By Faughn Economy • Quality of Life • Tourism 0 Comments

‘We’re all COVID-free:’ Pro-surfers back in the Valley, compete in WSL’s Rumble at the Ranch for charity

by: Angelica Lei Lani Posted:

LEMOORE, Calif. (KSEE) — Surfers are hanging-ten in the Valley again for the World Surf League’s Rumble at the Ranch. The last public event at the WSL Surf Ranch in Lemoore was in September. “Gosh I haven’t surfed a contest in eight months or so now, so it’s fun to get going, get rolling,” said 11-time World Surfing Champion, Kelly Slater. Like many sports, the World Surf League’s season has been impacted because of coronavirus.

But on Sunday, 16 pro-surfers went head to head in the first-ever mixed team competition. “We’ve got the bubble, everybody’s been tested and we’re all COVID-free and we just get to have some fun and push each other a little bit,” Slater said. The surfers in a two-person team, each with one man and one woman. The prize, $20,000 to the winning team’s charity of choice. “This is part of our WSL countdown series, with the pandemic, we canceled our 2020 season so the season never officially run so we’ve had some regional events and specialty events and this is one of them,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, VP of tours and competitions for WSL.

Caroline Marks says the event is helping her prepare for the Olympics. She says she hasn’t competed since December. “We’re all just really stoked to be back in the jersey and you know just surfing and just kind of feeling those nerves and that energy again it’s really fun,” Marks said. The World Surf League is taking precautions. The event was closed to the public. WSL says they worked with the Kings County Public Health Department to keep everyone safe. Slater says with surfing it’s easy to social distance, especially at the Ranch. “The issue for us, for the tour, is that we can’t travel, we can’t get people in, you got to quarantine if you’re even allowed in the country, basically, American’s aren’t allowed anywhere right now, we screwed that up,” Slater said.

WSL says Coco Ho and Filipe Toledo took the event title. They say Toledo had a “near-perfect wave” and the “highest scoring wave of the day.”  Ho and Toledo nominated Surfrider Foundation’s LA Chapter as the recipients of a $10,000 charitable donation in their name.

https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/were-all-covid-free-pro-surfers-back-in-the-valley-compete-in-wsls-rumble-at-the-ranch-for-charity-2/

By Faughn Economy • Food Processing 0 Comments

USDA to Host CFAP Producer Webinar to Discuss Newly Eligible Specialty Crops, Nursery Crops, Cut Flowers and more

Join the USDA Farm Service Agency as we discuss another round of additional commodities that are now eligible for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).  Hear program specialists provide scenario examples for nursery crops, specialty crops and aquaculture.  We will also cover adjustments made to the program and recap program basics.  USDA’s Farm Service Agency is now accepting applications for CFAP through September 11, 2020.  The CFAP program helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/outreach-and-education/webinars/

By Faughn Economy • Food Processing 0 Comments

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Are you a farmer or rancher whose operation has been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic? The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on August 11 that the deadline to apply for CFAP has been extended to September 11. The original application deadline was August 28, 2020. USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers multiple ways for you to apply for CFAP to meet your business needs.

Producers self-certify when applying for CFAP, and documentation is not submitted with the application. You may be asked for additional documentation to support your certification of eligible commodities, so you should retain the documentation used to complete your application.

https://www.farmers.gov/cfap

By Faughn Manufacturing 0 Comments

Overton Moore Properties Buys 118,056 SF Industrial Building in Lathrop, California

LATHROP, CALIF. — Overton Moore Properties, in a joint venture with Invesco Real Estate, has acquired a single-tenant industrial facility located at 18231 Murphy Parkway in Lathrop. Terms of the transaction were not released.

Situated on 11 acres, the 118,056-square-foot property is fully leased to Simwon America Corp., a Tier 1 supplier of Tesla. The buyer plans to expand the current building by approximately 80,000 square feet for Simwon’s growing manufacturing demands. Mike Goldstein and Ryan McShane of Colliers International, Stockton/Central Valley office, represented the buyer and undisclosed seller in the deal.

https://rebusinessonline.com/overton-moore-properties-buys-118056-sf-industrial-building-in-lathrop-california/?oly_enc_id=0462I5076934B9U

By Faughn E-Commerce • Economy 0 Comments

County of Madera Small Business Pandemic Assistance Grant

PRESS RELEASE
August 5, 2020

The County of Madera Board of Supervisors approved a Small Business Pandemic Assistance Grant program to help support small businesses located in Madera County, including the City of Madera and the City of Chowchilla. The County will partner with the Madera County Economic Development Commission (MCEDC) to disperse over $3.8 Million in the form of small business grants. The County received the funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, Economic Security Act (or CARES Act) from the State of California originating from the United States Government. “This program affirms the Board’s commitment to use available resources to help ensure businesses in the County see a path to recovery from this crisis,” said David Rogers, Board Chairman.

