Ad firm buys burned City Grill site

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE:
John Goold, 59, likes what he is seeing in Anderson and plans to turn a derelict burned out shell of the former City Grill Steak House into a mixed use building to house his advertising agency and maybe, even, another steak house restaurant.

Like a mythical phoenix bird, the burned-out shell of the former City Grill Steak House in downtown Anderson may once again rise from the ashes to house a restaurant and other businesses.

At least that is the hope and dream of John Goold, 59, who recently purchased the site as the future home of his full-service advertising agency Cornucopia Enterprises. Goold, who attended Anderson Union High School during his sophomore, junior and senior years prior to earning a General Education Diploma through Shasta Union High School, is president of the family-owned agency.

His partners in the $1 million building project include his son, Tyler Goold, vice president in charge of sales and marketing for Cornucopia Enterprises; his daughter Leah Haws, the firm’s creative director; and her husband, Dennis Haws, the agency’s chief financial officer.

Cornucopia Enterprises was established 15 years ago and currently maintains an office at the Redding Municipal Airport. However, after expanding its facilities and with six full- and part-time employees, Goold’s company is rapidly outgrowing its crowded facilities at the airport office.

Goold intends to retain the outer shell of the building, but add an elevator at the building’s rear and completely rebuild the structure with 6,000 square feet of street-level commercial space — he is currently negotiating with several restaurateurs and hopes to sign a contract soon with someone who can operate a successful steak house — and add another 4,000 square feet of office space on the building’s second floor.

“I would really like to see another steak house here. I think that is what the community wants to see,” said Goold, who plans for his new building to have a modern metal roof and be completely fire safe, complete with a large sprinkler system, unlike the former structure.

“In the next few weeks, we will be completing our second round of plan checks and we hope to have our building permit within the next 60 days,” Goold said as he showed a visitor around the site. “We’re excited to be a part of Anderson, a happening place.”

“We have selected a local contractor, Marvis Husa, who was actually recommended by the property’s former owner, Mario Addegio.”

Cornucopia Enterprises, which also has an affiliate in Los Angeles, handles television, print, radio and bill-board advertising for clients as diverse as the airports in Redding, Chico and Humboldt County and Win-River Casino to the Mt. Shasta Mall, Redding Soccer Park, Shasta District Fairgounds in Anderson, and Granzella’s in Williams, which will reopen in June after a devastating fire in October 2007 destroyed that landmark Colusa County restaurant, tourist stop and an adjoining sports bar that employed nearly 150 people, Goold said.