CALIFORNIA Economic Development Board Work Plan 2010-2011 SONOMA COUNTY SONOMA COUNTY REPUBLIC AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY RECREATION
Economic Development Board Work Plan 2010-2011 Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Valerie Brown First District Mike Kearns Second District Shirlee Zane Third District Paul Kelley Fourth District Efren Carrillo Fifth District November 2010 The Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB) is pleased to present the 2010-2011 Work Plan. The EDB creates a work plan each year that is comprised of a number of programs designed to support local business and the local economy in the following ways: Promote Sonoma County as an attractive place to do business Foster job growth Provide local businesses with tools to help them prosper Promote sound environmental business practices Maintain dialogue with the business community to anticipate and resolve emerging issues Identify and support those business clusters that are critical to maintaining a sound economy Develop pilot programs in emerging areas, and if successful, spin-off the programs to others for on going implementation Through the website and various EDB-related events, the EDB reaches many people both inside and outside of Sonoma County. Around 50% of visitors to the EDB website are from outside the county, making the website an online resource for investors, companies, and individuals looking to relocate to Sonoma County. The EDB has more than 5,000 people attend its various EDB events throughout the year. A few of these events are highlighted in the work plan including State of the County, Spirit of Sonoma County, Economic Briefing Breakfasts, Business Environmental Alliance Best Practice Awards, and Business Hall of Fame. This progress report indicates several areas for new EDB activity during the fiscal year. Cooperative efforts with other groups and agencies are central to these efforts, and the EDB is ready to take on any additional projects in accordance with available staff and resources. Sincerely, Jim Bielenberg Chair Ben Stone Executive Director James D. Bielenberg, Chair Francis Ford Coppola Presents Board of Directors Peter O Brien Wells Fargo Pam Chanter, Vice-Chair Vantreo Insurance Brokers Linda Kachiu, Treasurer Zainer Rinehart Clarke Libby Harvey FitzGerald FitzGerald Consultants Mark Inman Taylor Maid Farms Joe Orlando Frank, Rimerman Consulting Marcos J. Suarez Prominent Financial Michael Tomasini Bank of the West John Webley Innovative Labs 2
Work Plan 2010-11 Improving the Business Climate: Economic Recovery and Strategic Growth The EDB has consistently supported strategic approaches to grow the economy. In 1996 the EDB convened the Economic Vitality Partnership, which developed the county s first economic plan, and led to the formation of the Engineering Sciences Program at Sonoma State University (SSU), the countywide Tourism Bureau, the collaborative agricultural marketing initiative, the local economic research program, and more. Business retention is perhaps even more important than business attraction, and particularly so when retention means growth and expansion. The programs in this section are being conducted or planned with the idea that it is essential to first learn of business needs and address them, and second to indicate that their contributions are appreciated. Innovation Action Council 2009-10 Recognizing the need to update and enhance this strategic planning effort a decade later, the EDB convened more than 30 business, government, and community leaders to serve on a new strategic planning group, known as the Innovation Council, in 2008. The Council developed an action plan for implementation by a successor group, the Innovation Action Council. This group oversaw successful implementation of several projects, with lead financial support provided by the Morgan Family Foundation. Innovation Action Council 2010-11 New funding from the Morgan Family Foundation has been obtained to develop an action plan for job creation involving cluster analysis through focus groups with key job-generating sectors. This effort will be led by the Innovation Action Council. This next phase starts this Fall, with progress reports provided periodically during the next nine months. More information is available at innovationcouncil.org. Enterprise Appreciation Program A new approach to support business retention and expansion and thus job retention and creation--will be offered through this program, which will enable business owners to meet one-on-one with local elected officials and governmental staff. Every city, chamber, and major trade group will be invited to participate in this program, which is slated to launch next spring. Business Climate Survey and Action Plan A new survey that invites local County businesses to suggest ways to improve the local business climate, grow the economy, and create jobs, will be conducted in cooperation with all major chambers, trade groups, and city governments. Results are expected later this fall, and will be provided along with action opportunities to the Innovation Action Council, Board of Supervisors, city councils, educational institutions, chambers, and trade groups to help foster a better business climate. The survey is expected to be conducted annually, with benchmarks set to measure progress. Business Crime Prevention Safe communities are important for healthy economies, and are integral to supporting quality of life in Sonoma County. As local governments make reductions in their public safety funding, it becomes important to help local small businesses help themselves. A special task force developed a series of simple steps that can help local public safety agencies and small businesses take action to reduce crime against business here. The program is slated to begin operating during Spring 2011. 3
