|
|
 |
California’s largest solar facility to be built in San Joaquin Valley
Cleantech America, LLC, announced last week that plans for CalRENEW-1, the largest solar energy facility in California and third largest in the nation, have been finalized, with the facility to be located near Mendota in Fresno County and completion slated for 2009.
Bill Barnes, Cleantech America CEO, acknowledged the RJI with helping locate the project in Fresno County: “The Fresno Regional Jobs Initiative has been a critical ingredient to our progress towards what will be California’s largest photovoltaic solar power plant. The RJI is extremely well connected in both the public and private spheres and knows what it takes to make projects happen in the real world. We often hear that California has a less than business-friendly climate; but the RJI makes the San Joaquin Valley a fertile ground for growing new businesses, technologies and jobs.”
CalRENEW-1 will serve as a peak solar facility providing up to five megawatts of clean energy to PG&E customers throughout northern and central California. The facility not only will contribute to improving the San Joaquin Valley’s air quality and increasing its energy self-sufficiency, it also will add to job creation in the region.
“Providing zero-emission green energy in the San Joaquin Valley, an area long suffering from some of the worst air quality and highest levels of associated health problems, makes good social, economic and environmental sense,” Barnes said. “This is the true potential of green photovoltaic solar energy.”.
Cleantech America has entered into a long-term power purchase agreement with PG&E. The facility will be designed, built and operated by Cleantech America’s enterprise partners, the California Construction Authority (CCA), a California Joint Powers Authority. CCA has six megawatts of photovoltaic solar in operation and another two megawatts in development, including the 800 kilowatt installation at the Big Fresno Fair.
Manufacturing cluster receives preliminary results of AMC Feasibility Study
Last month, members of the Central California Manufacturing Partnership met with consultant Jim Hebert of Hebert Research to view the preliminary results of a feasibility study to assess the viability of an Advanced Manufacturing Center in the Central Valley.
Hebert Research contacted more than one thousand manufacturers in the eight-county San Joaquin Valley, 644 of which had more than15 employees. Of these, 204 participated in a phone interview and 33 participated in two focus group sessions. The results of the survey and subsequent analysis verify the manufacturing industry’s need for an Advanced Manufacturing Center:
- 52.6% would want to use the center;
- 41.2% were willing to pay an annual membership fee; and
- 33.6% were willing to pay for services on an “a la carte” basis.
The top-ranking services of interest to manufacturers included:
- Workforce development – 52.1%
- Better energy use – 47.9%
- Compliance with health and environmental regulations – 46.7%
- Education and training programs – 44.3%
- Technologies in materials handling and automation – 41.6%
Manufacturers also were interested in testing services such as calibration, process improvement testing, material and mechanical testing, chemical testing, finite element testing and elemental analysis testing.
The final feasibility report and financial analysis will be available in August at www.CentralCalMfg.org.
BTH Secretary visits Fresno to award Regional Enterprise Zone status to Fresno County
California Business, Transportation and Housing Secretary Dale Bonner visited Fresno on June 27 to officially announce the final designation of the Fresno County Regional Enterprise Zone, the first of 23 designations to be awarded this year.
The enterprise zone designation extends a state tax credit to businesses if they locate or expand within the enterprise zone as a way to promote business investment and job creation. Businesses can save money five ways – hiring credits, sales and use tax credits, business expense deductions, net operating loss carryover and net interest deductions for lenders.
Steve Curwick, Operations Manager for Guardian Industries Corp., spoke at last month’s event and said that one of the primary reasons Guardian Industries chose to remain in Fresno County was the enterprise zone designation. Guardian Industries has been in Kingsburg since 1978 but nearly left the state because of the high costs of doing business in California.
Ten communities in Fresno County are currently participating in the enterprise zone—Cities of Fowler, Firebaugh, Kerman, Mendota, Orange Cove, Parlier, San Joaquin, Sanger, Selma and County of Fresno—and three more are slated to join later this year—Kingsburg, Huron and Coalinga.
