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Did you say Central Valley or Silicon Valley?
The Central Valley isn’t quite Silicon Valley but there are thousands of high-tech jobs in the region, according to a report released Tuesday by AeA (http://www.aeanet.org), a trade association of high tech companies formerly known as the American Electronics Association.
Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton and Sacramento have enough people holding jobs with high-tech companies to make the report’s list as California “cybercities” although the Silicon Valley remains the heart of the nation’s high tech industry with 215,000 tech workers.
Statewide, more than 900,000 Californians are employed by high tech industries ranging from semiconductors to software, says the report, which bases its figures on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data from 2004, the latest available.
Fresno and Bakersfield, although much smaller in the numbers employed, are described as among California’s fastest-growing cybercities. “From 1999 to 2004, both the Fresno and Riverside-San Bernardino metro areas experienced tech industry employment growth exceeding 16 percent,” the report says. “Fresno experienced the largest percent growth in its tech industry payroll, a 32 percent rise between 1999 and 2004, for a total of $266 million.”
With 324 companies identified as high tech, Fresno had 5,064 jobs in the sector, the report says. The average high-tech annual wage was $52,496, compared to Fresno County’s overall average of $29,105.
Within the Central Valley, according to AeA’s figures, the Sacramento metro area is the high-tech giant, employing 42,182 with an average annual wage of $72,495. The report says the Sacramento area had 1,791 high tech companies in 2004. For more information, please visit
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com.
RJI collaborative celebrates halfway mark!
June 15, 2006 marked the halfway point of the five-year Regional Jobs Initiative. With two and a half years to go, partners in the RJI collaborative are more encouraged than ever that the goals outlined in the RJI implementation plan are within reach. Priorities for the next phase of implementation include industrial park development, continued progress on customer service, launching many of the cluster-led “centers of excellence,” full development of the tourism cluster, completion of Phase I of the International Center for Water Technology, launching the nation’s first USA Entrepreneur Competition (a $250k business plan competition), continued collaboration with the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, and many other activities and initiatives. There are literally hundreds of business, non-profit, public and elected leaders involved in various facets of the RJI collaborative. Thank you for your commitment to implementing the RJI plan. We have much to look forward to because of your investment of time and energy.
Valley successfully comes together for $5m for the California Partnership.
On Friday, June 30, Governor Schwarzenegger signed the 2006-07 budget, which includes a $5 million investment in the implementation of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley’s strategic action proposal. Governor Schwarzenegger proposed seed funding for the Partnership in his May budget revision. After the budget committee removed the funding, the Valley delegation and leaders from throughout the region pushed to reinstate the funding. The region’s advocacy efforts were successful, and the funding was restored. Many thanks to those who sent e-mails, faxes, and phone calls to the legislature expressing their support for the work of the Partnership.
Clovis Technopolis, or TC3, receives Council support and funding.
Technopolis Clovis Core Committee (TC3) has received the Clovis City Council’s green light to continue its work to transform Clovis into an internationally known technology hub. Along with the council’s green light, TC3 also received green of another sort-- funding for Phase III of its plan, which includes organizing and hosting an advanced technology conference set for late 2007. The conference will serve to showcase the city’s potential to technology-based individuals and companies and will introduce a new population base to the Clovis way of life—with a techno twist. “We believe this process is the ticket to making that happen,” said TC3 consultant Nancy Key of Key Writing Concepts, Inc. The conference is one piece of a larger plan that TC3 has been working on since August 2005. The larger scope of the TC3 plan is to attract a core of research and technology industries to facilitate a “technopolis” environment in Clovis which would offer higher paying jobs, and opportunities for higher education.
The concept of Clovis as a technopolis is not new. “In 1996, when we started looking at our Research and Technology Park, far more people knew where Clovis, New Mexico was than where we are. We moved forward and that’s now in place” said Mike Dozier, Clovis Community and Economic Development Director, adding that as out-of-town company representatives toured Clovis as a possible expansion site, “they came here and were pleasantly surprised at what they saw.”
Communications Directory available soon.
Over the past two months, the RJI has been in contact with its many community partners to conduct a survey about the types of tools they use to communicate with the public. The project is near completion, and within the next week a Communications Directory will be distributed to all of those who participated. It is our hope that the directory will help facilitate better internal communications within the Fresno region. If your organization wishes to be included, please contact Allyson Robison at arobison@csufresno.edu.
Bulldog Fund launches.
