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>> Doug Henton: NOW,
FIRST OF ALL,
LET ME JUST BE TALKING ABOUT,
WHAT IS A CLUSTER?
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THAT
WHEN WE USE THAT TERM?
WELL, IT'S IMPORTANT
TO REALIZE THAT WE'RE REALLY
TALKING ABOUT SORT OF A SERIES
OF INTER-DEPENDENT INDUSTRIES,
NOT JUST ONE INDUSTRY
BUT A SET OF INDUSTRIES
THAT ARE CONNECTED
TO EACH OTHER.
UM, ONE OF THEM
THAT I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT
IS, FOR INSTANCE,
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT TOURISM,
IT'S CONNECTED
TO OTHER ACTIVITIES
HERE IN THE COUNTY,
IN TERMS OF, UH, SERVICES
THAT SUPPORT TOURISM, TRAVEL.
ALSO, THE WINE INDUSTRY,
THAT'S AN EXAMPLE SET OF--
A SET OF CLUSTERING
OF INDUSTRIES
THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
THE SECOND THING
I WANNA POINT OUT IS THAT,
WHEN YOU DO THE ANALYSIS,
YOU'LL NOTICE THAT
THEIR CONCENTRATION
IS HIGHER HERE
THAN OTHER PLACES,
AND THAT SHOWS UP IN TALENT,
IN TERMS OF WORKFORCE.
YOU HAVE A SPECIALIZED
WORKFORCE,
SORT OF INFRASTRUCTURE
THAT SUPPORTS THESE INDUSTRIES.
AND ALSO, THERE ARE A SET
OF BUYER-SUPPLIER LINKAGES.
JUST POINTING OUT, THERE ARE
SMALL BUSINESSES HERE,
BUT THEY ALSO SELL
TO SOME OF THE OTHER
BUSINESSES HERE.
SO, THIS IS WHAT A CLUSTER IS.
IT'S SORT OF THE CONNECTIONS
ARE SO IMPORTANT
AND SORT OF MAINTAINING
AND GROWING THOSE CONNECTIONS,
AND THAT'S WHAT
A CLUSTER STRATEGY
CAN DO FOR YOU.
THEY CREATE A SOURCE
OF REGIONAL ADVANTAGE,
AND I WANNA POINT THIS OUT.
IT'S SO IMPORTANT.
ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY SONOMA HAS HAD
THAT ADVANTAGE OF GROWING
IS THAT THERE'S CERTAIN
KEY INDUSTRIES HERE.
YOU NEED TO LOOK AT
THE OVERALL ECONOMY.
THEN, YOU BREAK IT DOWN
TO ITS PIECE AND UNDERSTAND--
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES
OF THESE CRITICAL INDUSTRIES
IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY,
AS WELL AS DOMESTICALLY?
HOW ARE YOU GONNA GROW JOBS
AND WEALTH FROM THAT?
NOW, WHY ARE--
WHY ARE CLUSTERS SO IMPORTANT?
WELL, WE SOMETIMES
USE THE PHRASE,
"GROWING ECONOMIES
BASED ON CLUSTERS."
THEY'RE SO IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THEY DO TWO THINGS.
THEY'RE THE SOURCE
OF PROSPERITY
FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.
BUT ALSO, THEY ALSO GENERATE
THOSE CRITICAL PUBLIC REVENUES
THAT ARE GONNA BE NECESSARY
FOR GOVERNMENT
TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
NOW, HOW DO YOU RE--
INVEST IN EDUCATION?
HOW DO YOU INVEST IN
INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAINTAIN
THE TYPE OF COMMUNITY
THAT'S SO ESSENTIAL
FOR ATTRACTING PEOPLE HERE,
THE TALENT, AND THE BUSINESSES?
SO, THERE REALLY IS
A VITAL CYCLE
THAT IS CRITICAL
TO THE HEALTH AND VITALITY
OF A REGION,
AND THAT COMMUNITY
HELPS GROW THE CLUSTERS.
SO, WHEN PEOPLE ASK YOU,
"WHAT'S THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN CLUSTERS
"AND THE COMMUNITY,"
IT REALLY IS A VITAL CYCLE,
AND YOU WANNA MAINTAIN
THE STRENGTH OF THOSE
CRITICAL INDUSTRIES
TO MAINTAIN BOTH THE PROSPERITY
FOR PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES,
BUT ALSO TO GROW
THOSE REVENUES
THAT WILL GO BACK TO HELP
THE BUDGETS AND THE COUNTY
AND THE CITIES GROW,
SO THEY CAN PAY FOR
THE CRITICAL EDUCATION
AND INFRASTRUCTURE
THAT'S NECESSARY
FOR THE COMMUNITIES TO PROSPER.
SO, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
THAT WE KEEP THAT IN OUR MIND,
SO IT'S NOT JUST CLUSTERS
FOR THEIR OWN SAKE,
BUT IT'S REALLY CLUSTERS
TO GROW A STRONG COMMUNITY.
NOW, WHEN WE DID THE ANALYSIS,
WORKING WITH STEVE,
HE DID AN ANALYSIS,
WE DID SOME ANALYSIS--
THERE ARE SOME
CRITICAL INDUSTRIES IN THIS--
IN THIS COUNTY
THAT ARE GROWING.
EVEN-EVEN DURING THE RECESSION,
ONE THAT GREW SIGNIFICANTLY
WAS HEALTHCARE.
CONTINUES TO GROW.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT YOU'LL HEAR
FROM THE DISCUSSION,
FROM THE PEOPLE,
WE'RE BROADENING
THE DEFINITION OF HEALTHCARE.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT
WELLNESS AND PROMOTION,
NOT JUST THE SERVICES
OF HEALTH.
SO, WE LOOKED AT NOT ONLY
HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS
BUT ALSO OTHER ACTIVITIES
THAT RELATE TO HEALTH
AND WELLNESS.
THIS IS AN ADVANTAGE
AND AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR SONOMA COUNTY
AND YOU'RE GONNA
HEAR ABOUT THAT.
MANUFACTURING--
MANUFACTURING IS STILL
VERY IMPORTANT TO THIS--
TO THIS REGION,
AND IT CREATES OUTPUT, JOBS,
AND-AND HIGH WAGES.
WE THINK IT'S ADVANCED
MANUFACTURING, SPECIAL--
THERE'S A- THERE'S A SET OF
MANUFACTURING ACTIVITIES HERE
THAT ARE GOING ON.
FOR INSTANCE,
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY,
WHICH IS SPECIALIZED
TO THIS REGION.
UH, ACTIVITIES
THAT ARE RELATED TO CONTROL
AND ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS.
YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ABOUT THAT
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF
MAINTAINING
A STRONG ADVANCED
MANUFACTURING BASE,
BOTH IN TERMS OF JOBS
BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF
WEALTH CREATION
FOR THE REGION.
WE CALL THIS
SONOMA SPECIALTIES,
AND IT'S REALLY COME TOGETHER
FROM THE FIRST ECONOMIC
VITALITY PROJECT,
AND IT'S BECOME STRONGER
AND STRONGER.
BRINGING THE TOURISM INDUSTRY
TOGETHER, IN TERMS OF
THE SONOMA TOURISM BUREAU,
WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP.
THE NEXT STEP IS
TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE
YOUR AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY,
YOUR WINE INDUSTRIES,
ALL THE TOURISM ACTIVITIES
CONNECTED TO CONTINUE
TO MAKE SONOMA
A SPECIAL PLACE
FOR WHY GLOBAL PEOPLE--
YOU HAVE GLOBAL TOURISM.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE COMING HERE
TO CREATE WEALTH
AND TO ADD ON THE,
IF YOU WILL, THE BRAND,
AND YOU'RE GONNA HEAR
MORE AND MORE ABOUT THAT
FROM THE FOLKS
THAT ARE TALKING.
SO, THOSE THINGS ARE CONNECTED.
THEY'RE INTER-RELATED.
ALSO, PROFESSIONAL
CREATIVE INNOVATION SERVICES--
THERE IS SOFTWARE HERE,
LEGAL AND FINANCIAL SERVICES,
ACCOUNTING, DESIGN SERVICES,
COMPUTER SYSTEMS DESIGN
AND MANAGEMENT,
AND CONSULTING SERVICES.
