Bud Colligan Keynote at Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Summit January 29, ...budcolligan
Bud Colligan, Co-Chair of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, presented this keynote address at the organization's first Regional Economic Summit in Seaside, CA on January 29, 2015. It reviews an economic development strategy for Monterey Bay and the formation and introduction of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, focused on increasing economic prosperity, good jobs and quality of life for all residents of the Monterey Bay region.
Bud Colligan Keynote at Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Summit January 29, ...budcolligan
Bud Colligan, Co-Chair of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, presented this keynote address at the organization's first Regional Economic Summit in Seaside, CA on January 29, 2015. It reviews an economic development strategy for Monterey Bay and the formation and introduction of the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, focused on increasing economic prosperity, good jobs and quality of life for all residents of the Monterey Bay region.
Sunshine Coast Futures Conference Report 2014 Ed Morrison
The Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane is one of Australia's fastest growing regions. TO guide this growth, civic leaders have turned to their university, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and its partner, Purdue University, to reply more agile approaches to regional strategy.
This report gives you an overview of where we stand as we begin 2015.
Presentation from Jo Debens' part of the Discover the World workshop at the Geographical Association with Simon Ross - using the Discover Geography website resources for the Azores.
Looking for a quirky, funny and meaningful session on place, planning and urban design? Email Andrew about QI Place for your next event or conference.
Based on the British comedy television quiz show QI hosted by Stephen Fry, four attendees test their “Quite Interesting” knowledge on places and planning.
Obscure or twisted questions will get you thinking about the relationship between planning and place. Yes, panellists get points for the right answer, but top points go to an interesting perspective or joke answer... we’ll deduct points for pathetically wrong answers.
We won’t just accept anyone - you’ll have to be “an ace on place” to nominate for the panel. You’ll score yourself with our skills audit on placemaking during the session. Don’t worry - we’ll give you a little bit of background first.
"Andrew's hosting of the QI style session on placemaking was informative, witty and very engaging. Many attendees spoke with me after the session advising that the humour kept them engaged and subsequently learning. Great session Andrew and well done" Dyan Currie, National President Planning Institute of Australia
Best Practices to Incorporate Resilience into the CEDS: Schijvens, Venablesnado-web
This presentation was delivered at NADO's Annual Training Conference, held in Anchorage, Alaska on September 9-12, 2017.
Planning for resilience positions communities and regions for long-term prosperity and success in the face of an uncertain economic and environmental landscape. RDOs across the country are exploring ways to incorporate resilience planning into their CEDS to address a variety of disruptions in their regions. In this session, hear about best practices and useful approaches for infusing resilience into your CEDS to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from both natural and economic shocks.
Cheryal Lee Hills, Executive Director, Region Five Development Commission, Staples, MN
Nathan Ohle, Executive Director, Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Washington, DC
Meilani Schijvens, Economic Development Planner, Southeast Conference, Juneau, AK
Brett Schwartz, Program Manager, NADO Research Foundation, Washington, DC
GLOBE Advisors - Careers for a Sustainable Future - A Reference Guide to Gree...GLOBE Series
Powering the Business of the Environment
GLOBE Advisors is a boutique sustainability consulting firm headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, that specializes in providing project management, partnership development, market research, and strategic consulting services. We invite you to explore our website to find out how GLOBE Advisors can assist your organization with its strategic goals and objectives
www.globeadvisors.ca
Advancing Opportunities for Business and the Environment
GLOBE Advisors, a subsidiary of the Vancouver-based not-for-profit GLOBE Foundation, was established in response to an increasing demand for project-based sustainability consulting services in the environmental business sector.
The "GLOBE" name was established in 1990 and has become a recognized brand, both in Canada and internationally, with respect to the "business of the environment" - due in large part to the GLOBE Series of Conferences and Trade Fair Exhibitions held in Vancouver every two years and organized by the not-for-profit GLOBE Foundation.
In 2012, the company's President and CEO, Dr. John Wiebe, was recognized as one of Canada's "Clean 16" for his outstanding contributions to clean capitalism.
