By Jennifer Economy • Top Stories • Uncategorized 0 Comments

CCVEDC Gains State Funding to Market Central California

Fresno – Assemblymembers Rudy Salas and Dr. Joaquin Arambula presented a check for $40,000 to the California Central Valley Economic Development Corporation (CCVEDC) Dec. 20 at their December board meeting in Fresno.  This is the first direct investment in economic development in the Central Valley by the state in some time. The funding will support the eight-county regional economic development efforts.

https://hanfordsentinel.com/regional-group-gains-state-funding-to-market-central-california/article_73dce18f-2f5e-5b27-9440-a58db49869a8.html

By Jennifer Back Office • Economy • Hi-Tech 0 Comments

Bitwise Industries Selects Merced as Newest City In Growing Tech Ecosystem

Fresno-based technology hub Bitwise Industries announced on Tuesday it is expanding to the North Valley. Their building in the heart of downtown Merced at Main and M streets is vacant right now, but it will soon be transformed into the newest Bitwise facility. Company representatives say this is the perfect location for many different reasons.

https://abc30.com/business/bitwise-opening-new-location-in-merced/5764181/

By Jennifer Education • Workforce 0 Comments

New Valley program lets you earn a bachelor’s degree in less than 2 years

The road to a bachelor’s degree in business is hitting the fast track for some Valley students. A partnership between Fresno Pacific University (FPU) and Reedley College will allow students at community college to earn the advanced degree without even leaving campus. “A portion of the course is offered on site and a portion happens online and we can get students through their bachelors in about 18 months,” says Dr. Katie Fleener, the dean of FPU’s School of Business. Bringing the degree to students’ doorstep was crucial since transportation can be an issue for folks living outside Fresno.

By Jennifer Economy • Manufacturing • New Location • Top Stories 0 Comments

The CVBT Podcast: Bay Area manufacturer moves headquarters to Central Valley

For anyone who might have thought high-tech manufacturing cannot be found in the Central Valley, there’s a now-former San Francisco Bay Area company that might change one’s mind. It’s Jatco Incorporated, a plastic injection molding company that has packed up and moved its headquarters and main manufacturing plant to Modesto after some 40 years in the Bay Area.

https://www.jatco.com/

By Jennifer Economy • Manufacturing • Top Stories • Workforce 0 Comments

Registration opens for 6th “Valley Made” Manufacturing Summit

More than 1,000 representatives from the manufacturing industry are expected for the day-long event at the Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall. Registration is open by visiting www.sjvma.org. Also sponsorships and exhibit space are available by contacting Genelle Taylor Kumpe via email (genelle@sjvma.org) or calling 559.214.0140. The event is designed as a workshop and resource expo that celebrates the Valley’s history of innovation in manufacturing while providing resources and networking opportunities that continue to build a well-trained, outstanding workforce.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/c1ad790b-010c-4a85-8e70-0e8f5ff54f78.pdf

By Jennifer Energy • Food Processing 0 Comments

In Lathrop, it’s Time for Solar Sausages

Pizza toppings are made out of many ingredients but now, in Lathrop, they’re being made with solar power. The Hormel Foods Swiss American Sausage Company plant in Lathrop is now making a variety of pepperoni and salami for foodservice pizza toppings with power from 2,000 solar panels installed on both the plant roof and on the ground. The project is projected to generate roughly 1.2 million kilowatt hours per year – enough to supply more than 15 percent of the plant’s annual electricity consumption. IGS Solar partnered with Holt Renewables LLC to install the solar array, which is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 288 metric tons per year,  equivalent to removing 61 cars from the road annually or avoiding burning over 314,000 pounds of coal.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/04bea1e5-526d-41c8-8305-eff7a6f5ded0.pdf

By Jennifer Commercial • Economy • Manufacturing • New Location • Workforce 0 Comments

Plans emerge for major cannabis facility in Modesto. Up to 250 jobs are projected

A Canada-based company has big plans to manufacture and distribute cannabis products from an expansive building in Modesto. In April, Transcanna Holdings Inc. announced the purchase of the 196,000-square-foot building on Daly Avenue in the Beard Industrial District. The company with corporate offices in Vancouver has also acquired locally based Lyfted Farms, a county-permitted cannabis business that will manage the Modesto operations. Lyfted is seeking a permit from Stanislaus County for growing cannabis in a 32,700-square-foot area inside the building. Cannabis products would be processed and packaged in the former turkey processing plant and distributed to retail outlets in California.

https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article238194959.html

By Jennifer Commercial • E-Commerce • Economy • Food Processing • Health/Medical • Logistics • Manufacturing 0 Comments

FRESNO COUNTY ECONOMIC FORECAST: INTERNATIONAL INTEREST COMES ROLLING IN

https://thebusinessjournal.com/fresno-county-economic-forecast-international-interest-comes-rolling-in/

By Jennifer Back Office • Commercial • Economy 0 Comments

A renovation surge is remaking this downtown Fresno street. A historic building is next

Plans are underway for a major repurposing project to host a micro brewery, tech office space, among other possibilities, for the 1918 building at 736 Fulton Street. BY JOHN WALKER | JOHN WALKER A stretch of Fulton Street in downtown Fresno is getting a lot of love lately. It’s about to get some more. A brick building estimated to be 101 years old at 736 Fulton St., across the street from the Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co.’s beer garden, has new owners. They are in the process of renovating the building, with plans to rent space out to businesses.

https://www.fresnobee.com/living/food-drink/bethany-clough/article237729149.html?

By Jennifer Economy • Education 0 Comments

UC Merced is proving to be the boon to the Valley it was predicted to become

Thirty years ago, The Fresno Bee celebrated the long overdue decision to build a University of California campus in the Central Valley. “What a prize,” read the Bee editorial that predicted “thousands of new jobs (and) a boon to the local economy.” Another decade passed before groundbreaking, and the worst recession since the Great Depression followed. From the start, UC Merced faced challenges that, to some, seemed insurmountable. What a difference a few years and strong leadership by my predecessor, Dorothy Leland, have made. Today, UC Merced is marking its 14th year — and living up to the Bee’s predictions.

https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2019/merced-sun-star-uc-merced-proving-be-boon-valley-predicted