NOW, STEVE MENTIONED
THE IMPORTANCE OF SMALL,
PROPRIETARY COMPANIES.
SOME OF THESE COMPANIES ARE
SMALL, BUT THEY'RE IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THEY ADD UP TO
A LARGE NUMBER OF EMPLOYMENT,
AND YOU HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT HOW YOU GROW
THOSE SMALL COMPANIES.
THEY SUPPLY SUPPORT
TO THE OTHER INDUSTRIES.
SO, THAT'S A NOTION
OF CONNECTEDNESS
AND BUY-BUYER-SUPPLIER.
VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
IT'S ONE OF THE FASTEST
GROWING EMPLOYMENT SECTORS
IN THE COUNTRY TODAY,
PROFESSIONAL
AND BUSINESS SERVICES,
AND PEOPLE WANNA LIVE HERE.
SO, HOW DO YOU CREATE
THE ENVIRONMENT FOR PEOPLE
TO LIVE HERE?
WITH INTERNET TECHNOLOGY,
YOU CAN LIVE HERE
AND WORK ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
SO, THIS IS A VERY
IMPORTANT AREA FOR-
FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION.
NOW, FINALLY, WE TALKED ABOUT
THE GREEN ECONOMY,
AND WE TALKED ABOUT
ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
THE GROUP HAS GOT
ALL KINDS OF IDEAS HERE
ABOUT-- WE CALL IT
IN THE END,
"SUSTAINABLE PROSPERITY."
HOW DO WE GROW PROSPERITY,
TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE GREEN ECONOMY
IN CONSTRUCTION, AS WELL AS
OTHER AREAS, FOR INSTANCE,
ENERGY EFFICIENCY,
RENEWABLE ENERGY,
CLEAN ENERGY, SOLAR,
AND ALSO WASTE, AND WATER,
WHICH IS-- THIS REGION
HAS A STR-- GREAT ADVANTAGE
IN SOME OF THE WORK
THAT'S GONE ON,
NOT ONLY IN AREAS LIKE,
UM, UH, RETROFITS,
THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON
IN HOUSEHOLD ENERGY EFFICIENCY,
BUT ALSO IN
THE WATER TECHNOLOGY AREA
THEY'RE STARTING TO DEVELOP.
SO, EACH ONE OF THESE AREAS
ARE AREAS OF-OF-OF A--
OF ADVANTAGE THAT
WE WANNA TALK ABOUT TODAY.
SO, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM
EACH ONE OF THE CLUSTERS,
IN TERMS OF PEOPLE
THAT WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS.
WHAT WE DID WAS, FIRST,
WE GAVE THEM INFORMATION
ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE, UH,
WHAT THESE CLUSTERS WERE ABOUT.
IN THE FIRST MEETING,
WE ASKED
A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION.
WHAT DID THEY THINK--
NOW, THIS IS BUSINESSPEOPLE,
THEIR DISCUSSION.
WHAT DO THEY SEE
AS THE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR MOVING FORWARD
IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,
IN THIS REGION, THIS COUNTY?
AND THEN,
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS
TO GET THERE?
AND EACH ONE OF THE CLUSTERS
WENT THROUGH THAT,
IN THEIR FIRST MEETING,
AND IDENTIFIED THAT.
THEN, THE NEXT THING WE DID,
WE-WE GOT BACK TOGETHER.
WE SAID, "OKAY, NOW,
"WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES?
"WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC ACTIONS
"THAT ARE NECESSARY
"TO ACHIEVE THOSE
"OPPORTUNITIES?"
AND THEY TOLD US.
AND THEY'VE DEVELOPED
THOSE ACTION PLANS.
AND I WANNA EMPHASIZE
THAT THIS IS
WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
IT'S ABOUT SPECIFIC ACTIONS
THAT CAN BE TAKEN BY BUSINESS,
WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT
AND EDUCATION,
TO MOVE FORWARD
THE OPPORTUNITIES
IN THESE CLUSTERS
AND REMOVE SOME OF
THE CONSTRAINTS
THAT ARE IN THERE.