Our philosophy? Environmental challenges bring enormous opportunity for the business sector. Moreover, companies can do well by doing good for the environment, without sacrificing their bottom lines.
Our three guiding principles:
-Environmental problems are business opportunities.
-Companies that can provide clean technologies and solutions will prosper.
-Proactive organizations that embrace environmental sustainability will be more competitive.
Sustainable Tourism - Iceland Naturally Event | Williamsburg, VA | June 9, 2011David Brown
Defining sustainable tourism and how its capacity as a brand amplifier and marketing platform are relevant to all tourism businesses and destinations - specifically Iceland. Examples from San Francisco, TUI, Fairmont Hotels, National Geographic, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
Mobility, Economic Resilience, & Substance Use Disorder Workshop #2RPO America
On December 01, 2020, the second workshop in the Mobility, Economic Resilience, and Substance Use Disorder series focused on Southeastern Kentucky occurred. The workshop focused on rural transportation opportunities.
Sunshine Coast Futures Conference Report 2014 Ed Morrison
The Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane is one of Australia's fastest growing regions. TO guide this growth, civic leaders have turned to their university, the University of the Sunshine Coast, and its partner, Purdue University, to reply more agile approaches to regional strategy.
This report gives you an overview of where we stand as we begin 2015.
Presentation from Jo Debens' part of the Discover the World workshop at the Geographical Association with Simon Ross - using the Discover Geography website resources for the Azores.
Looking for a quirky, funny and meaningful session on place, planning and urban design? Email Andrew about QI Place for your next event or conference.
Based on the British comedy television quiz show QI hosted by Stephen Fry, four attendees test their “Quite Interesting” knowledge on places and planning.
Obscure or twisted questions will get you thinking about the relationship between planning and place. Yes, panellists get points for the right answer, but top points go to an interesting perspective or joke answer... we’ll deduct points for pathetically wrong answers.
We won’t just accept anyone - you’ll have to be “an ace on place” to nominate for the panel. You’ll score yourself with our skills audit on placemaking during the session. Don’t worry - we’ll give you a little bit of background first.
"Andrew's hosting of the QI style session on placemaking was informative, witty and very engaging. Many attendees spoke with me after the session advising that the humour kept them engaged and subsequently learning. Great session Andrew and well done" Dyan Currie, National President Planning Institute of Australia
Best Practices to Incorporate Resilience into the CEDS: Schijvens, Venablesnado-web
This presentation was delivered at NADO's Annual Training Conference, held in Anchorage, Alaska on September 9-12, 2017.
Planning for resilience positions communities and regions for long-term prosperity and success in the face of an uncertain economic and environmental landscape. RDOs across the country are exploring ways to incorporate resilience planning into their CEDS to address a variety of disruptions in their regions. In this session, hear about best practices and useful approaches for infusing resilience into your CEDS to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from both natural and economic shocks.
Cheryal Lee Hills, Executive Director, Region Five Development Commission, Staples, MN
Nathan Ohle, Executive Director, Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Washington, DC
Meilani Schijvens, Economic Development Planner, Southeast Conference, Juneau, AK
Brett Schwartz, Program Manager, NADO Research Foundation, Washington, DC
GLOBE Advisors - Careers for a Sustainable Future - A Reference Guide to Gree...GLOBE Series
Powering the Business of the Environment
GLOBE Advisors is a boutique sustainability consulting firm headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, that specializes in providing project management, partnership development, market research, and strategic consulting services. We invite you to explore our website to find out how GLOBE Advisors can assist your organization with its strategic goals and objectives
www.globeadvisors.ca
Advancing Opportunities for Business and the Environment
GLOBE Advisors, a subsidiary of the Vancouver-based not-for-profit GLOBE Foundation, was established in response to an increasing demand for project-based sustainability consulting services in the environmental business sector.
The "GLOBE" name was established in 1990 and has become a recognized brand, both in Canada and internationally, with respect to the "business of the environment" - due in large part to the GLOBE Series of Conferences and Trade Fair Exhibitions held in Vancouver every two years and organized by the not-for-profit GLOBE Foundation.