Bonner said the primary reasons Fresno’s enterprise zone was the first to be selected are: 1) it is the largest of any region to submit an application with 10 cities combining efforts to become one regional enterprise zone; 2) it has committed to work together as a whole to market its role in the Valley; 3) it has a comprehensive Web site up and running; and 4) it has the strength of dedicated local leaders.
For more information on the Fresno County Regional Enterprise Zone, please visit www.FresnoCountyEZ.com.
Salute to Small Business awards program nominations now being accepted
Nominations are now being accepted through July 20 for the fifth annual Salute to Small Business awards program, which honors small business owners in Fresno County. The program seeks to highlight the important role small businesses play in local and state economies.
“Small businesses really drive the U.S. economy, making up more than 99.7 percent of all employers,” said Michael Girazien, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager of Union Bank, which is organizing the awards program. “This is our way of celebrating the entrepreneur, those innovators and job creators who go after the American Dream to make their lives better for their families and their communities.”
Salute to Small Business honors small businesses in the following categories: agribusinesses, civic leadership/community involvement, entrepreneur–of-the-year, minority-owned business, nonprofit 501(c)3, and woman-owned business. Winners of the minority-owned and woman-owned categories will receive scholarships to attend UCLA’s Management Development for Entrepreneurs Academy.
Nomination forms are available at Union Bank branches, at program partners’ offices or online at www.unionbank.com/salute2biz. Companies or individuals may nominate themselves or another company in multiple categories. To be eligible, companies must be at least three years old, have headquarters in Fresno County, be independent and privately owned, and have annual sales no greater than $5 million. Questions about the nomination process should be directed to Jaime Echols at 559.436.2488 or salute2biz@uboc.com.
Salute to Small Business partners include the Central Valley Business Incubator, the Craig School of Business at Fresno State, Deloitte & Touche, LLP, the Fresno County Farm Bureau, K-Jewel, The Business Journal, and the Fresno District of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Business Retention and Expansion partnership under way
With the approval of the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) agreement by City Council on May 15, 2007, the much needed partnership with the Fresno County EDC, the City of Fresno’s application assistance center, other City of Fresno departments, and other community resource providers, is well under way.
The BRE agreement is a performance partnership that allows a non-governmental organization to help provide solutions to business concerns such as finances, space needs, workforce, and code enforcement. A community resource team will be paired with a City of Fresno team to assist businesses to stay and expand in Fresno. Other community partners include the RJI, Fresno County Workforce Investment Board, and ED Alliance.
For more information, contact Melodee Schwamb at 559.621.8366 or Melodee.Schwamb@fresno.gov.
TC3 to host educational symposium and art show this month
The City of Clovis’s Technopolis Clovis Core Committee (TC3) will host its first educational symposium, “What is TC3?”, on Thursday, July 19, from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Clovis Memorial Auditorium. The symposium will introduce TC3 members and the committee’s work during the past two years to craft a strategic plan that uses technology and technology-based commercial and research ventures to contribute to the upward mobility of the Clovis workforce and population. The symposium will also feature TC3 members who recently traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to present a series of papers on “Clovis as a Technopolis” at the International Association of Science Parks conference.
Also this month, TC3 will host the opening of “Portal to Technopolis,” an art show featuring local artists at Sierra Vista Mall, Friday, July 20.
“Because technopolis has much to do with creative process, local artists, both professional and amateur, are creating individual art pieces using one common theme—doors,” said Shawn Miller, City of Clovis business development manager. “We felt it was a good public art installment to tie in those two things.”
“Portal to Technopolis” will be on display at the Sierra Vista Mall through the beginning of August. An auction of all entries will be held on August 5. For more information on either event, visit www.clovistechnopolis.com.
Data collection begins for 2007 Fresno County Employment Survey
Last year, nearly 700 Fresno County employers participated in an extensive employment survey, conducted by the Fresno County Workforce Investment Board (FCWIB), to determine current and future workforce needs in Fresno County. As a result, the 2006 Fresno County Employment Study was released this year with eye-opening results that projected nearly 18,000 job openings in the first year and more than 27,000 job openings in three years. The message from businesses was loud and clear—there is a need for a more qualified workforce.
