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NEW! - Draft Innovation Council Economic Strategic Plan

Draft Economic Forecast

Over the next 10 years, the Sonoma County economy will be faced with a number of formidable challenges and exciting opportunities. Unprecedented change is expected in several areas including workforce demographics, global competitiveness, and availability of natural resources, among others. In confronting these new realities, Sonoma County has the ability to seize important opportunities such as new emerging industries that need support for their future success.

The challenges facing our region require creativity and innovation to ensure Sonoma County remains economically competitive. Therefore, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), the Workforce Investment Board (WIB), and the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA), in cooperation with a number of groups, propose the development of an economic strategic plan for Sonoma County.

Economic Strategic Plan

The plan, to be completed within one year, is designed primarily to create actionable strategies to help ensure a viable business climate and healthy economy in the coming decade. The effort is being overseen by an ad hoc advisory committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors comprised of a broad-based group of business and community leaders known as the Sonoma County Innovation Council.

The Council’s purpose is to recommend a plan of action – including benchmarks, timelines, roles and responsibilities – for dealing with the economic challenges facing Sonoma County in the next 10 years. Because the challenges are great, and resources are limited, this project will provide the county’s economic actors – business owners, government agencies, educational providers, business/professional organizations, and other interest groups – the opportunity to work together with the community in a coordinated effort to promote sustainable economic development.

Here are more details on the Innovation Council:

Council Members

During the application period for the Innovation Council seats, the EDB received many applications from talented and enthusiastic individuals who care about the economic future of Sonoma County. The EDB wishes to thank everyone that applied. The Board of Supervisors appointed the following 34 business and community leaders to serve on the Council on September 11, 2007

Co-Chairs:
Randy DeCaminada, Marketing Director, Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Cynthia Murray, President/CEO, North Bay Leadership Council

Innovation Council Members:
Robert Agrella, Superintendent/President, Santa Rosa Junior College
Steve Amend, President, Roofing Services Inc.
Bob Anderson, Executive Director, United Winegrowers of Sonoma County
Ed Barr, President, P&L Specialties
Jane Bender, Councilmember, City of Santa Rosa
Percy Brandon, General Manager, Vintners Inn/John Ash & Co.
Bill Carson, Director of Operations, Windsor Golf/Rooster Run Golf
Oscar Chavez, Executive Director, Community Action Partnership
Don Chigazola, Director of Operations, Medtronic Cardiovascular
Judy Coffey, Senior Vice President/Area Manager, Kaiser Permanente (Marin-Sonoma)
Ann Hancock, Executive Director, Climate Protection Campaign
Mike Hauser, President, Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce
Mark Inman, President, Taylor Maid Farms
Katie Kerns, Sales Manager, Sheraton Sonoma County
Patrick Kilkenny, Owner, Kilkenny Advisors
Scott Kincaid, Senior Vice President, First Community Bank
Scott Kirk, Attorney, Beyers Costin PC
Brian Ling, CEO/President, Redwood Reliance Sales Co.
John Lowry, Executive Director, Burbank Housing Development Corporation
Alexander Mallonee, Secretary/Treasurer, North Bay Labor Council
Lex McCorvey, Executive Director, Sonoma County Farm Bureau
Juan Nieto, Realtor, Frank Howard Allen Realtors
Bill Nordskog, Agilent Technologies (Retired)
Onita Pellegrini, CEO, Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce
Grant Raeside, Executive Director, Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance
Saeid Rahimi, Dean of the College of Science and Technology, Sonoma State University
Teresa Ramondo, Executive Director/CEO, Sebastopol Area Chamber of Commerce
Lisa Schaffner, Executive Director, Sonoma County Alliance
Marlene Soiland, Secretary/Treasurer & CFO, Stony Point Rock Quarry, Inc.
Carl Wong, Superintendent of Schools, Sonoma County Office of Education
Joan Woodard, CEO/President, Simons and Woodard
Jennifer Yankovich, Executive Director, Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce

Expert Support

In order to develop a model of the county's economic future and a recommended plan of action to address the changes ahead, the Innovation Council will utilize the expertise of an economic consultant and a project facilitator, as well as local resources.

An evaluation committee, led by EDB staff, reviewed the proposals that were received for these professional services. Following the evaluation process, the committee recommended Moody's Economy.com as the economic consultant and Collaborative Economics as the project facilitator. On September 18, 2007, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved these recommendations.

Resources - In the News

Forward Thinking
Stephanie Derammelaere, ©North Bay Biz

Calculated Influences
Nathan Halverson, ©The Press Democrat

Rooting Out Poverty: A Campaign by America's Community Action Network
Report, ©2008 Community Action Partnership on behalf of itself and National Community Action Foundation (NCAF), National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP), and Community Action Program Legal Services, Inc. (CAPLAW).

New council will address innovation, economic stability
Loralee Stevens, ©North Bay Business Journal

Innovation Council good step toward economic plan
Editorial, ©North Bay Business Journal

Future Shock
Editorial, ©The Press Democrat

Mapping county's economic future
Bleys W. Rose, ©The Press Democrat

Yankovich, Raeside on Innovation Council
Sandi Hansen, ©Sonoma Index-Tribune

Supervisors name Innovation Council
Staff, ©North Bay Business Journal

Background Information

In many ways, the Council will operate as a successor to the Economic Vitality Project (EVP) of 10 years ago, which resulted in a new engineering sciences program at Sonoma State University, a new tourism program, new collaborative efforts among local agriculture groups, and a new local economic research program.

If you are interested in the work of the EVP and related projects, click below to read one of the past reports:

• EVP 1996 Economic Report
• EVP 1997 Economic Cluster Study
• 2006 Economic Cluster Study

For more information on the local economy, check the EDB Statistics/Reports page.

For more information on efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, read California's AB 32 and Sonoma County's Resolution No. 05-0827. Also, go to the Climate Protection Campaign, a local organization committed to developing practical solutions for significant GHG reductions.

Scheduled Public Meetings and Agendas

Proposed Calendar of Meetings UPDATE (last updated 3/26/08)

Meetings:

May 15 Meeting Materials:
Meeting Agenda, May 15, 2008

April 23 Meeting Materials:
Meeting Agenda, April 23, 2008

April 10 Meeting Materials:
Meeting Agenda, April 10, 2008

March 4 Meeting Materials:
Meeting Agenda, March 4, 2008

January 24 Meeting Materials:
Meeting Agenda and Directions, January 24, 2008

November 9 Meeting Materials:
Meeting Agenda and Directions November 9, 2007
Briefing Binder--Part 1
Briefing Binder--Part 2

October 31 Meeting Materials:
Steering Committee Meeting Agenda Oct. 31, 2007
Draft Briefing Binder--Part 1
Draft Briefing Binder--Part 2

October 4 Agenda:
Steering Committee Meeting Agenda Oct. 4, 2007

Let Us Hear From You

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Innovation Council, please Contact Us.

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