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2006 significant year for RJI - much work still ahead.
More than 250 people attended the RJI Annual Meeting last Friday to receive an update on job growth for 2006 and what lies ahead in 2007. RJI leaders are pleased with the initiative’s results but know the next two years will be vital to achieving its overall goals. “The efforts of the RJI partners are paying off, but now we must address the single, largest challenge of all – preparing our workforce with the skills they need to fill the jobs,” said Ashley Swearengin, RJI COO. “We are pleased to report that we are lined up on the track – now we need to reinforce our connection and get the train moving.” To download the 2006 RJI Annual Report, click HERE.
2007 Agenda for Economic, Human & Community Development released.
As a part of the RJI annual meeting last week, the stakeholders involved in the RJI collaborative jointly released a "2007 Agenda" outlining major economic, human and community development priorities for 2007. The Agenda includes 25 major items from launching the Human Investment Initiative and expanding industrial park capacity to developing a comprehensive strategy for trails, open space and parks and improving support for technology commercialization in the market. To download the agenda, click HERE.
WET Incubator announces first three on-site members.
The Claude Laval Water and Energy Technology Incubator has announced its first three on-site members – PureSense Environmental, Inc., WorldWater & Power Corp. and Full Circle Energy, Inc. The companies are slated to move in and be up and running by early March. Two more companies will be invited to join in the near future. “We are delighted with the quality of these first three clients,” said Program Director Gary Schulz. “They set the bar for our final two clients to be selected within the next few weeks. Our economic development efforts through the entrepreneurship of these companies will be exciting to watch.”
The WET Incubator, located at California State University, Fresno, will be home to five start-up or early-stage businesses specializing in water or energy technology. The developing businesses will have a wide variety of services available to them to dramatically increase their potential for growth, success and job creation. The Central Valley Business Incubator and Fresno State’s International Center for Water Technology are partners in the WET Incubator.
For more information on the three companies, please visit www.FresnoRJI.org/news.
PCV offers CEO Forum to RJI cluster companies.
All cluster companies are invited to attend the next CEO Forum offered by Pacific Community Ventures: “Is Your Strategy Understood?: Using Management Controls to Implement Your Strategy.” This workshop will address key questions like: How do you develop a working business strategy? What key business drivers and measurements should you use to measure the success of your strategy? How do you implement this strategy and help others in your organization to understand and follow this strategy? Workshop participants will have the opportunity to explore in a practical, hands-on environment, how to improve their ability to develop business strategy and related key drivers and measurements. In addition, participants will learn key tactics to their your organization understand and follow this strategy. The CEO Forum will be presented and facilitated by Doug Morgan of Morgan & Company, a strategy and resource alignment and implementation consulting group.
CEO Forums are interactive leadership workshops for a group of 20-30 individuals, designed with PCV-advised company owner’s interests and needs in mind. The Forums are provided at nominal cost and serve as an excellent setting to network and receive support and feedback from industry experts and your peers.
Space is limited, so contact Tracewell Hanrahan at thanrahan@pcvmail.org if you are interested in attending.
Is your business eligible for Fresno's Municipal Restoration Zone benefits?
The City of Fresno Municipal Restoration Zone (MRZ) is an exciting business incentive designed to promote job creation in Fresno’s urban core. If you are eligible, you can take advantage of the following benefits:
- Business License Refunds
- Hiring Credits
- Building Permit Fees and Entitlement Fee Reductions
- Sales and Use Tax/Real Property Tax Refunds
The MRZ contains all properties within Fresno City limits south of McKinley Avenue and west of Peach Avenue. This program is scheduled to run for 15 years, so remember – if you don’t qualify today, you may in the future. If you experience a qualifying event sometime down the road, contact the City of Fresno Economic Development Department for an application.
If you would like more information on the Municipal Restoration Zone, go to www.FresnoEZ.com, or contact Melodee Schwamb at Melodee.Schwamb@fresno.gov or 559.621.8366.
Larry Fortune appointed to California Workforce Investment Board.
Larry Fortune, Fresno County Workforce Investment Board Chairman, was appointed on Friday, February 16, to the California Workforce Investment Board by Governor Schwarzenegger. Larry has been a member of the Fresno County WIB for five years and the chairman since August 2004. His experience and knowledge will now benefit the state board that is responsible for assisting the Governor perform the duties and responsibilities required by the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998. We are happy to have such a valuable representative of Fresno working on State workforce issues. Congratulations, Larry!
RJI and Pacific Community Ventures form partnership.
Pacific Community Ventures is a non-profit community and economic development organization that helps small businesses (typically $250K - $10M in annual revenue) in traditionally overlooked areas to gain access to capital, business advice, and critical business resources that will accelerate company growth. To accomplish this, PCV provides a suite of strategic business development services to qualified growth companies. This suite of services includes a series of executive education workshops called CEO Forums, a one-on-one business advising program and networking events.