Bulldog Capital Partners LLP, also known as the Bulldog Fund, has formally launched and will invest in start-up and early stage companies located in the San Joaquin Valley. The Fund is seeking additional capital commitments during the next few months in order to reach its goal of $2.5 million in total capital commitments. Managed by Fairview Management I, LLC, the Bulldog Fund will support new companies that can benefit from the advantages of the excellent infrastructure, labor base, educational facilities and geographical location of the San Joaquin Valley. From more information, contact Fairview Management principal, R. Stephen Heinrichs at 775-691-2217.
Fresno-based SJV Technology Group featured in Bay Area newsletter.
SJV Technology Group, LLC, a founding member of the Software Cluster, was recently featured in a Bay Area newsletter published by IdeaBlade that is distributed to over 10,000 people each month. As June’s “DevForce Success Story,” SJV Tech told the story of the development of their new TripApp application developed for Classic Charter using the .Net application DevForce. SJV Tech is a business process consulting and custom software development firm that helps customers leverage technology in order to capitalize on business potential. To view the IdeaBlade Newsletter, please visit www.ideablade.com/news.html.
Jobs Committee Hearing on Microenterprises comes to Fresno.
The Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy will hold a hearing July 26, 2006, in Fresno to examine the state's role in promoting microenterprise development. Microenterprises are businesses with five or fewer employees, which account for 88% of all businesses in California. Chairman Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) has called the hearing to focus on how state agencies should work together to serve microentrepreneurs, the role of regional collaboration, case studies of successful entrepreneurs, and the particular needs of microenterprise programs in rural areas.
The hearing is being held in partnership with the California Association for Microenterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), a statewide association dedicated to furthering microenterprise development in California. The hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the chambers of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. For more information about the hearing, such as directions and an agenda, visit www.assembly.ca.gov/arambula, or call the Jobs Committee office at (916) 319-2090.
Fresno City Council votes to support $250k business plan competition.
Last month, Fresno City Council members voted in favor of making a $100,000 contribution to the “$250,000 Entrepreneur USA Business Plan Competition,” contingent on an equal match from the private sector. The funds contributed by the City will help market Fresno as an innovative and entrepreneurial city on a national scale through media and a Web site. Fresno is the first city in the country to host this type of competition and by showing that the region is open to entrepreneurial activity it will attract more entrepreneurs and investors. The advertising campaign will begin in February 2007 with the final competition taking place in May 2007. If you would like to contribute or get more information, please contact Genelle Taylor at the Lyles Center at 559-294-2045.
Thank you to the many businesses who have already contributed: BennettFrost Personnel Services, California Business Furnishings, the Central Valley Business Incubator, Comerica Bank, Generation Homes, Janzen IdeaCorp, K-Jewel, Kaiser Permanente, the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Manco Abbott Commercial, Professional Exchange Service Corporation, Walter Law Group and Wawona Frozen Foods.
Fresno County Tourism Workshop a success!
On July 20, over thirty community leaders interested in Tourism attended a luncheon and workshop to discuss the future of tourism in Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley. The workshop featured a presentation from and discussion with Caroline Beteta, Executive Director of the California Travel and Tourism Commission, an update from CalTrans on Highway 99, information about the Central Valley Tourism Association, and a discussion of the activities of the Fresno County Office of Tourism as well as the Fresno Convention and Visitors Bureau, both of which are helping to lead the RJI’s Tourism cluster. Participants plan on scheduling a regional tourism summit to help unite the Valley’s tourism efforts.
ICWT/CVBI building to be completed by mid-November.
The above picture of the new ICWT building’s test pit is a sign that clustering works. To be completed in mid-November, the new facilities for the International Center for Water Technology developed from industry and university collaboration in the region’s first industry cluster: Water Technology. The new testing and certification facilities will house ICWT and new CVBI offices dedicated to water and energy business incubation.
New Valley Times 2006 Community Report copies still available.
Copies of The New Valley Times 2006 Community Report are available for organizations trying to promote the Fresno region. The Report shows how much progress our region is making and can be a great tool for recruitment, fundraising and other activities. Please contact Allyson Robison at 559-294-6025 or arobison@csufresno.edu for more information.
FCASH Monthly Profile: Fresno Cultural Arts District Association.
The Fresno Cultural Arts District Association (CADA) is the first formal district association in Fresno and encompasses the area south of Divisadero and bordered by the Southern Pacific Railroad Tracks and Tuolumne Avenue. CADA’s mission is to promote the wellbeing of the area through focusing attention on streetscape, zoning, graffiti abatement, rental rates, business recruitment, collaborative events, homelessness, martini mixers, newsletters and everything else in between. The District includes artists art displays and venues for those interested in the arts. Three committees have been formed to move the District’s goals forward: Communications & Promotions, Economic Restructure, and Physical Design. For more information, call 559-233-2000 ext. 127 or email susank@onebyoneleadership.com.
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