Tag: annual report

EDC’s Top 10 in 2023

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Smart economic development is inclusive economic development. That’s why for more than six years, EDC’s programs and priorities have been rooted in growing the region’s quality jobs, skilled talent, and thriving households critical to San Diego’s competitiveness. Day-by-day and year-by-year, together with and through 150 investors and partners, EDC chips away and tracks against the region’s Inclusive Growth goals. See how we did it in 2023:

  • Supported 117 companies across the region.

    High growth industries create quality jobs and enable economic mobility. In 2023, EDC’s core economic development work provided 117 companies with economic incentive and export consulting, permitting and regulatory support, marketing/visibility, and more services at no cost, supporting 19,490 total jobs. Key wins include supporting American Lithium Energy in securing $13.2 million in grants to expand operations and triple its workforce, and spotlighting ways the County of San Diego, one of the largest institutional buyers in the region, can award more contracts to local and small businesses.

EDC CASE STUDIES

 

  • Grew local exports and wrapped MetroConnect VI.

    Globally connected businesses are more resilient. In 2023, through the MetroConnect program and Export SBDC, WTCSD supported 22 small and medium-sized businesses in accessing foreign markets. Notably, this included 15 MetroConnect companies that collectively generated more than $3.1 million in new exports in 2023, a 60 percent increase from the beginning of the program. These commitments earned WTCSD recognition by the U.S. President for Export Service.

WTCSD’s ANNUAL REPORT

 

  • Led trade mission to South Korea.

    San Diego deserves a spot on the global stage. To make our mark, WTCSD led a trade mission to South Korea together with Mayor Todd Gloria, SANDAG and County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas, and 30 regional delegates from the private, academic, and public sectors. The trip celebrated the partnership of Dexcom and Korean tech giant Kakao, among others, and serves to drive foreign investment and job growth back at home.

  •  Published progress to 2030 Inclusive Growth goals.

    Measure what matters. In 2023, EDC released its Inclusive Growth Progress Report. With updated data and bold objectives set around increasing the number of quality jobs, skilled talent, and thriving households critical to the region’s competitiveness, the report measures San Diego’s growth and recovery, and spotlights the greatest threats to prosperity. See this and more at progress.inclusiveSD.org.

  • Launched digital tools to inform regional decision making.

    Affordability is the region’s greatest threat to economic competitiveness. In 2023, EDC launched the San Diego Investment Map, an interactive tool embedded with a range of geographic, employment, development, and transit data, as well as regional analysis. Partners are leveraging insights from the map to inform development and investment decisions such as locating optimal headquarters or office space, identifying priority areas for housing development, or prioritizing on-site childcare.

  • Published economic intelligence on San Diego’s key industries.

    Economic development must be data-driven. In 2023, EDC’s Research Bureau launched several reports on the region’s key industries quantifying:

    • The economic impact of San Diego’s RNA cluster together with 1STRAND. RNA therapeutics innovation is a key part of the region’s life sciences ecosystem and supports more than 11,000 jobs sitting at the intersection of R&D, manufacturing, trade, and healthcare.
    • The economic impact of cybersecurity in San Diego together with the Cyber Center of Excellence. Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing $4 billion cluster with more than 1,000 local firms working to help thwart cyber risk across San Diego and beyond.
    • The proliferation of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI-ML) in Smart Cities together with underwriter Booz Allen Hamilton. Although AI-ML integration with Smart Cities is still in the early stages, if done right these technologies could enable cities to be both more efficient and more inclusive.

MORE from RESEARch 

 

  • Strengthened relationships between employers and training programs.

    A competitive innovation economy relies on skilled talent. In 2023, EDC’s Talent Initiatives team quantified the region’s workforce needs, and spotlighted opportunities for employers to lean into talent pipeline development. Wins include:

    • Computer and Engineering Talent Demand reports spotlighting local demand for tech professionals. To build this pipeline and better connect employers with top regional talent, EDC hosted ‘Reaching Tomorrow’s Talent,’ where employers met and vetted computing and engineering curricula of local universities and training programs and celebrated a new roster of Verified Programs.
    • San Diego being brought to the forefront of the Navy’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program, which addresses major gaps in the talent pipelines and supply chains of critical defense industrial base companies. This culminated in an IBAS-hosted event in San Diego where EDC’s Talent Initiatives team presented findings from a Talent Flow Analysis. Ultimately, these efforts have led to several opportunities to pursue funding to build the skilled trades talent pipeline in San Diego.

MORE TALENT INITIATIVEs

 

  • Hosted Seattle Leadership Trip.

    Sometimes it takes stepping outside of our region to get the best look at who we are and who we want to be. In 2023, EDC hosted a Leadership Trip to Seattle where more than 30 delegates learned about what makes the Pacific Northwest region so successful and what challenges have stymied it most. Major takeaways included bringing federally recognized apprentice program Apprenti to San Diego employers to strengthen our region’s talent pipeline.

  • Told San Diego’s innovation story to attract talent.

    Talent growth requires multiple approaches. In 2023, EDC’s talent attraction brand San Diego: Life. Changing. (SDLC) profiled more than 320 local job opportunities in STEM fields. The Lead was sent to 900 local student subscribers and 3,000+ mid-level STEM professionals across the U.S. SDLC also deployed paid, geotargeted social media campaigns during BIO International, Comic-Con, and the winter months in life sciences hubs Boston, New York, and Chicago.

  • Celebrated San Diego with investors and regional partners.

    Togetherness is our strength. In 2023, more than 800 San Diego leaders joined EDC at Petco Park for our Annual Dinner where we honored Taylor Guitars and Garry Ridge for their life-changing contributions to our region. We then wrapped up summer by celebrating San Diego innovation with more than 400 guests at our 2023 Summer Bash, hosted together with Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. and keynoted by Vuori founder Joe Kudla.

And see San Diego’s top headlines from 2023 in:

Good News of the Year

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EDC’s Top 10 in 2022

By San Diego Regional EDC,

The year has come and gone in a flash, but as always, we must take a moment to acknowledge all we accomplished with and through EDC’s 200 investors. On the heels of the pandemic and a return to ‘normal’ that will never feel quite normal again, EDC’s Top 10 in 2022 included a new board chair, team and board members, and increased commitments to the Inclusive Growth goals we set for 2030. See it all in our year in review below:

  1. Supported 165 companies across the region.
    With a suite of services from talent pipeline development to site selection, permitting, and export consulting, EDC’s core economic development work supported 9,906 jobs in 2022. Key wins include Element Biosciences’ expansion and creation of 280 local jobs, Rady Children’s Hospital hiring six former interns following involvement in the Advancing San Diego program, and support of ASML’s application for $14 million in Cal Competes incentives to generate more than 600 quality jobs, among others.
  1. Welcomed Jennie Brooks as board chair.
    A longtime board member and a senior leader at a major consulting and technology employer in San Diego, Jennie Brooks took the gavel in June for her two year term as Chair. She is flanked by four officers: Vice Chair, Rob Douglas, President & COO, ResMed; Vice Chair of Inclusive Growth, Lisette Islas, EVP & Chief Impact Officer, MAAC; Treasurer, Tom Seidler, SVP Community & Military Affairs, San Diego Padres; and Secretary, Barbara Wight, CFO, Taylor Guitars.
  1. Rallied commitments to Inclusive Growth.
    City, County, and private sector leaders pledged their public commitments to the region’s Inclusive Growth goals, increasing the number of skilled talent, quality jobs, and thriving households critical to San Diego’s competitiveness and resilience. As part of the forum, EDC shared the region’s progress against the 2030 goals in a new report.
  1. Led talent strategies to develop and attract talent.
    To build a diverse regional workforce and meet industry demand, EDC continued to lead its Advancing San Diego (ASD) and San Diego: Life. Changing. (SDLC) talent programs. Specifically, ASD recognized five training programs for their work in preparing San Diegans for entry-level lab technician roles and placed 45 interns at 23 companies where they worked nearly 7,150 hours. EDC also played a major role in the Southern Border’s successful proposal for $18 million from the state of CA over the next four years to develop and strengthen career pathways. Further, SDLC developed new tools to assist employers in telling San Diego’s innovation story, including a brand anthem on the region’s Life Sciences cluster, a company spotlight on Element Biosciences, and accompanying ad campaigns.
  1. Welcomed new cohort to MetroConnect VI.
    EDC’s international affiliate World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) welcomed a sixth cohort to its export accelerator program MetroConnect. Underwritten by JPMorgan Chase and Procopio, WTCSD awarded 15 local, small and mid-sized businesses with financial and consultative resources to help them go global. Cohort companies include Nano PharmaSolutions, Trabus Technologies, and more.
  1. Supported international exports for small businesses.
    Small businesses are the backbone of the regional economy, made stronger by their access to global markets. In support, WTCSD’s Export SBDC directly helped nearly 40 local and international firms with expansion in San Diego, in addition to supplying 452 hours of counseling and hosting 13 workshops.
  1. Led Mayoral trade mission to the Netherlands.
    Together with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and 30 business and civic leaders, WTCSD led its first trade mission since 2019. For three whirlwind days across the Netherlands, the delegation explored best practices in urban mobility, infrastructure development and circularity, engineering for City solutions, and more. Key programs were hosted at Qualcomm’s AI Research Lab, ASML’s Veldhoven headquarters, the Port of Rotterdam, Leiden Bio Science Park, and many more.

WTCSD ANNUAL REPORT

  1. Informed regional stakeholders using data.
    EDC’s Research Bureau launched several reports and analyses to inform regional decision makers including:

    • “Diagnosing the Future: AI and San Diego’s Life Sciences Cluster,” which quantified the economic impact of the region’s Life Sciences cluster and explored the proliferation of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies being used to diagnose disease and develop drugs, among other lifesaving products and solutions.
    • The Downtown Demographics Study on behalf of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, which provided new data on the residential and workforce populations of the city’s urban core, identified areas for growth, opportunities for investment and advocacy, as well as a benchmark for the impacts of COVID-19.
    • Other ongoing economic analyses including the Quarterly Economic Snapshot.
  1. Celebrated coming together again.
    With two years of events missed and the words ‘COVID’ and ‘pandemic’ now common nomenclature, EDC was excited to come together again with investors and partners to celebrate the resilience of our community and those making the most significant impacts during the pandemic. EDC welcomed more than 800 attendees at our Annual Dinner at Petco Park, and more than 400 guests at our Summer Bash, among other events. EDC also welcomed new co-chairs for several committees including Dr. Sunny Cooke of MiraCosta College and Kevin Pegels of Illumina to EDC’s Economic Development Committee; Laura Garrett of TaylorMade Golf and Karen Reinhardt of ASML to the HR Forum; and Kim Becker of the San Diego Regional Airport Authority and Rob Douglas of ResMed to the Global Competitiveness Council.
  1. Re-located and re-branded.
    Arguably the most fun of all: This year marked the start of a new chapter in a new home for EDC. As part of our move into UC San Diego’s Park & Market in downtown, EDC debuted a fresh new brand that integrates the vibrancy of our region.

Together with EDC’s nearly 200 investors and you, 2023 will present yet another opportunity to grow talent, quality jobs, and thriving households across the San Diego region. We’re looking forward to it.

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EDC’s 2021 Year in Review

By San Diego Regional EDC,

In many ways, 2021 felt like a whirlwind. With the remarkable wins powered by San Diego’s innovation and resilience coupled with the lingering impacts of the pandemic, it can be surprising how much has changed while so much felt the same. This year, EDC welcomed new team members, investors, and board members, adding momentum to the goals we set for 2030 that together create a platform for inclusive economic growth. The need to develop more quality jobs within our small businesses, more skilled workers, and more thriving households across San Diego is more imperative than ever before. As this year comes to an end, we’re taking stock of EDC’s most impactful work in 2021—made possible with and through all of you.

JOBS

High growth industries create quality jobs and enable economic mobility across our binational region. The 2030 inclusive growth goals require the region to create 50,000 quality small business jobs by 2030. In 2021, EDC jobs programs contributed to this goal by assisting companies of all sizes with expansion and retention, and by facilitating sustainable connections to customers and markets.

see how we helped businesses this year

 

TALENT

Skilled talent fuels the growth of the innovation economy. To keep up with anticipated growth, the 2030 inclusive growth goals require the region to create 20,000 degreed and credentialed workers per year by 2030. In 2021, EDC talent programs showcased the region’s opportunities, aligned education with industry needs, and increased diversity in high demand occupations.

