Category: News

Good News of the Week – June 4, 2021

By Candela Delucchi,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

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For the week of June 4, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

San Diego’s Quarterly Economic Snapshot: Q1 2021

Every quarter, EDC analyzes key economic indicators that are important to understanding the regional economy through trends in employment, housing, and investment. This month: Home prices and VC are up, and office space is here to stay.

Read the Full Report

 

Additional resources:

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Good News of the Week – May 28, 2021

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of May 28, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

We’re hiring: Economic Development Manager (Life Sciences)

EDC is hiring an Economic Development Manager (Life Sciences) with five years of experience, knowledge of regional and state economies and industries, and preferred experience in the life sciences field.

This role will lead a strategic economic development framework to enable business attraction, retention, and expansion in San Diego’s life sciences industry.

Apply Now, or Help Us Spread the Word!

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

Young Professional Spotlight: Alyssa Snow

By Javier De Leon,

Alyssa Snow, a CSU San Marcos and Link to San Diego alumna, is a cybersecurity professional currently working for Teradata. She has participated in two of EDC’s Advancing San Diego industry engagement events in 2021—most recently for a Women in STEM career panel. For Alyssa, participating in these events is meaningful because she remembers how it felt to sit on the opposite end of the room only a few years back, and finding her career path through EDC’s Link to San Diego event.

Read more about Alyssa’s experience below.

How did Link to San Diego launch your career?

In my third year of college at CSU San Marcos in 2018, I attended EDC’s “Link to San Diego: Cybersecurity” career panel and industry engagement event. This event propelled my career in cybersecurity. During the event, one panelist shared what it was like to work as a security engineer, which inspired me to learn more.

I approached the panelist, a representative from Teradata, and asked him how relevant specific projects of mine may be to practical security experience. After the event, I continued to keep in touch with the professional via LinkedIn and email. He sent me various links to resources that introduced security topics that I was interested in learning more about. Eventually, this individual introduced me to a few other employees from Teradata.

I will never forget this day. It meant so much to me that six security professionals took the time to have lunch with me a few weeks after the event and answer some questions regarding what it is like to work in the industry. By the end of the lunch, the Application Security team director asked me for my resume. He informed me that there were no internship opportunities for the security organization at that time, however, he would like to reach out if one were to become available.

Just a month after this lunch, a recruiter reached out to me and asked me if I would like to interview for an open internship position on that very team. I became one of the first-ever interns in the security organization at Teradata. I interned with the Application Security team for a year and a quarter, and was responsible for delivering automated solutions to scale product security across the organization. It was a remarkable experience that gave me direction in my career path.

Where are you now?

I now work at Teradata’s San Diego office as a full-time offensive security engineer. My team and I use adversary perspectives to help Teradata evaluate risks and identify process gaps to help improve the organization’s security posture. I love working in this industry because I am constantly facing new challenges that require creative solutions. I would not have had this experience if I had not attended “Link to San Diego: Cybersecurity” in 2018.

You might also like:

For COVID-19 recovery resources and information: Visit this page, or see how we can help your company free of charge.

AAPI owned and operated businesses in San Diego

By San Diego Regional EDC,

In recognition of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, EDC’s brands pulled together the below blogs on AAPI innovators across the San Diego region. Check them out here:

Innovation at work: 5 AAPI-owned companies to know in San Diego 

Featuring:

  • Menon Renewable Products/Menon Biosensors
  • Mesa Biotech
  • MicroQ
  • Microtek
  • Seatrec

AAPI-owned and led businesses in North County

 

Featuring:

  • Seatrec
  • Carlsbad Strawberry Company
  • Applied Membranes
  • Girl & Dug Farm
  • Yasukochi Family Farms
  • Menon Renewable Products

Good News of the Week – May 21, 2021

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of May 21, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

San Diego’s Data Bites: May 2021

Each month, EDC’s Research Bureau analyzes the California Employment Development Department’s employment data for the prior month. Presented by Meyers Nave, this month’s Data Bites cover April 2021, including unemployment fluctuations and continued gender inequity in the labor force.

Dig In

 

Additional resources:

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Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

NEW: San Diego Business Hub takes small businesses online, boosts resilience

By Bree Burris,

Public-private partnership offering subsidized digital tools for small, diverse businesses

Today, in partnership with local tech company GoSite, EDC launched the San Diego Business Hub, which in its first phase will offer up to 100 small, service-based businesses a full suite of digital tools at no cost. Made possible by grants from The San Diego Foundation and Union Bank, SDbizhub.com is accepting applications from businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic—women, minorities, veterans and other economically under-resourced groups.

The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of companies of all sizes and industries by as much as five years in a 12-month period, with many struggling to keep up. Since the start of 2020, the region has seen nearly 40 percent of its small businesses close. Many of these closures can be attributed to businesses’ inability to quickly pivot online, depriving them of access to customers and key markets.

We also know those hardest hit by the pandemic have been communities of color who are being left further behind in San Diego’s economic recovery.

The proof is in the numbers:

  • Despite making up just 30 percent of the local population, Hispanic and Latinx communities accounted for well over half of all regional COVID-19 cases and two in five related deaths.
  • Additionally, people of color are overrepresented in local industries that were hardest hit during the pandemic (e.g. Hispanics make up 39.8 percent of Hospitality staff and 41.8 percent of Retail staff). As a result, unemployment and loss of income have been concentrated within Black and Brown communities.