Work Plan 2010-11 Marketing the County While Sonoma County s unemployment rate is better than most California counties, the Great Recession has hit Sonoma County hard, with commercial office building vacancies in some of our cities as high as 40%. Accordingly, the EDB is intensifying and expanding its programs to market the County as a good place to do business using the following tools: Upgraded Relocation Guide/Site The EDB s relocation guide and site, Sonoma County Connections, is being expanded to include new information for business relocation here, along with improved information for individuals looking to relocate to Sonoma County. Currently, 80% of visitors to the site are from outside Sonoma County. The site will be updated in conjunction with all cities, major chambers, and relevant trade groups; and can be viewed at sonomacountyconnections.org. Visitor Centers This program pulls together directors of all 13 visitor centers in the county to create a unified network of communicating centers as a means of providing the highest quality of customer service to visitors. The Visitor Centers program also helps ensure that visitors have the opportunity to move from one section of the county to another with maximum ease. The goal of this approach is to encourage visitors to spend more time and money, and help motivate visitors to return to Sonoma County. The variety of local visitor centers operating in Sonoma County can be viewed at: sonoma.com/visitorsinfo/chambersofcom Restaurant Week The first-ever event exceeded all expectations and generated nearly $1,000,000 of new economic activity in Sonoma County. About 20% of the participating customers were from outside the county, thus bringing new revenues into the area. This collaborative effort included all chambers, cities, visitor centers, the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau, and the local news media. Restaurant Week will be repeated in February 2011. More information is available at sonomacountyrestaurantweek.org. 4 Economic Research and Forecasts The EDB provides commercial real estate brokers, developers, chambers, and cities with a wide variety of objective information to help inform prospective businesses of trends and opportunities in Sonoma County. The economic research program is supported through a public-private partnership with 34 local businesses that act as corporate sponsors. The reports act as a soft marketing tool to complement the promotional efforts undertaken by private and public groups; more than 50% of the visitors to the report website are from outside Sonoma County. About 2,000 local business, government, education, and community leaders receive the forecasts and reports, offered at no charge at sonomacounty.org/edb/reports.htm. A new feature this fall will be specialized city reports, focusing on key aspects of each city s economy and providing five-year forecasts on key indicators in every city. The reports were developed in partnership with each city and/or its respective chamber, and can help market the city to new businesses. An example is available: petalumachamber.com/pdf/2010petalumalocaleconrpt.pdf Tourism Support The EDB contracts with the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau (SCTB) for marketing and advertising services. The EDB also works with the Bureau to develop new visitor attraction programs and opportunities that result in more revenue and jobs in Sonoma County. Recognizing the growing market in historic tourism, this year the EDB produced California s first countywide Historic Trail Map in partnership with all visitor bureaus, museums, chambers, and the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau. View the Historic Trail map at inside-sonoma.com Film Program This effort has transitioned into a web-driven approach to provide service information to the film, catalogue, media, commercials, and video sectors. The Film Program continues to respond to inquiries, as well as to utilize community resources to help support new productions. A new web service, known as Reel Scout, facilitates rapid review of local sites and assists in expediting film inquiries and requests from commercial and catalogue scouts. More information on the Film Program can be found at sonoma-county.org/film/
Work Plan 2010-11 Strengthening the Business Community Trade groups and chambers exist to give their members the power of numbers. The EDB attempts to leverage this unity to benefit business on a countywide basis through a variety of programs. These include: Spirit of Sonoma County This event brings 350 business and government leaders together to recognize outstanding leaders from every major chamber and trade group in Sonoma County. The 10th annual event will be held on December 3, 2010 at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park. State of the County The State of the County breakfast brings 500 business, government, education, and community leaders together to understand our key opportunities and challenges. The keynote address is given by the incoming Chair of the Board of the Supervisors. There is also an outlook of the economy delivered by Jerry Nickelsberg, the Senior Economist from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. The event will be held on January 19, 2011 at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park. The Spirit of Sonoma luncheon held on December 4, 2009. Supervisor Valerie Brown giving the keynote address at State of the County 2010 on January 20, 2010. Economic Briefing Breakfasts Breakfast events are held twice a year. The spring event provides an outlook on the Sonoma County economy, provided by Moody s Economy.com. The fall event provides an outlook on the state economy and its impact on the local economy, delivered by Beacon Economics. More than 350 people attended the fall Economic Briefing Breakfast held on October 1, 2010 at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek Inn in Santa Rosa. More than 500 people attended the 2010 State of the County and many more watched the live webcast or the re-broadcast on local television. Business Hall of Fame Dr. Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics presenting on The Uncertain Recovery at the breakfast on October 1, 2010. This event is held in partnership with the Sonoma County Museum, recognizing outstanding local entrepreneurs and family businesses that have generated jobs and income, while supporting improvements in our local quality of life. The event will occur in Fall 2011. 5
Work Plan 2010-11 Sustainable Business Development Other than economic recovery from the downturn, perhaps the biggest challenge facing local business in the months ahead will be adapting to a business world impacted by climate change, and complying with mandates being established to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Business Environmental Alliance (BEA), the EDB has become an active promoter of good environmental practice as a path to profitability. The EDB helps local businesses pursue sustainable business practices and thus help Sonoma County achieve its climate action plan targets in several key ways: Business Enviornmental Alliance (BEA) Efforts to help local companies become more efficient by voluntarily adopting sound environmental practices will continue through the BEA. A particular focus will be on more actively engaging businesses and business organizations throughout the county by expanding both the Partners and Allies Program and the capability of the staff to provide customized efficiency assistance to those partners. The BEA will continue to recognize local sustainable businesses through newsletter features, Best Practice Awards at the annual Business Leaders Breakfast, and the BEA Annual Report. Additional information on the BEA can be found at its website: www.sonoma-county.org/bea. Sonoma Green Business Program The Sonoma Green Business Program is a countywide voluntary certification program with the key goal of helping local firms become more efficient in their natural resource use. First efforts to launch this program were started in FY 2007-08 and in August 2010, the program recognized its 100th certified business. As part of the greening process, businesses receive free onsite assessments in the areas of waste, water, energy and pollution prevention; upon completion these assessments, businesses are given a customized set of recommendations to improve their resource efficiency and waste diversion. In order to obtain certification, all organizations must meet a set of regional environmental standards specific to their industry type. The Sonoma Green Business Program is part of the regional Bay Area Green Business Program. More information on these programs is available at sonomagreenbusiness.org. Supervisor Shirlee Zane presenting a Green Business Award to Liz Chang of Nature s Best Cleaners at the Board of Supervisors meeting on April 6, 2010. The Recycling Market Development Zone Program (RMDZ) This program combines recycling with economic development to help fuel the growth of new businesses, expand existing businesses, create jobs, and divert waste from landfills. This program provides loans, technical assistance and free product marketing to businesses that utilize and/or manufacture products that would typically end up in a landfill. Together, the counties of Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake form one of California s 35 Recycling Market Development zones. More information on the RMDZ program can be found at www.sonoma-county.org/edb/rmdz.htm Project Coordinator Mara Hochman performing a landscaping audit as part of the Green Business program s free onsite assesments at a local Sonoma County business. 6
Work Plan 2010-11 Partnerships and Collaborative Support While ideas for strengthening the local economy are abundant, resources to implement these ideas are limited. Accordingly, the EDB has long pursued forming alliances with local groups to pool resources and create valuable programs with minimum investment. Examples include: Workforce Investment Board (WIB) The EDB partnership with the WIB includes assisting local economic and employment research, facilitating job creation and employee placement, and developing ongoing links with key sectors of the economy. The EDB will be working with the WIB on specific initiatives centered on job retraining, green job employment development, and more. The EDB partnered with the WIB to develop the second annual Summer Jobs Program last summer, which provided job training for nearly 200 low-income youth. Comprehensive information about the Summer Jobs Program can be found at newwaystowork.org/syec. For more information about the WIB, visit sonomawib.org. Specialized Economic Research Referrals The EDB provided major funding to develop the Center for Economic Research (CREA) at SSU 25 years ago. The EDB regularly refers groups seeking specialized research to CREA for technical assistance. Selling to Government and Corporations Workshop The EDB began sponsoring workshops to help local small businesses increase business with large corporations, utilities, and government agencies in 1989. Another workshop on this topic will be held in Winter 2011, and will address the local preference options the County is introducing to help more local firms get business with the County. Cities, school districts, and major corporations are always invited to participate, as are the SBDC and SCORE. Community and Regional Collaboration The EDB will continue to be a resource for, and collaborate with, other economic development initiatives, agencies, and organizations, including new efforts being launched by Sonoma State University and the Santa Rosa and Petaluma chambers. Additionally, the EDB is continuing to explore opportunities to develop and foster collaborative partnerships and explore potential joint initiatives which focus on supporting and growing the local and overall regional economy. Small Business Startup and Expansion The EDB has consistently supported the startup and success of local small and micro businesses, marked by our development of the nation s first all-volunteer small business assistance center at the EDB. This program became so successful that it was funded by the Small Business Administration as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and transferred to the Santa Rosa Junior College. The EDB makes active referrals both to the SBDC and to the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). Last year, the EDB provided Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster incubator with information on obtaining state support through the ihub program, and refers appropriate local startups to this important resource whenever possible. This fiscal year the EDB through the Innovation Action Council is exploring with cities, chambers, and relevant trade groups the feasibility of an Entrepreneurs Academy in Sonoma County, which is based on a successful model in Sacramento. Local Business Promotion The EDB started the nation s first countywide local agricultural marketing program which was spun off as a non-profit known as Select Sonoma County. The EDB provides resources and information to local preference initiatives and supports the efforts of groups such as Go Local, cities, and chambers. Worksite Wellness The EDB is collaborating with the Northern California Center for Well-Being in developing a voluntary worksite wellness recognition program as part of the Health Action Task Force. A pilot recognition program is expected to be developed by December 2010. Conclusion While not exhaustive, this progress report indicates several areas for new EDB activity during the fiscal year. Cooperative endeavors with other groups and agencies will always be central to these efforts, and the EDB is ready to take on any additional projects in accordance with available staff and resources. 7
CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC With acknowledgement and appreciation to local key businesses supporting Sonoma County Economic Development: Director Executive Sponsors SONOMA COUNTY Economic Development Board 401 College Avenue, Suite D Santa Rosa, CA 95401 (707) 565-7170 AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY RECREATION County of Sonoma General Services, Real Estate Division County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors Sonoma County Health Services Sonoma County Transportation & Public Works