East Bay Economic Development Alliance > Focus Area & Issues
The East Bay EDA is focusing on a number of issues, focus areas, projects, and actions to catalyze economic growth.
Strategic Priorities & Initiatives
The regional economic assessment, Building On Our Assets, and subsequent meetings with members and partners, East Bay EDA has set the stage for the following initiatives which are now taking shape.
Education & Workforce Development
East Bay EDA’s Board of Directors has identified Education and Workforce Development as the region’s #1 economic priority. Specifically, East Bay EDA will be working to help create a highly networked workforce preparation system that expands and enhances business involvement with educational institutions at every level but especially with East Bay high schools and community colleges.
Want to be a part of this effort? Contact Karen Engel Karen@eastbayeda.org
Innovation
Technological innovation drives the East Bay regional economy. East Bay EDA will be working to strengthen the East Bay’s innovation eco-system and technology clusters through:
· Proactive marketing and communication of the East Bay’s innovation assets, investment opportunities, and success stories including an annual celebration of East Bay Innovators of the Year.
· Implementing our regional marketing and branding campaign EDA’s Marketing Committee created last year to focus on telling the East Bay innovation story. We are gearing up for a fundraising campaign to hire help to do this work. We are also convening all of our message partners to kick-off this effort. East Bay EDA’s Marketing Committee will remain the key leaders of this effort – thank you Kaiser and City of Dublin!
Want to be a part of this effort? Contact Karen Engel Karen@eastbayeda.org
Business Climate
East Bay EDA is focused on ensuring that companies - especially small and medium-sized ones - start, survive and thrive in the East Bay. This year East Bay EDA will be facilitating regional collaboration to:
1. To improve the connection between small businesses and those who can help them in a variety of ways (financing, advising, etc.), East Bay EDA and Inner City Advisors are working together with the help of Wells Fargo and others to put together a series of sub-regional Small Business Symposia. We will be engaging a wide range of lenders and business service providers to connect with small business owners. Our target date for the first Symposium is March, 2012.
2. To improve the region’s regulatory environment, East Bay EDA is looking into the feasibility of a “Back-to-Business Pledge” – a set of customer service and business-friendliness practices that regulating entities would adopt and commit to abiding by as a way to ease the regulatory burden on business and economic development. This effort would also showcase regulatory process “best practices.” Cushman & Wakefield and Grubb & Ellis will help drive this initiative.
Want to be a part of this effort? Contact Keith Sutton at Keith@eastbayeda.org
Infrastructure & Land Use
The East Bay is ground zero for a number of critical infrastructure issues facing the state of California.
· The loss of redevelopment by the region’s cities is a major blow to the region’s ability to adapt older industrial areas to newer, more productive uses. East Bay EDA will be supporting its city members and related entities in pursuing alternatives to ensure investment continues to flow into the regions older and more resource-constrained areas.
· East Bay EDA will be working actively with its partners in the Bay Area Business Coalition to ensure that issues related to economic and business development and employment are front and center in the list of considerations and criteria for effective regional planning – especially in the context of the Sustainable Communities Strategy and the Regional Transportation Plan.
· East Bay EDA aims to convene a variety of key businesses and associations which rely on efficient transportation modes and have a vested interest in infrastructure investment. The Transportation and Land Use Committee ensures that transportation and land use priorities uphold the East Bay’s competitive business climate, maintain efficient transportation and goods movement systems, and ensure a high quality of life for its workers.
Want to be a part of this effort? Contact Scott Peterson at scott@eastbayeda.org
Business Development
The Business Development includes the Economic Development Director's Council, regional marketing groups like the Bay Area East Shore, Northern Silicon Valley and the Industrial Roundtable
Economic Development Directors Council - Much of the business development work is actually planned and carried out via the East Bay's Economic Development Directors Council which has its own portal and webpage but requires a Membership Login.
Business Development Communications Portal Requires Login - Business Development Focus Group Membership
Regional Marketing - sub-regional marketing efforts that capitalize on the unique strengths, assets and opportunities of diverse areas of the East Bay
Northern Region
North-Eastern Region
Central Contra Costa County -
Think Contra Costa
East Shore - Bay Area East Shore
Tri-Valley
- Tri-Valley Convention &
Visitors Bureau
Northern Silicon Valley Region
Industrial Roundtable - website of the Bay Area group (with a strong East Bay component) that is focused on preserving industrial properties and jobs for the Bay Area, its cities, businesses and residents
East Bay Green Corridor Partnership
The Green Corridor is a regional initiative working to strengthen the economy through support for emerging green and sustainable industries, green job development, and alternative energy research with a goal to establish the region as a national leader in green innovation.
The Partnership was established in 2007 by the cities of Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Richmond, the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and expanded in 2009 to include the cities of San Leandro and Alameda, and the Peralta Contra Costa Community Colleges and the Lawrence Livermore National Lab
Administrative support is provided by the East Bay EDA and a full-time Project Manager was recruited in October 2010, to serve as a member of the organization’s business development and event planning staff. For more information, please visit the Green Corridor website, www.ebgreencorridor.org.
East Bay News Articles
A Webpage of documents and news article contributed by East Bay EDA members and affiliates is available.
NOTE: When members check the "public" box in the Communications Portal document and news articles uploads, their articles/news stories are published directly to the above linked page.
Upload Documents for EDA Staff
The upload webpage allows EDA partners/members to upload large documents/files to the www.eastbayeda.org/Data/ folder for EDA staff to access. Please Note: this page does not post documents/news articles to the website for public or EDD Council viewing - that is accomplished with the Business Development Communications Portal