The cohort of 100 service-based businesses (e.g. personal care services, transportation, food service, home repair, small contractors, etc.) will receive GoSite’s web-based tools—which payment and invoicing, bookings, review management, customer communications, template websites and more—free of charge for one year.

Thoughts from local leaders:

“Small businesses employ the majority of San Diegans, and it’s essential we invest in their growth, recovery and resiliency if we are going to get this recovery right. This partnership with GoSite allows us to do just that: Provide the digital tools small businesses need to weather future economic downturns,” said Nikia Clarke, Vice President of Economic Development, EDC.

“This partnership is a prime example of how San Diego public, private and civic sectors rally together to solve hard problems. Access to these digital tools will help our region achieve a more equitable recovery and help small businesses struggling today be more resilient as San Diego gets back on track and back to work,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.

“Small businesses face great challenges, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. GoSite’s mission is to help small businesses adapt and succeed, with technology in hand for them to easily communicate with customers, manage online bookings, accept online payments, generate invoices and drive reviews—all in one place,” said Alex Goode, CEO of GoSite. “GoSite is proud to partner with EDC to create the SD Biz Hub and deliver innovative technology resources to San Diego, the place we call headquarters and home.”

“To build long-term economic resilience, San Diego’s small businesses must have resources to sustain their connections to customers and markets,”  shared Mark Stuart, President & CEO of The San Diego Foundation. “This is an inspiring example of government, philanthropy and nonprofit sectors coming together to help the small businesses in our neighborhoods survive, recover and grow.”

FAQ and applications are now live, and will remain open until the cohort is full.

SDbizhub.com

Good News of the Week – May 14, 2021

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of May 14, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

EDC’s Monthly Report: April 2021

With and through nearly 200 investors, EDC works to maximize San Diego’s prosperity. From supporting company expansion to connecting San Diego students to local career opportunities, here’s what EDC did in April 2021.

Read More

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

A note from our COO

By Lauree Sahba,

Throughout the country, May is recognized as Small Business Month. More than ever before, we are all-in for celebrating the passion and resilience of San Diego’s small businesses, the backbone of our local economy. Over the last 14 months, the COVID-19 pandemic turned our economy upside down, impacting small businesses in ways we could never have imagined. And yet against all odds, many are surviving.

Those with less than 100 employees make up 98 percent of firms in the region, employing the majority of San Diegans—nearly twice the national average. They are the folks who design, build, and decorate our offices, the PR firms that amplify our brands and messages, the manufacturers who make parts and products—all who have spent years building their dreams.

Federal, state, and local officials have made a significant effort to help businesses stay afloat. Just last month California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation taking action toward a $6.2 billion tax cut for small businesses over the next six years. The state of California is on its sixth round of California Relief Grants, allocating $2.5 billion across the state. As of May 2, through two rounds of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the federal government granted more than $780 billion in loans to small businesses across America.

There is work to do

While these resources are effective and important—and EDC has helped connect more than 1,400 businesses to such aid programs—there is more work to be done. According to a recent KBPS article referencing research from Reveal Reporting Networks, “Lenders [in San Diego County] gave 61 percent of loans to businesses in majority-white census tracts and just under 12 percent to businesses in majority-Latinx census tracts.” This disparity can be attributed to the lasting effects of segregation and discrimination—here’s what we mean.

Our commitment

EDC is committed to addressing the systemic inequities that exist in this region and across the country. EDC continues to work toward building a more resilient economy through programs like MetroConnect and the Export Specialty Center; eliminating barriers to opportunity through programs like Advancing San Diego and the Anchor Collaborative; and creating pathways to growth and greater customer access, especially for economically disadvantaged business owners, through San Diego Business Hub in partnership with GoSite.

EDC could not do this work without the ongoing support of our nearly 200 investors, organizations that have also faced a tumultuous year. Together we can ensure San Diego’s economic recovery reaches all who call this place home. We cannot thank you enough.

This month and beyond, shop small and procure local to support San Diego’s resilient recovery. Learn more about how we’ll get this recovery right.

To receive updates on each of EDC’s programs for small businesses, sign up to receive our emails.

Lauree Sahba
COO, San Diego Regional EDC

Lauree Sahba
Lauree Sahba

Chief Operating Officer

Good News of the Week – May 7, 2021

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of May 7, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

We’re hiring: Investor Relations and Marketing Communications Manager

EDC is hiring an Investor Relations and Marketing Communications Manager with three years of experience, strong writing and communications skills, knowledge of Salesforce and marketing tools, and love of all things San Diego.

This role will facilitate investor engagement in EDC programs and initiatives through strategic outreach, communications, and events.

Apply by May 10, or Help Us Spread the Word!

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications

Good News of the Week – April 30, 2021

By Heather Dewis,

Every week, ‘Good News of the Week’ features a curation of positive headlines from San Diego, delivered straight to your inbox. A blend of aggregated stories from San Diego’s most trusted news sources and original EDC-created content, GNOTW provides a comprehensive recap of the region’s best stories from the past week.

For the week of April 30, 2021, here’s what we’re reading:

…and here are the events we’re (virtually) attending:

WTCSD’s Global Brief: April 2021

Each month, World Trade Center San Diego—an affiliate of EDC—delivers the latest global news and updates straight to your inbox. Here’s what you need to know about San Diego’s global trade, investment, and engagement.

Read More and Subscribe

 

Additional resources:

Be in the know – sign up below to receive future editions of GNOTW.

Want to submit your event or news update to our weekly newsletter? Contact us for more information.

Heather Dewis
Heather Dewis

Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications