California unemployment holds at record low 3.9 percent in December

California unemployment holds at record low 3.9 percent in December

In the Central Valley, only Sacramento County had a jobless rate less than the state’s average. Adjacent Yolo County was at the state average while all other Valley counties had unemployment rates greater than the state average. The job gains in December contribute to a record job expansion in California of 118 months, surpassing the long expansion of the 1960s. California has gained  3,422,900 jobs since the current expansion began after the bottom of the Great Recession had been reached in February 2010, accounting for more than 15 percent of the nation’s 22,688,000 job gain over the same timeframe.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/990b8725-e4ad-4de4-a1fa-81c18377ceda.pdf

Free seven-month “code academy” expands in Stanislaus

As many as 1,000 Central Valley residents could be trained to be software programmers in an expanding program offered in Modesto. Programmers are in sharp demand and often command high salaries. Bay Valley Tech is teaming with the Stanislaus County Office of Education to offer free training – valued at as much as $15,000 – for local residents. Students in the “code academy” learn new programming skills through flexible online courses, peer-based tutoring and weekly in-person classes where they have opportunities to network with local software professionals and hiring managers. Bay Valley Tech says it has also partnered with local companies to provide software  professionals as code academy mentors and paid internships for top program graduates.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/ec8a109f-49dc-49f3-bf6e-f76699eedb88.pdf

Newsom budget includes $15 million for UC Merced, Valley medical education

A building lighting ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the University of California, Merced 2020 Project on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018.  The Central Valley’s physician deficiency may get a needed boost from the proposed 2020-21 California budget. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s suggested budget offers $15 million in ongoing funding to expand medical education at UC San Francisco School of Medicine Fresno Branch Campus in collaboration with UC Merced.

https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article239253088.html

Business landscape looks bright for Shafter

The City of Shafter has been enjoying a reputation of being one of the fastest growing cities in business in recent years, attracting such companies as Target, Ross and several other big retailers. The most recent addition is Walmart, which is scheduled to open the most technologically advanced distribution center in the nation in Shafter in the fall of 2020. Bob Meadows, business development director for the city, says Shafter is a sought-after destination for businesses, large and small. “We have several irons in the fire. This year should see the city continue to build on this success and make 2020 a special one.” Financially, the city has been touted as one of the most financially sound cities in the state. Meadows said that since he joined the city last year, he has become aware of the great reputation the city has in Kern County, as well as in the state of California.

New warehouses, hotels, restaurants coming to Visalia’s Industrial Park

Rod Jurbina remembers a time, perhaps just 15 years ago, when there wasn’t much to see in parts of Visalia’s industrial park. At the time, he was working for a gas company. “We put in a four-inch plastic gas main in there and I was asking myself, ‘I wonder why they need this here because there’s really nothing out here for now,'” Jurbina said. “And now look what it’s developed into.” In a January economic update, city employees describe an industrial park that is growing substantially. The reason for the growth? The city says it’s multiple factors, including the cost and availability of land, Visalia’s central location in the state, and the expansion of the UPS’ ground hub at this massive facility at Riggin Avenue and Plaza Drive.The city expects UPS will add another 250 jobs but predicts it will also spur new development and more jobs.

Renewable natural gas producer announces Pixley expansion

The Calgren facility now collects methane— a potent greenhouse gas that would otherwise escape to the atmosphere and contribute to climate change — from more than 66,000 cows at 10 area dairy farms. The additional dairies are projected to nearly double the amount of RNG produced at the facility, further reducing greenhouse gas emissions and displacing more traditional natural gas. Calgren partnered with Maas Energy Works to develop these four new dairy digesters as well as the previous six dairy digesters that have been operating since 2018.

Lowe’s to hire more than 53,000 for spring season

Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW) says it plans to hire more than 53,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers across its more than 1,700 U.S. stores this spring. The company says it will roll out hiring events in all store locations over the next three months by region to meet the seasonal spring hiring needs across the country. Lowe’s stores in Southern California, where spring weather typically arrives earliest, will host the first walk-in hiring events from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8. Candidates may receive on-the-spot offers during this open interview process, the company says. Additional hiring events at stores in the remaining U.S. regions are scheduled for January 15; February 5; February 19 and March 4.

https://files.constantcontact.com/2cb20f61601/07649bd0-625b-46c6-be6a-3726dfa5766a.pdf

Valley firm acquired by high-tech giant

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY) of Thousand Oaks says its subsidiary, Teledyne LeCroy Inc., has acquired OakGate Technology Inc., which is based in the Sacramento suburb of Loomis. OakGate makes software and hardware designed to test electronic data storage devices from development through manufacturing and end-use applications. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Teledyne LeCroy sells protocol analyzers for a wide range of digital communications standards, such as universal serial bus (USB), peripheral component interconnect express (pci express) and gigabit ethernet (GigE), that aid developers in finding and fixing persistent and intermittent errors and flaws in their product design. OakGate makes complementary software and hardware primarily focused on the test, validation and operating performance of solid state electronic storage media. Both companies’ tools are widely used across the semiconductor, data center and consumer electronics industries.

https://cvbtcom.ipower.com/valley-firm-acquired-by-high-tech-giant/

 

CEO at Foster Farms in Livingston talks about its future. New wing flavors are in it

Dan Huber looks to the future as CEO at Foster Farms. He aims for sustainable practices in the decades ahead at the Livingston-based poultry company. And he hopes the new line of chicken wings will please Super Bowl viewers early next month. Huber took over in February 2019 at Foster Farms, the top-selling poultry brand in the West. About 12,000 employees process turkey in Turlock and chicken in Livingston, Fresno, Porterville and four plants in the Northwest and South. Huber, 55, talked about consumer trends, food safety, sustainability and other topics in a mid-December interview in Livingston. He has worked since 1996 for the company, founded near Waterford by Max and Verda Foster in 1939. “Our commitment to the Valley has been as strong as ever,” Huber said. “The 80-year celebration of this company has been exciting for all of us.”

https://www.modbee.com/news/business/agriculture/article238340623.html?

Valley Children’s Earns 2019 Leapfrog Top Children’s Hospital Award For Outstanding Quality And Safety

Valley Children’s was named a Top Children’s Hospital in the nation by The Leapfrog Group for its excellence in patient safety and quality of care. The Top Children’s Hospital award is one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive and Valley Children’s is one out of only 10 children’s hospitals in the country that achieved this honor. “Every family who entrusts Valley Children’s to care for their children expects the safest, highest quality care. And we have set the expectation for ourselves to deliver the nation’s best, safest and highest quality care right here in the Central Valley,” says Valley Children’s President and CEO Todd Suntrapak. “This award is a testament to the capabilities, dedication and commitment of our entire staff – and is yet another reason why Valley Children’s is the best place for children’s healthcare in the region.” To qualify for the Top Hospital distinction, hospitals must rank at the top among peers in the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest known standards for quality and patient safety.

https://www.valleychildrens.org/news/news-story?&news=201