  • With a focus on talent shortages and skills needed, as well as the changing demands of the region’s workforce, EDC’s Research Bureau published regular research publications including the Economic Snapshot and Data Bites; a five-part San Diego’s Changing Business Landscape series; and two Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning economic impact reports on key clusters Cybersecurity and Transportation. Read the full AI-ML series.
  • San Diego: Life. Changing. communicated opportunities for skilled talent in San Diego—especially to strategic competitive markets—by enhancing recruiting tools and profiling 160+ exciting opportunities in STEM fields. This year, San Diego: Life. Changing. begun pivoting its focus to primarily spotlight scientific breakthroughs and career opportunities at San Diego’s Life Sciences employers. The ‘Just Say No To Winter‘ campaign is currently targeting Life Sciences markets in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.
  • Together with a group of industry leaders, Advancing San Diego (ASD) designated Preferred Providers in Manufacturing, Cybersecurity, and Healthcare, and released talent demand reports for the local Healthcare and Life Sciences industries. To help students build meaningful careers in local, high-demand jobs, ASD hosted its virtual Career Exploration Day and welcomed its Business and Manufacturing cohorts, pairing 48 student interns with 25 small companies.

Asd, employers identify highest regional talent needs

 

households

A competitive region is an affordable and accessible one. The 2030 inclusive growth goals require the region to create 75,000 newly thriving households. In 2021, EDC contributed to this goal by providing objective analysis of emerging trends, emphasizing the need for an inclusive economic recovery from the pandemic, and facilitating public private partnerships that increase regional sustainability, affordability, and competitiveness.

  • EDC hosted two Right Recovery Town Halls that highlighted employer-driven, market-based strategies for creating a more resilient economy, one of which explored how the transition to employee ownership enables businesses to retain a dedicated workforce and ensure wealth-building that will lead to more thriving households across the region.
  • Together with local tech company GoSite, EDC launched the San Diego Business Hub, a public-private partnership offering subsidized digital tools for small, diverse businesses. The cohort of 100 service-based businesses will receive a full suite of GoSite’s digital tools at no cost for one year.

Getting this recovery right

See San Diego’s good news of the year

 

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EDC’s Top 20 of 2020

By San Diego Regional EDC,

The end of the year is about reflection – of the months past and of the work accomplished. But like most, 2020 has made it challenging for EDC to celebrate the bright spots and successes. This year was unlike anything anyone could have predicted. Our communities grappled with unimaginable loss brought on by COVID-19, a social and racial justice reckoning, an ever-contentious political landscape, and so much more. And yet, here we are – turning the page into the New Year, with many of the same problems of 2020, but with greater resilience, forward thinking, and commitment to inclusion.

With and through our nearly 200 investors, EDC directly helped nearly 500 San Diego businesses through crisis and recovery. This is our top 20 of 2020.

Regional resources and relief

  1. EDC helped 476 companies access COVID-19 relief.
    At the onset of the pandemic, EDC developed a COVID-19 webpage for regional businesses seeking relief, resources, and reopening assistance; and continued on to support nearly 500 local businesses throughout the crisis.
  1. Advancing San Diego launched its internship program virtually.
    EDC’s talent development program, Advancing San Diego, placed 70 student interns at 33 regional small companies and recognized 19 Preferred Provider programs giving top-quality training to emerging local talent. And we’re doing it again next year.
  1. IPP helped San Diego advance the emerging drone industry through historic flights.
    Through San Diego’s Integration Pilot Program (IPP), Chula Vista Police Department became the first public agency to receive a Close Proximity, Low Altitude Waiver; and a UC San Diego Health partnership made San Diego one of the first regions to complete a medical specimen delivery by drone.
  1. EDC partnered with CMTC to assist 47 manufacturers.
    In addition to a formalized CMTC partnership to support small business, EDC launched its manufacturing resource page and hosted Virtual Manufacturing Day 2020 to discuss global supply chain risks.