In 2012, the company's President and CEO, Dr. John Wiebe, was recognized as one of Canada's "Clean 16" for his outstanding contributions to clean capitalism.
Our philosophy? Environmental challenges bring enormous opportunity for the business sector. Moreover, companies can do well by doing good for the environment, without sacrificing their bottom lines.
Our three guiding principles:
-Environmental problems are business opportunities.
-Companies that can provide clean technologies and solutions will prosper.
-Proactive organizations that embrace environmental sustainability will be more competitive.
Sustainable Tourism - Iceland Naturally Event | Williamsburg, VA | June 9, 2011David Brown
Defining sustainable tourism and how its capacity as a brand amplifier and marketing platform are relevant to all tourism businesses and destinations - specifically Iceland. Examples from San Francisco, TUI, Fairmont Hotels, National Geographic, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria
Mobility, Economic Resilience, & Substance Use Disorder Workshop #2RPO America
On December 01, 2020, the second workshop in the Mobility, Economic Resilience, and Substance Use Disorder series focused on Southeastern Kentucky occurred. The workshop focused on rural transportation opportunities.
‘वोटर्स विल मस्ट प्रीवेल’ (मतदाताओं को जीतना होगा) अभियान द्वारा जारी हेल्पलाइन नंबर, 4 जून को सुबह 7 बजे से दोपहर 12 बजे तक मतगणना प्रक्रिया में कहीं भी किसी भी तरह के उल्लंघन की रिपोर्ट करने के लिए खुला रहेगा।
03062024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
31052024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
01062024_First India Newspaper Jaipur.pdfFIRST INDIA
Find Latest India News and Breaking News these days from India on Politics, Business, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Lifestyle and Coronavirus News in India and the world over that you can't miss. For real time update Visit our social media handle. Read First India NewsPaper in your morning replace. Visit First India.
CLICK:- https://firstindia.co.in/
#First_India_NewsPaper
role of women and girls in various terror groupssadiakorobi2
Women have three distinct types of involvement: direct involvement in terrorist acts; enabling of others to commit such acts; and facilitating the disengagement of others from violent or extremist groups.
हम आग्रह करते हैं कि जो भी सत्ता में आए, वह संविधान का पालन करे, उसकी रक्षा करे और उसे बनाए रखे।" प्रस्ताव में कुल तीन प्रमुख हस्तक्षेप और उनके तंत्र भी प्रस्तुत किए गए। पहला हस्तक्षेप स्वतंत्र मीडिया को प्रोत्साहित करके, वास्तविकता पर आधारित काउंटर नैरेटिव का निर्माण करके और सत्तारूढ़ सरकार द्वारा नियोजित मनोवैज्ञानिक हेरफेर की रणनीति का मुकाबला करके लोगों द्वारा निर्धारित कथा को बनाए रखना और उस पर कार्यकरना था।
In a May 9, 2024 paper, Juri Opitz from the University of Zurich, along with Shira Wein and Nathan Schneider form Georgetown University, discussed the importance of linguistic expertise in natural language processing (NLP) in an era dominated by large language models (LLMs).
The authors explained that while machine translation (MT) previously relied heavily on linguists, the landscape has shifted. “Linguistics is no longer front and center in the way we build NLP systems,” they said. With the emergence of LLMs, which can generate fluent text without the need for specialized modules to handle grammar or semantic coherence, the need for linguistic expertise in NLP is being questioned.