By state mandate many businesses that had just recently reopened were forced to shut their doors for a second time. “Small businesses employ a significant portion of our community, especially in the hard hit sectors like tourism and hospitality. The action taken by the Board of Supervisors will give our local economy a chance to weather this pandemic,” said Jay Varney, Madera County CAO. “So many of our small businesses throughout the County have been devastated by the COVID- 19 Pandemic we felt this was a great way to help them survive during these unprecedented times,” said Bobby Kahn, Executive Director of MCEDC. “It has been the absolute worst nightmare come true for so many industries.”

Eligible businesses with 50 or fewer employees can apply for grants in the amount of $5,000 or $10,000 depending on the size of their business. They will be able to obtain applications by going to mcedccountybusinessgrant.com or call the MCEDC office at 559-675-7768 for assistance.

By Faughn Economy • Hi-Tech 0 Comments

California High-Speed Rail Authority releases video promoting project, jobs creation

Work is booming on more than 32 active construction sites across the Central Valley. As we move forward building the nation’s first high-speed rail system, we are proud to announce that more than 4,000 construction jobs have been created, with more than 73% of the workers dispatched to our various construction sites reported living in the Central Valley.

We expect to keep the momentum this summer by completing and opening several overcrossings along Construction Package 1 and 2-3. Watch our latest Construction Update video to see the work in action and to get the latest on construction anytime, visit BuildHSR.com.

http://www.oc-breeze.com/2020/07/15/184751_california-high-speed-rail-authority-releases-video-promoting-project-jobs-creation/

By Faughn Renewable Energy 0 Comments

DEMAND FOR SOLAR BRINGS VACAVILLE-BASED COMPANY TO FRESNO

Citadel Roofing & Solar has opened an office in Fresno to serve homeowners and builders in the Central Valley.The Vacaville-based roofing and solar installation company is opening up an office in Fresno to meet the growing demand for its products for homeowners and builders. Citadel is already provides panels to many homebuilders in the area, including Bonadelle Neighborhoods and Granville Homes.

“We chose Fresno for our new office because of the big increase in demand from homeowners and homebuilders here, for both solar energy systems and energy storage systems,” said Aaron Nitzkin, executive vice president at Citadel. “Solar energy has of course been wildly popular with California homeowners for some years now, while only some of our homebuilder partners were installing solar as part of their new construction projects. But since the state of California began requiring solar energy systems on most new homes built after January 1, 2020, homebuilder demand for solar partners has jumped. Our Fresno office will help us serve those local homebuilder partners.”

Nitzkin said that their Fresno office will help serve homeowners and builders wanting energy storage systems which store electricity in batteries and provide backup power during utility outages. Energy storage systems have become more popular in the last two years due to frequent utility power outages. The Fresno office is located at 744 P. St. Citadel Roofing & Solar also has regional offices in Roseville, Davis, Santa Rose, and Valencia.

https://thebusinessjournal.com/demand-for-solar-brings-vacaville-based-company-to-fresno/#:~:text=The%20Vacaville%2Dbased%20roofing%20and,Bonadelle%20Neighborhoods%20and%20Granville%20Homes.

By Faughn Distribution • E-Commerce 0 Comments

New Stockton Amazon facility will create hundreds of jobs in SJ region

STOCKTON – There were smiles all around Tuesday as the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved a lease with e-commerce giant Amazon to develop property at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport, creating hundreds of jobs and bringing significant new activity to the region. “This is great for the county, great for jobs and great for the airport’s expansion,” Supervisor Tom Patti said following a presentation of the lease proposal by Airport Director Russell Stark at Tuesday’s board meeting.

Stark said the development is expected to generate 240 jobs for Amazon.com Services LLC, the company that will support Amazon at the airport. Amazon already has several large distribution centers in the region, making it the largest private sector industrial employer in San Joaquin County. The services company will lease 9.569 acres from the county-owned airport in order to build a $10-15 million, 56,000-square-foot building, along with parking for trucks and employees. The building will allow Amazon to more than double the current capacity of cargo that can be processed at the airport.

Amazon began operations there in 2016, using multiple air cargo service providers to transport products to and from it site in a temporary 20,000-square-foot sprung structure. To date, Amazon has moved 205,830 tons through the airport, according to Stark.

The initial term of the lease is five years, with nine five-year options for a total of 49 years providing the airport with $54,187 in annual revenue, or $270,937 over the first five-year period. The agreement includes a 5% escalator every five years until year 21, and, if the options are exercised, a fair market value assessment will be conducted and the rent will be adjusted according to the assessment findings. In addition, the airport will see an estimated $300,00 in annual revenue generated through increased fuel flowage fees and landing fees. The future calls for expanding daily aircraft capacity to eight large cargo jets.

https://www.recordnet.com/news/20200722/new-stockton-amazon-facility-will-create-hundreds-of-jobs-in-sj-region

By Faughn Education 0 Comments

The Central Valley’s Madera Community College becomes California’s newest community college

California has its newest college: Madera Community College. The college, located in California’s Central Valley north of Fresno, was recognized Monday by the California community college system’s Board of Governors as the 116th college in the system. Previously, the campus was Madera Community College Center and operated as a satellite campus of Reedley College. “This accomplishment is something that our community has been waiting for a long time and much needed,” Angel Reyna, president of the college, said in a statement. The new college’s goals include becoming “student and community centered,” and providing “equitable outcomes for each of our students, and to that end we commit towards transforming ourselves into an anti-racist institution while producing the future workforce our community needs,” Reyna added.