International aspirations, domestic resiliency

  1. World Trade Center (WTC) San Diego launched MetroConnect V virtually.
    This all-star cohort of 15 small and medium-sized businesses participating in WTC San Diego’s entirely remote international sales accelerator is connecting with an international network of partners and exploring opportunities that ultimately build domestic economic resiliency. Over the years, the MetroConnect program has generated an $85 million net increase in exports.
  1. WTC San Diego launched its in-house Export Specialty Center.
    Through a new partnership with the San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center, WTC San Diego will double down its focus on small business export advising and training that serves to increase the number of export-ready firms in the region.
  1. WTC San Diego analyzed key FDI trends in the San Diego region.
    In early 2020, WTC San Diego identified foreign direct investment types and trends in San Diego in preparation for the launch of a new regional trade and investment strategy.
  1. WTC San Diego worked with San Diego Tourism Authority and San Diego International Airport to look toward recovery.
    Together with key partners, WTC San Diego helped spearhead a COVID-19 economic recovery strategy focused on flight retention and expansion.
  1. For more on World Trade Center San Diego, read its 2020 annual report.

Leading with data and research

  1. EDC’s Research Bureau conducted two new economic impact studies on key industry clusters.
    EDC’s Research Bureau released “Measuring the Future: AI and San Diego’s Economy” underwritten by Booz Allen Hamilton, and “San Diego’s Creative Economy” in partnership with the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
  1. EDC’s Research Bureau tracked the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on local businesses and workers.
    In partnership with key regional organizations, EDC assessed ongoing data and identified lasting impacts on our region’s most vulnerable: low-wage workers, small businesses, and marginalized business owners.
  1. EDC’s Research Bureau launched its interactive Industry Profiles.
    Back and better than ever, these new Industry Profiles take a deep dive into the industries that make San Diego the innovation hub that it is, with data on employment, businesses, wages, and more.
  1. EDC’s Research Bureau debuted a new Economic Snapshot and Economic Pulse.
    Economic data changes quickly, so EDC empowered its audience to explore the data for themselves. Check out the new Economic Snapshot and Economic Pulse.

Telling San Diego’s story

  1. EDC launched the framework for San Diego’s economic recovery.
    Too often, in a rush to restore economic normalcy for some, entire segments of our communities have been left further behind in economic recoveries. To begin a more resilient recovery for all, EDC launched a webpage that tracks impacts of COVID-19 on an interactive data dashboard and outlines our region’s growing economic imperative for inclusive growth.
  1. Innovate78 launched a new website.
    To spotlight North County San Diego as an innovation hub unto itself, Innovate78 launched a new website with interactive economic dashboards, regional investment information, and resources for startups. The launch immediately increased website traffic by 25 percent.
  1. San Diego: Life. Changing. launched its Still Hiring list.
    In partnership with Startup San Diego and CONNECT w/ SDVG, EDC talent campaign San Diego: Life. Changing. developed a live table connecting job seekers to hiring companies. Since its launch, the page has garnered more than 15,000 page views and 110 entries.
  1. EDC and Innovate78 helped local companies tell their stories.
    In addition to free consulting and programmatic support, we secured placements in news outlets highlighting Welfie, The Broken Token, Wynn’s Ice Cream, Fuse Integration, and more.

Staying connected, no matter where

  1. EDC hosted a Future of Growth Forum discussing inclusive growth.
    In February, EDC gathered community leaders to learn how members of the Brookings Network for Economic Inclusion are addressing economic inclusion in cities across the country. Stay tuned for more in 2021…
  1. San Diego: Life. Changing. launched a virtual series to highlight San Diego companies.
    San Diego: Life. Changing. hosted four virtual panels highlighting San Diego science, genomics, senior health, and job opportunities during COVID-19, with more than 500 total attendees.
  1. Advancing San Diego hosted its inaugural virtual Career Fair and Exploration Day.
    During Advancing San Diego’s day-long virtual event, featuring speakers from Qualcomm and Sony, San Diego students submitted 240+ applications to 20 regional companies.
  1. New EDC board chair doubled down on commitment to getting San Diego’s economic recovery right.
    EDC continued to drive an inclusive growth and recovery strategy as outgoing Board Chair Janice Brown passed the gavel to Julian Parra, who wrote in the San Diego Union-Tribune that San Diego’s economic recovery must be inclusive.

 

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