AND YOU SAW SOME OF
THE KEY THEMES THAT CAME OUT
ACROSS THE AREAS
ABOUT BRANDING, AND WORKFORCE,
AND SIMPLIFYING
THE REGULATORY PROCESS,
AND ALSO MAKING SURE
THAT THESE CLUSTERS
ARE HAVING SUPPORT, UH,
FROM THE COUNTY
AND OTHER LOCAL,
UH, ORGANIZATIONS.
SO, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IS,
YOU'RE GONNA HEAR A STORY
ABOUT EACH ONE OF THE CLUSTERS,
IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY SEE
AS THEIR OPPORTUNITIES
AND THEIR ACTION PLANS.
BUT, AGAIN, I JUST WANNA
COMPLIMENT, UH, SONOMA COUNTY,
IN TERMS OF THEIR LEADERSHIP
IN MOVING FORWARD
IN THIS AREA OVER THE YEARS,
AND IT GOES BACK 15 YEARS.
AND FIRST TIME I WAS HERE
WAS 15 YEARS AGO, STEVE--
TO STAY-STAY WITH THIS
OVER THE TIME
BECAUSE ECON-ECONOMIES CHANGE,
AND YOU HAVE TO ADAPT
TO THE CHANGE,
AND THIS IS IMPORTANT
TO HAVE A MECHANISM TO DO THAT.
SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND NOW, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR
FROM, UH,
THE INDIVIDUAL CLUSTERS.
[ AUDIENCE APPLAUDING ]
>> Joe Adam: GOOD MORNING.
I'M JOE ADAM.
I'M GONNA START OFF THE CLUSTER,
UH, OVERVIEWS WITH
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING.
UH, I LEAD TRIFORMIX,
WHICH IS A LOCAL COMPANY
THAT PRODUCES INJECTION
MOLDED OPTICS.
UM, WHEN WE WORKED
IN THE CLUSTER,
I WAS QUITE SURPRISED,
BEING NEW TO THE COUNTY,
HOW MANY ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
COMPANIES ARE IN THE COUNTY,
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS
WE'RE DOING.
SO, THERE ARE TWO KEY THEMES
THAT REALLY COME INTO
THE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
BUSINESS.
UH, THE FIRST IS, REALLY,
IT'S A HIGH GROWTH
SECTOR BUSINESS,
IF YOU LOOK AT
MEDICAL PRODUCTS,
AEROSPACE, BIOTECH,
MEDICAL DEVICES, OPTICS,
PLASTICS, ALL TECHNOLOGIES
THAT REALLY HAVE HIGH VALUE,
TYPICALLY HAVE A GLOBAL MARKET,
BUT ALSO ENABLE US TO PRODUCE
VERY COST EFFECTIVELY
IN SONOMA.
THE SECOND MAJOR COMPONENT IS
THAT THE MANUFACTURING WE DO
REALLY IS HIGH VALUE.
IT'S HIGH VALUE PRODUCT
THAT ENABLES US
TO BASICALLY PRODUCE
AT A LEVEL IN SONOMA
WHERE WE CAN, UH,
MAKE A GOOD PROFIT,
BUT REQUIRES A HIGH TALENT POOL,
AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT
IN A MINUTE.
SO, KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
FROM THE GROUP.
UM, THE FIRST IS THAT
WE NEED TO PROMOTE SONOMA
AS A HIGH VALUE
MANUFACTURING LOCATION.
THE FIRST PIECE OF THIS
IS TO JUST MAKE SURE
THE COMMUNITY IS EDUCATED
ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
THESE ARE CLEAN INDUSTRIES.
THEY'RE INDUSTRIES THAT DRIVE
REALLY HIGH INCOME JOBS
AND ENABLE US TO PRODUCE
IN A WAY THAT WE CAN
GLOBALLY DISTRIBUTE
OUR PRODUCTS FROM SONOMA.
THE COUNTY SUPERVISORS
AND THE BOARD REALLY NEED
TO RECOGNIZE THE VALUE
OF THOSE BUSINESSES,
AND I THINK WE NEED TO
GET THE WORD OUT THERE
ABOUT REALLY THE VALUE
IT BRINGS TO THE COUNTY,
IN TERMS OF TAX REVENUE
AND JOBS.
THE SECOND IS THAT
IT'S A INDUSTRY
THAT CHANGES VERY RAPIDLY,
AND ONE OF THE
KEY CHALLENGES FOR US IS,
HOW DO WE CHANGE
OUR BUSINESSES ON THE FLY
TO ADJUST TO NOT JUST
THE ECONOMIC SITUATIONS
BUT ALSO THE CHANGING
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT,
THE CHANGING PRODUCT MIX.
AND SO, ADJUSTMENT AND CHANGE
IN THIS BUSINESS
IS REALLY A KEY
TO COMPETITIVENESS.
AND THEN THIRD IS TALENT.
AND REALLY, THE KEY
TO THIS BUSINESS TODAY
IS HAVING WORLD CLASS TALENT.
HOW CAN WE COMPETE
AND BUILD PRODUCT IN SONOMA?
WE'VE GOTTA HAVE
THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
WE'VE GOT A GREAT PLACE
TO LIVE.
I'VE JUST RECENTLY MOVED
FROM OFFSHORE ASIA,
RUNNING A LARGE, MULTINATIONAL
MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
WHY I'M IN SONOMA?
'CAUSE I WANNA BE HERE.
BUT, IN THE END,
THE OTHER FOLKS
THAT WANNA BE HERE
HAVE TO HAVE THE TALENT
TO COMPETE.
THAT'S ALL YOU GET TO DO
EVERY DAY IS COMPETE
IN THIS BUSINESS.
IN TERMS OF THE OUTCOMES
WE EXPECT, UH, THE FIRST IS
THAT, IF WE DO A GOOD JOB
OF DEVELOPING TALENT
AND PROMOTING MANUFACTURING
IN SONOMA,
WE WIND UP WITH MORE JOBS.
I THINK THAT'S THE END OUTCOME.
WE'VE HIRED, THIS YEAR,
SIX PEOPLE.
IN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS,
WE'RE GONNA BE UP 40%.
THE VALUE OF THE BUSINESS HERE
IS GOING UP VERY RAPIDLY.
BUT THE KEY FOR US
IS REALLY BEING ABLE
TO GET THE RIGHT LEVEL
OF TALENT, STARTING WITH
KIDS EVEN IN HIGH SCHOOL
UP THROUGH VERY WELL EDUCATED,
DEGREED ENGINEERS.
AND ONE OF THE CHALLENGES HERE
IS, HOW DO YOU DRAW AND DEVELOP
THAT TALENT LOCALLY?
UM, THE SECOND COMPONENT
OF IT IS, REALLY,
HAVING A LOCAL WORKFORCE.
AS WE TRY TO
RECRUIT PEOPLE INTO SONOMA
FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE, ONE OF
THE KEY CHALLENGES IS THAT,
UM, A LOT OF FOLKS
DON'T KNOW ABOUT SONOMA.
IF THEY'RE, YOU KNOW,
INTO WINE AND FOOD,
THEY PROBABLY UNDERSTAND
THE INDUSTRY, BUT, YOU KNOW,
THEY KNOW THE BAY AREA
VERY WELL.
AND SO, I THINK,
THERE'S AN ACTIVE NEED
TO REALLY PROMOTE WHO WE ARE,
WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE,
BEYOND THE FOOD, WINE,
UH, WELL-KNOWN INDUSTRIES
HERE, TOURISM.
UM, AND OP-OPENLY,
WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN
THE LOCAL NETWORK OF PEOPLE.
UM, I WAS REALLY PLEASED
TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CLUSTER
BECAUSE THE PEOPLE AROUND
THE TABLE REALLY HAVE
A SIMILAR SET OF CHALLENGES
TO THE ONES WE HAVE
AT TRIFORMIX.
THEY HAVE DIFFERENT BUSINESSES.
WE TALKED TO THE FOLKS IN
THE MEDICAL DEVICE BUSINESS
AND PEOPLE
IN THE AEROSPACE BUSINESS,
BUT THEY ALL HAVE
THESE SAME CHALLENGES--
THEY NEED TALENTED WORKFORCE,
THEY NEED HELP FROM THE COUNTY
TO BE ABLE TO BE AGILE
AND ADJUST TO
A DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT...