2. Employment on Central Coast 2012
SANTA CRUZ
COUNTY
Professional
& Business
Services
10%
MONTEREY COUNTY
Professional
& Business
Services
Retail Trade 7%
9%
Agriculture
9%
Retail Trade
12%
Agriculture
29%
Government
21%
Other
Services
17%
Other
Services
22%
Education
& Health
Services
14%
Tourism
12%
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 96,900
Source: CA Employment Development Department
Education
& Health
Services
8%
Government
18%
Tourism
12%
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 173,100
3. Slow Growth in Ag & Tourism
2002
2012
1.7% CAGR
FLAT
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
AG & TOURISM JOBS
Source: CA Employment Development Department
MONTEREY COUNTY
AG & TOURISM JOBS
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
6. Loss of Workers & Revenue
• 24% of Santa Cruz residents leave county for work
daily
• 85% retail “leakage” due to out-of-county purchases
Source: Census Transportation Planning Package, 2006-2008; BAE 2013
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
7. Violent Crime on the Central Coast
SANTA CRUZ
40th of 58 Counties
MONTEREY
41st of 58 Counties
Source: www.countyhealthrankings.org
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
8. Uninsured on the Central Coast
SANTA CRUZ: 18%
24th of 58 Counties
MONTEREY: 24%
57th of 58 Counties
Source: www.countyhealthrankings.org
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
9. Teen Pregnancy
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY:
3%
22nd of 58 Counties
MONTEREY COUNTY: 6%
51st of 58 Counties
Source: www.countyhealthrankings.org
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
10. High School Drop Out Rate
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY:
14%
21st of 58 Counties
MONTEREY COUNTY: 25%
56th of 58 Counties
Source: www.countyhealthrankings.org
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
11. Preparing for 21st Century Jobs?
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
45% of HS Grads Meet
CSU/UC Entrance
Requirements
MONTEREY COUNTY
33% of HS Grads Meet
CSU/UC Entrance
Requirements
Source: Education Data Partnership: CDE, EdSource, and FCMAT
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
19. Educated Workforce
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
BA/BS: 30%
Graduate Degree: 22%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2011
MONTEREY COUNTY
BA/BS: 29%
Graduate Degree: 22%
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
20. What Does an Innovation
Economy Look Like?
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
21. Pre-Conditions of Innovation
Colleges &
Universities:
Research Centers:
Living Environment:
Business Leadership:
Innovation Mentality:
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
22. Innovation Infrastructure
• Water
• Affordable Housing
• Transportation
• Broadband
• Electric Power
Source: CLV Report May, 2013
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
23. Shared Vision - Collaboration
• Shared Goals
• Cooperative Decision Making
• Shared Advocacy
• Shared Responsibility
Source: CLV Report May, 2013
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
24. Vision
Diversified Small Company Economy…
Leveraging Distinct Regional Assets…
While Preserving & Enhancing Our
Environment
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
25. Diversified Small Company Economy
• Agriculture
• Education
• Organics
• Wine
• Marine Science
• Health Care
• Food Products
• Retail
• Technology
• Manufacturing
• Genomics
• Distribution
• Recreation
• Services
• Tourism & Eco-Tourism
• Non-Profit
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
26. Leveraging Distinct Regional Assets
• Agriculture: Region’s Largest Industry
• Organics: CCOF, UCSC Organics Program: CASFS
• Marine Science: 24 Institutions in Monterey Bay
• Food Products: Leverage Agricultural Advantage
• Technology: Proximity to Silicon Valley; Local Talent
• Genomics: UCSC Center & Genomics Browser
• Gaming: Innovative Companies
• Recreation: Legacy of Innovation
• Tourism & Eco-Tourism:
Ocean, Redwoods, Mountains, Boardwalk, Pebble
Beach, Aquarium
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
27. While Preserving and
Enhancing our Environment
• Small Companies: Focused on Local
Assets, Tailored to Size of the Community
• Local Jobs: Less Traffic/Pollution
• Environment: Smart Growth, Knowledge
Industries, Organics, Protect Natural Beauty and
Farmland
• Families: Kids Can Find Jobs Locally, Stay Together
• Increased Tax Base: Pay for Public Services
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
43. Regional Political Leaders
• Develop shared vision and time horizon
• Agree on measurements
• Create regional advocacy/monitoring
group
• Pass public policy on infrastructure
• Create policy framework for targeted
business
44. Private Sector Leaders
Invest in your piece of the vision
• Education: research, tech transfer, talent
• Business: build on regional strengths
• Labor: train for regional mix of jobs
• Environmental: steward a good quality of life for
all
• Non-Profit: focus on a livable community
45. Outcomes
• Retain What We Love: Quality of
Life, Natural Beauty, Clean Environment
• Decreased Unemployment
• Increased Tax Base Supports Public
Services
• More People Working Where They Live
• Better Community Health Indicators
• Kids Can Stay Home With Good Jobs
• Virtuous Cycle of Talent, Innovation,
Creativity & New Opportunities
BUD COLLIGAN SOUTH SWELL VENTURES
Editor's Notes
I’m going to talk about:* Employment situation on the Central Coast* Community health indicators* Assets of our community* Pre-conditions for innovation* Economic development strategy* Branding ideas* Next Steps
SC and Monterey Counties both have large government and quasi government sectors (health and education)Largest private sectors are agriculture and tourismMonterey County is more heavily weighted to agriculture ($4 billion industry) and SC County is more diversified, albeit with 35% of employment in government, health care and education.[Total Civilian Employment is 201K in MC and 134K SCC; population is 420K MC and 265K SCC]
Can we rely on these two pillars of private sector employment for growth?From 2002 – 2012, employment growth in ag and tourism in SC County is flat, and in Monterey County grew by 1.7% CAGR. Conclusion: we need to look at other sectors for growth and diversification.
