combined award.
Review the eligibility and selection criteria at https://bit.ly/3mmfkIL, which includes the list of previous Citizen of the Year award recipients, before nominating as well as a voting form.
The deadline is Friday, November 19 at midnight. Finalists are chosen by Chamber volunteers, and the winner is selected by the Chamber Board of Directors.
Note that the nomination and selection process is entirely confidential. The Chamber asks members to keep their nomination private so feelings are spared should your nominee not be selected for the award. Likewise, the SLO Chamber will keep all nominations confidential, even after the winner has been chosen.
The winner’s identity will be kept closely guarded until the announcement by this year’s sponsor at the SLO Chamber’s 116th Annual Dinner on Saturday, January 15, 2022.
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