The RJI/PCV Partnership enables all cluster companies access to CEO Forums and qualified companies access to the business advising program and networking events. CEO Forums focus on developing leadership and management capacity at the highest level. They provide a forum in which the CEOs can address real business challenges using new insights and frameworks. The CEO Forum also serves as a setting in which CEOs can receive support, feedback, and advice from their peers within the PCV network.
To find out more about the programs available, contact Tracewell Hanrahan at thanrahan@pcvmail.org or 559-347-3910. You also can check out the Web site at www.pacificcommunityventures.org.
New City of Fresno Film and Entertainment Commissioner makes strides.
Fresno’s new Film and Entertainment Commissioner, Ray Arthur, is busy promoting filming opportunities specific to the City of Fresno including the unique scenery, diversity of locations and cultures as well as the lower cost of doing business locally. The economic benefits of the Film and Entertainment Commission will be realized as jobs are created when local crews and talent are hired and goods and services are rented or purchased during their productions. Arthur is working on a new film permitting policy that will streamline future film production in Fresno, create a higher level of safety for all parties concerned, and potentially create some additional incentives for Hollywood to do more business in the City. In addition, the Film and Entertainment Commission’s Web site will be launched in April 2007. For more information, contact Ray Arthur, Film and Entertainment Commissioner, at ray.arthur@fresno.gov or 559.621.8358.
Business matchmaking event to be held August 31.
The City of Fresno Economic Development Department’s inaugural Business Matchmaking and Networking event will be held August 31, 2007. The event will match small and diversity-owned businesses with federal, state and local government agencies and large corporations that have actual contract opportunities. This event is specifically tailored to assist existing small, woman-owned or minority-owned businesses, including small manufacturers that are prepared for the challenges of doing business with government agencies and large corporations. Planning for the event is under way with the following partnering agencies as part of the planning committee: Specialized Printing and Promotions, Inc., Fresno Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Fresno County Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Administration, CalTrans, HUD, Valley Small Business Development Corporation, and Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact Brandon Erickson at Brandon.Erickson@fresno.gov or call 559.621.8367.
Clovis Technology Conference seeking exhibitors.
The Clovis Technology Conference is currently seeking exhibitors for its October 29 – November 1, 2007 inaugural conference. The conference will offer a national and international audience an opportunity to exchange ideas and will showcase the Clovis process of developing the innovative technology hub. Attendees will be invited from the educational, agricultural, innovative energy, software development and water technology environments, both domestic and internationally. Visit www.clovistechconference.com for more information and how to become an exhibitor.
International Water Technology Conference is next month.
Don’t forget...the first International Water Technology Conference 2007 and Ozone V will be held April 2-3 at Fresno State. This technical conference will focus on current and advanced technologies intended to address world water issues and will include presentations, technical seminars, poster presentations, networking opportunities, exhibits and tours. To learn more about the conference or to register, please visit www.icwt.net.
Fresno State Internship & Career Expo, "License to Succeed," is next week.
Career Services at California State University, Fresno, is hosting its first large-scale recruitment event in the Save Mart Center, Internship & Career Expo 2007: License to Succeed. More than 170 organizations representing a wide cross-section of industries will be on hand to talk to college-educated candidates about their existing and potential full-time jobs, internships, co-ops, and summer jobs. College-educated Central Valley residents meeting the following requirements are invited to attend at no cost – must possess a college degree or be currently enrolled in a degree program and must be properly prepared and dressed (resumes and interview attire). An updated list of participating employers and more information is available through the Expo 2007 link on Career Services’ Web page at www.FresnoStateCareers.com.
ICWT leaders' expertise sought.
The International Center for Water Technology (ICWT) at Fresno State is being tapped to advance water solutions in Arizona and California. The Arizona Water Institute will visit ICWT this week to learn about how it is organized and where it is focusing its efforts. In addition, Fresno State was invited to partner with UCLA, UC Merced, and UC Riverside to develop a proposal seeking major federal funding for addressing California water issues through appropriate technology usage.
FCASH Monthly Profile: Fresno Folklore Society.
The Fresno Folklore Society (FFS) is a non-profit corporation founded for the purpose of preserving folk arts, especially traditional music, in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The organization has been around in various forms for more than 40 years with the present organization established in 1977 by a group of musicians who wanted to find ways to make folk music more available to Valley residents. The goal of FFS is to promote the music and dance of many cultures by catering to fans of all types of music: Old-Time, Bluegrass, Cajun, Irish and other Celtic music, as well as swing and traditional jazz, Armenian, Greek, Balkan—just to name a few. FFS also has become a venue for touring traditional artists. FFS tries to have monthly potlucks, jam sessions and concerts, as well as sponsors a monthly Contra Dance, a monthly Irish jam, a weekly old-time jam, an annual autoharp gathering, and a concert series. For more information on the Society’s many events, visit
www.fresnofolklore.org or www.calautoharp.com.
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