On top of that, ag and tourism drive high seasonality in employment, particularly in Monterey County (almost 50,000 workers).We have learned that seasonal jobs also carry with them challenges in providing health care, education and housing for the seasonal workforce.
We’ve all seen this picture on Hwy 17; and similar such pictures on Hwy 68 or weekends on Hwy 156.
In SC County, besides the traffic and pollution from 20K cars per day going over the hill, 24% of SC County residents leave the county for work daily…the highest percent of any county in CA.This and other factors result in 85% retail leakage in SC County, and sales tax is one of the primary ways that local government funds itself.
Let’s look a few more indicators of the Central Coast community’s health:Both counties are in the upper 1/3 of all CA counties in terms of Violent Crime. SC County has one of the highest property crime rates.
24% of all residents of Monterey County uninsured—57th worst out of 58 counties in CA.SC County about the middle of the pack.
6% teen pregnancy rate in Monterey County—6 of 100 girls ages 15 – 19 will become pregnant this year. 3% in SC County.
Our high school drop out rates are high—25% in Monterey County, 56th of 58 counties. 14% in Santa Cruz County but Pajaro Valley School District is closer to Monterey percentages.
And even when kids graduate from high school, are they ready for 21st Century jobs?Many blue collar jobs NOW in agriculture, manufacturing, auto repair, telecommunications require math, computer and technical skills—if students can’t meet UC/CSU entrance requirements, even if they don’t want to go to college, will they be able to perform these jobs?
So that’s the present situation, resulting from the current economic and policy framework we have been following.Equally important are the assets on which we can build.
Superb colleges and universities: UCSC, NPS, Defense Language Institute, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Hartnell College, Cabrillo College, and CSU Monterey Bay.
We have surpassed Scripps and Woods Hole as the preeminent leader in marine science.
With the growing importance of Mexico and Latin America, CA should lead the way in creating partnerships and cross-border economic gains.
Because of our higher education institutions and our great living environment, we have lots of smart people here!
The rest of this century is going to be about invention, innovation, a connected mobile society, smaller, nimble companies, multi-cultural integration across borders, with an emphasis on knowledge workers. We don’t control these trends, but we can figure out how we can adapt to them while preserving what we love. I would argue that many of the trends actually favor our position, if we make the right investments now. What might this innovation economy look like?
Knowledge side: these are my qualitative assessments:Colleges and Universities: we’re young in terms of research compared to Stanford and UC Berkeley, but we’ve got a good start: strong engineering school at UCSC, language and multi-cultural programs and talent, specialized areas like genomics and game design.Research Centers: most in marine science, but quite broad: underwater vehicles, sensors, biology, oceanography, environmental toxicology, deep sea geology, GIS systems, meteorology, climate change, fisheries…Living Environment: 5 starBusiness Leadership: Quality, not quantityInnovation Mentality: Lots of ideas, but do we have the cultural context to turn ideas into products and companies?