To capture the changes in demand brought on by external and internal pressures, the FCWIB will begin data collection for the 2007 Fresno County Employment Survey in mid-July. Local business participation is critical to the success of the survey. Information and data obtained from all participating organizations (small, medium and large) will be kept strictly confidential and analyzed collectively via a private consultant firm representing the FCWIB.
The resulting data will serve as a catalyst from which quality training programs can be developed to prepare a qualified workforce to meet the future needs of businesses and decreasing the region’s unemployment.
Workshop to address future of Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its importance to the San Joaquin Valley
On July 27, 2007, the Water Education Foundation and the California Resources Agency will host a Delta Vision Workshop in Fresno to explore Delta issues such as water resources and the ecosystem, land use planning, recreation, flood management, energy, and rail and transportation infrastructure. This particular workshop will focus on these issues and how they affect the San Joaquin Valley. Workshop topics include:
- The Importance of the Delta: The View from the Valley
- Developing a Delta Vision
- Assessing Risks to the Delta: The Delta Risk Management Strategy
- The Value of the Delta: Why Do We Need a New Delta Vision? What’s at Stake for the San Joaquin Valley?
- Input on a Delta Vision: Participant Breakout Groups
- Shaping a Vision: How Do We Move Forward?
The Workshop will be held at the Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center Exhibit Halls II and III. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. with the program lasting from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attendance is FREE and includes a box lunch. For more information or to register, visit www.watereducation.org.
Australian company wants to meet with local manufacturers
A company from Melbourne, Australia, will be visiting the country next month and wants to meet with local manufacturers of prune/plumb harvesting equipment and drying ovens. If you are interested, please contact Eduardo Torres with the U.S. Commercial Service Fresno office at Eduardo.Torres@mail.doc.gov. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who may be interested.
Small businesses to meet one-on-one with large corporations and government agencies
The City of Fresno Economic Development Department is pleased to announce the Inaugural Business Matchmaking and Networking Event to be held August 31, 2007, at the Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall. Small businesses will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with large companies and government entities to match their products and services for contracting opportunities.
Small businesses interested in attending are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible at www.fresnostartup.com/matchmaking.asp. When signing up for the conference:
- Provide as much detail as possible on the registration form so that your business can be matched with companies looking to buy products and services that you can provide.
- Provide a complete profile of small business to ensure effective matchmaking meetings.
- Due to space and time constraints, it is requested that only two representatives from each small business attend the event.
- Meetings will be one-and-one and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Note: One-on-one meetings will be a maximum of 12 minutes long with three minutes between each meeting. Each small business will be given a maximum of 10 meetings at the event.
- Watch for more information on a class scheduled for August 9 which will explain the procedure to become certified to be eligible to sign contracts with governments and large companies.
For more information, contact Brandon Erickson at 559.621.8367 or brandon.erickson@fresno.gov.
Independent Los Angeles filmmaker visits Valley to shoot scenes for new film
Revolving Iris, an independent film company from Los Angeles, spent a few days in the Valley last month filming scenes for “BELOW: The Beginning,” a 30-minute, independent short film that will be submitted to selected film festivals later this year. Producer, director and co-screenwriter Mark Danforth worked closely with the Fresno Film & Entertainment Commission (FFEC) scouting several locations in the city. According to FFEC Commissioner Ray Arthur, the basement of the Berkeley building, located at the southwest end of Fulton Mall, was chosen as the perfect location for the torture scene of the film’s heroine. “BELOW” is the first of a trilogy featuring “Kayla and Morgan,” a high school baby sitter and her boyfriend who leave their sleeping young charge to go shopping, only to come home and find that nothing is as it seems.
For more information on the Fresno Film & Entertainment Commission, visit www.fresnofilm.com or contact Ray Arthur at 559.621.8358 or ray.arthur@fresno.gov.
| |
|