As a college rather than an educational center, Madera Community College will receive more state funding that will go toward additional programs and staffing. The college will also be eligible to have athletic programs in the California Community College Athletic Association. The campus enrolls about 5,600 students and opened in 1996.  The college will now operate independently within the State Center Community College District, the district that also includes Clovis College, Fresno City College and Reedley College.  Monday’s unanimous vote by the Board of Governors came after the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) voted in June to grant Madera its accreditation. The ACCJC is the commission responsible for accrediting all of California’s community colleges.

Assemblymember Jose Medina, who is chair of the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, in a statement said that Madera Community College “will help fill a great need in the Central Valley and increase access to quality educational and career opportunities for local students.” Monday marked the first time the system has recognized a new college since establishing Calbright College, a fully online college, last year. Before Calbright, Compton College became the 114th college in the system in June of last year when it regained its independence after operating for years as a satellite campus of the El Camino Community College District.

Tom Epstein, president of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, said in a statement that the system is “proud to welcome Madera Community College to the family of California community colleges. We congratulate the dedicated faculty and district leadership for providing this underserved area of the Central Valley with expanded learning opportunities to help more students achieve their educational goals.”

https://edsource.org/2020/the-central-valleys-madera-community-college-becomes-californias-newest-community-college/636810

By Faughn Economy • Hi-Tech 0 Comments

OmniTRAX’s Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad Works with San Joaquin Partnership to Launch Rail-Ready Sites Program

DENVER & STOCKTON, CA – OmniTRAX, one of the fastest growing railroads in North America and an affiliate of The Broe Group, is bringing its Rail-Ready Sites program to the Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad (STE). The program, started last year at the Winchester & Western Railroad (WW) in West Virginia and New Jersey, delivers the benefits of rail to shipping customers through rail-served sites.
OmniTRAX is working closely with the San Joaquin Partnership to promote the best developable, rail-ready property adjacent to the STE. The initial three sites, which total 83 acres and include a 65 acre parcel, are ideal locations for rail-served agriculture, manufacturing, asphalt, cement, chemicals, food processing, lumber, steel and distribution facilities.  “San Joaquin County and the greater Stockton region are going through an industrial and agricultural renaissance that our Rail-Ready Sites program will help to support. Working with the San Joaquin Partnership, OmniTRAX will bring new jobs and economic growth to the area through increased rail-served development,” said Ean Johnson, Vice President, Industrial Development at OmniTRAX. “We are strategically located in the heart of Northern California with the right land, infrastructure and workforce that will maximize success for rail-served sites. We provide a business-friendly climate and local government support that when partnered with the expert experience that OmniTRAX brings to the table, generate a winning formula for our community,” said Bob Gutierrez, Interim President & CEO of the San Joaquin Partnership.
About OmniTRAX, Inc.
As one of North America’s largest and fastest growing private railroad and transportation management companies, OmniTRAX’s core capabilities range from providing transportation and supply chain management services to railroad and port companies, to providing intermodal and industrial switching operations to railroads, ports and a diverse group of industrial companies. Through its affiliation with The Broe Group and its portfolio of managed companies, OmniTRAX also has the unique capability of offering specialized industrial development and real estate solutions, both on and off the rail network managed by OmniTRAX. More information is available at omnitrax.com.
About The Broe Group
Based in Denver, The Broe Group and its affiliates form a privately-owned, multi-billion-dollar real estate, transportation, energy and investment organization with assets owned and managed across North America. Together, Broe managed companies employ more than 1,000 people and support employment of thousands of others through operations such as its Great Western Industrial Park in Northern Colorado. Its transportation affiliate, OmniTRAX, Inc., is one of North America’s largest private railroad and transportation management companies specializing in: management services, railroad and port services, intermodal solutions and industrial switching operations. Its energy affiliates include Great Western Petroleum LLC, the largest private operator in the third most prolific U.S. basin. Broe Real Estate Group acquires, develops and manages office and industrial properties, medical office buildings and multi-family communities across the country, including premier assets in many of the most desirable markets. The Broe Group also has multiple investment affiliates, including Three Leaf Ventures, which is focused on innovative healthcare technology start-ups. For more information, visit broe.com.
About San Joaquin Partnership
The San Joaquin Partnership is a public/private non-profit economic development corporation serving all of San Joaquin County and its seven incorporated cities. For the past 30 years, the Partnership has attracted business and industry to the region with marketing and outreach strategies.  Our team provides custom tailored marketing plans, confidential due diligence, site selection, government affairs and match making with local businesses that will assist your company in establishing a successful future in San Joaquin County.