We just looked at the knowledge side, infrastructure relates to the physical side.Areas like water and transportation have been very contentious along the Central Coast.But we’ve also proven to be able to establish good policy in the broadband area: passing ordinances last month in SC County to trench once and install fiber on all construction projects approved by the County, establishing conduit specifications and a master lease agreement for vendors to use County telecommunications infrastructure, making sure permits are related to actual costs, and land use regulations to support broadband deployment.These changes were championed by the Central Coast Broadband Consortium and Supervisor Zach Friend, which is a great example of regional cooperation in one of these key infrastructure areas.
The CCBC is the type of regional shared goals and cooperative decision making that works.Communities like Boulder, Madison, and San Luis Obispo, that have a strong environmental ethos, have figured out ways for business, labor, government and environmental leaders to come together and work for the largest common good.
This vision is one person’s view, but perhaps a starting point for a conversation….[text]
Diversified: Diversification brings balance, avoids single industry setbacks, offsets seasonality, and leverages our people talents.Small: Companies 0 – 1,000 employees—tailored to the size of the community.
Distinct Regional Assets: Where we have a competitive advantage:Agriculture: Berry Capital, Lettuce Capital, $4B industry in Monterey aloneOrganics: CCOF and CASFS at UCSC—the oldest organics training program at any U.S. university; result: 30% of SC County ag is already organic; 5% in Monterey CountyMarine Science: 24 institutions, 2,100 staff, spending $300M per yearFood Products: Iconic brands, huge business in Monterey already (> $1B) and leverages largest industryTechnology: Both Santa Cruz and Salinas have proximity to SV; SC County has lots of local technical talentGenomics: UCSC Genomics program and invention of the genomics browserGaming: Game design is largest engineering major at UCSCRecreation: Legacy of innovation in mountain biking, surfing, skate boarding, etc.Tourism and Eco-Tourism: takes advantage of our natural surroundings
Any successful new business in this region needs to integrate its business with the environmental values of the community.Small companies: Tailored to the size of the communityLocal jobs: less commuting/pollutionFamilies: Keep kids local/families togetherIncreased Tax Base: Pay for public services in health care, education, and public safety
The best way to have this future is to create it—through an entrepreneurial eco-system that starts with research and intellectual property, applies talent and capital, and gradually develops the grass roots eco-system to self-perpetuate—creating companies, spin-offs of those companies, cross-fertilization of ideas and ultimately a close partnership and symbiosis with the educational institutions in the area.
Recently, I’ve taken the initiative in the Capital area bringing California’s largest micro-lending institution, Opportunity Fund, to SC and Monterey Counties and doing the same with one of the best business advising organizations, Pacific Community Ventures. Both are focused on capital and advising needed in lower income communities. I’ve also just started Central Coast Angels, focused more on capital and advising for tech, marine science, farmtech, food and recreation start-ups.My point: we all have to do our part to make this vision a reality. Individual initiative matters, and helps the eco-system grow.
When you think of our brand today, it’s primarily oriented around the Central Coast being a tourist destination.
I think our brand can be inclusive, but revolve around the concept of innovation—for all diversified sectors:Idea: Invent Your Future Here
And we’re doing it….
The usual narrative about tech on the Central Coast is about companies that have left or missed opportunities (Seagate, Digital Research, Borland, SCO, etc.).But the companies in this slide have been built from local technical and business talent, and in some cases are veterans of companies that left (the people stayed!). And there are many new start-ups that hope to join them.
We have lots of technical talent…some of them work in Silicon Valley and get on buses every morning (or drive themselves). Many would enjoy working closer to home!
There is a need for a non-profit organization that represents all elements of the community: education, business, environment, labor, non-profits (similar to Valley Vision in Sacramento, Economic Vitality Corporation in San Luis Obispo, or Joint Venture Silicon Valley. Such an organization would collesce all points of view to publish a consensus economic development strategy, monitor it, and hold public and private officials accountable for progress in achieving it.On infrastructure and policy, we’ve got to get to:“Yes, if….” instead of “No, because…”