UM, AND THEY REALLY NEED
TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE
WHAT THEY'RE DOING
TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
UM, THERE ARE TWO PLACES
WE THINK THERE IS
A VERY GOOD ABILITY
TO COLLABORATE
AND ALIGN WITH OTHERS.
UM, THE REPORT OUTCOMES
WERE THAT THERE ARE
A NUMBER OF ACTIVE PROGRAMS.
ONE OF THEM IS COMING ON
VERY STRONGLY AS
THE BEST PROGRAM
WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
AND SO WE WANNA UTILIZE
THAT PROGRAM PARTICULARLY
FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT,
UM, AND THE OTHER AREAS,
IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT
OF INFRASTRUCTURE
IN THE COUNTY,
AND MANUFACTURING 101.
UM, THE ACTIVITIES
IN MANUFACTURING 101
ARE REALLY STARTING
TO FOCUS ON EDUCATION
AND PROMOTION
OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
UM, I'M VERY PLEASED TODAY.
IN FACT, I'LL HAVE A GROUP OF
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
INTO OUR FACILITY
TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT WE DO,
UM, AND WHAT TECHNOLOGY
IS ALL ABOUT.
I THINK ONE OF THE PROBLEMS
WE HAVE IS THAT
HERE IN THE STATES, UM,
ONLY ABOUT 5%
OF COLLEGE STUDENTS
GO INTO TECHNOLOGY
RELATED FIELDS.
HAVING COME OUT OF RUNNING
A LARGE BUSINESS IN CHINA,
20% OF THE STUDENTS
IN CHINA ARE FOCUSED
ON TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION.
I THINK WE NEED TO GET KIDS
INVOLVED EARLY,
EVEN IN THE PRESCHOOL LEVELS,
ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH
SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.
AND SO, TODAY, I'M GONNA
HAVE A CHANCE TO EDUCATE
A FEW KIDS ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
BUT YOU'VE GOTTA GET
EDUCATION STARTED EARLY ON
IN THE SCIENCES AND MATH.
UM, AND ULTIMATELY,
I THINK, SOME OF THE PROGRAMS
IN BOTH MANUFACTURING 101
AND THE BEST PROGRAM IN TERMS
OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
ARE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES
TO DO THAT.
SO, I REALLY ENCOURAGE
EVERYBODY TO BE VERY ACTIVE
IN PARTICIPATING
IN THOSE TWO AREAS.
UH, I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY,
UH, ON THE PANEL.
IF YOU CAN SEE HERE,
BETWEEN BLAKE, JIM, UH, JEFF--
A PRETTY DIVERSIFIED
GROUP OF COMPANIES.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO IS,
GET OUT THERE MORE
IN THE COUNTY TO MAKE SURE
PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT WE DO.
WE'RE A SMALL GROUP,
BUT WE'RE GROWING.
IF YOU LOOK AT THESE COMPANIES,
MOST OF THEM ARE UP
PRETTY DRAMATICALLY THIS YEAR.
UH, WE'LL BE UP,
AS I SAID, ABOUT 40%.
MOST OF THE OTHER COMPANIES
HAVE GOT SIMILAR NUMBERS.
AND AS A RESULT,
THERE'S DIRECT JOBS CREATION
COMING OUT OF THESE GROUPS.
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP.
WE NEED TO REALLY MAKE SURE
THAT, FIRST OF ALL,
YOU UNDERSTAND
WHAT MANUFACTURING IS ABOUT,
THAT IT'S A REALLY GOOD THING
FOR SONOMA,
AND IT'S ALSO A THING
THAT'S GONNA ENABLE YOU
TO ULTIMATELY HAVE
HIGH TAX REVENUE,
HIGH PAYING JOBS,
AND AN ABILITY TO DO THAT
IN A LIFESTYLE THAT EVERYBODY
REALLY, I THINK,
THINKS IS GREAT.
SO, THANKS VERY MUCH.
[ AUDIENCE APPLAUDING ]