shopping and services that role brilliantly around these parts since 1968—providing checking and savings accounts as well as home, auto and personal loans, through both its online and mobile banking platforms and at its local branch locations. While most credit unions insure each member up to $250,000, Monterey Credit Union prides itself on going above and beyond that—insuring every account up to $500,000. Best Banker Clarissa Rowe, Monterey County Bank Multiple locations in Monterey County montereycountybank.com Clarissa Rowe is no stranger to this list, which is a testament to the quality of her service and the relationships she’s built over her years in financial services. As vice president and community relations officer for Monterey County Bank, she’s in many ways the face of the oldest locally owned and managed bank in the county, which has specialized in serving local businesses since 1977. You don’t make it that long in any industry without providing quality service, and Rowe continues to be integral to that for the bank. Best CPA CLA (formerly Hayashi Wayland) 1188 Padre Drive, Suite 101, Salinas, (831) 759-6300 26515 Carmel Rancho Blvd., Suite 100, Carmel, (831) 624-5333 415 Broadway St., King City, (831) 3855426 hw-cpa.com John Steinbeck was a novelist, not a numbers guy—although he does have plenty of opinions about money. (“There is no such thing as just enough money,” he wrote in The Winter of Our Discontent. “Only two measures: No Money and Not Enough Money.”) The team at CLA, formerly Hayashi Wayland, also has opinions about money, specifically stewardship and integrity. They understand this is your hard work and that getting the numbers right is critical. They are known for tackling complex accounting problems, and serve a range of clients, from agribusiness to nonprofits—whatever your questions, they will help find answers. Maybe even if your problem is “Not Enough Money.” Best PR Firm The Buzz PR 1320 S. Main St., Suite B, Salinas (831) 747-7455, thebuzzpr.net Don’t make an unscheduled appearance at The Buzz PR’s office—everyone on the team is probably out in the field, meeting with clients, hanging posters, or meeting with journalists to pitch an idea. This is hands-on work from a passionate group. “We have an incredible team—it’s not one person, it’s a team that doesn’t have a lot of ego, everyone works really well together,” says Marci Bracco (technically her title is COO, but she notes the firm avoids titles—something Steinbeck would approve of). “It takes all of us to make it happen.” The “it” is getting a story out there, as a client wants it to be conveyed, so the world can learn about it. And the team at The Buzz is the best at creating, well, buzz. Best Veterinarian Pacific Grove Animal Hospital 1023 Austin Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 318-0306, pacificgroveanimalhospital.com John Steinbeck might have been frustrated after leaving that one veterinarian in Spokane, Washington who failed to treat his traveling companion, Charley. But had he taken the poodle to Dr. Brynie Kaplan Dau of Pacific Grove Animal Hospital, Steinbeck would have had confidence that Charley received the best of care. 52 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2023 mcweekly.com/bestof 9220 Carmel Valley Rd. (831) 626-0680 www.griggsnursery.com Come in for our Customer Appreciation Sale Now through Sunday, 10/1/23 only! 20-50% Off Storewide ’23 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’13 ’14 ’12 ’11 ’10 ’09 ’08 ’21 ’22 Thank you for voting us BEST GARDEN SHOP/ NURSERY for the 16th time!
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