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. GNOTW is sponsored by Manpower.
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For the week of March 21, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
EDC’s impact is made possible with and through the investment of more than 150 public agencies, private organizations, companies, and developers. We sat down with EDC investor Breakthrough Properties to learn more about the developer’s work to help grow San Diego’s globally-renowned Life Sciences ecosystem—and why it invests in EDC.
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. GNOTW is sponsored by Manpower.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of March 14, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
Inclusive Growth Spotlight: Commute with Enterprise
To celebrate and inspire the efforts of regional employers, EDC published a spotlight on Commute with Enterprise and its efforts to support new and thriving households—one of three pillars of the 2030 Inclusive Growth goals.
To celebrate and inspire the efforts of regional employers, EDC’s Inclusive Growth blog series highlights San Diego companies helping to drive progress on the 2030 Inclusive Growth goals. Below we feature the nationally recognized commuter vanpool service operated by Commute with Enterprise.
Launched in 2018 and informed by a partnership with the Brookings Institution, the Inclusive Growth initiative sets 2030 goals for San Diego related to increasing: 1) the supply of talent, 2) quality small business jobs, and 3) newly thriving households. The goals inform San Diego’s economic priorities and make the business case for economic inclusion.
Decreasing affordability in San Diego has threatened progress toward newly thriving households. Increasing cost pressures disproportionately impact communities of color who historically do not have the same rate of homeownership, a key driver of upward economic mobility. By the end of the decade, EDC estimated the region would need to add 75,000 newly thriving households. As of 2023, San Diego has added 49,916 newly thriving households bringing the total number of San Diego’s thriving households in the region to 610,983.
Commute with Enterprise supports companies and households
Commute with Enterprise operates the nation’s largest vanpool service and provides affordable commuting solutions, which contribute to EDC’s 2030 thriving households goal by reducing travel costs for workers.
Commute with Enterprise established its first vanpool in San Diego 25 years ago, which still operates today and has since served numerous local employers across industries including healthcare, manufacturing, tech and biotech startups, universities, and more.
In San Diego, 20-30 percent of the population commutes more than 60 miles each day. Annually, households in San Diego spend more than $13,000 on transportation costs, representing a 73 percent increase since EDC began tracking progress toward the 2030 goals. As housing costs have increased, households have opted to move to more affordable areas, often further away from their jobs creating longer work commutes.
Companies like Dr. Bronner’s have leveraged Commute with Enterprise to launch a pilot program to support its workforce as well as contribute to a more sustainable future. In addition, SANDAG supports employers and employees through its vanpool program which offers subsidies to offset vehicle lease costs.
Benefits for Dr. Bronner’s:
Employees pay $50 per month, compared to $285 for solo commuting (IRS, 2024).
Emergency ride credit of $500 per car provided by SANDAG covers three emergency rides home per year, per participant.
One vehicle with five employees commuting an average of 25 miles round trip reduces CO2 emissions by more than 10 metric tons per year compared to individual driving.
Program aims to save 25 parking spaces at Dr. Bronner’s site with future growth.
Commute with Enterprise gives employers a competitive edge when it comes to talent attraction and retention. Riders could save $10,000 per year on average by reducing costs associated with fuel, vehicle maintenance, and more.** Vanpooling can also help reduce traffic congestion as Commute with Enterprise takes more than 45,000 single-occupancy vehicles off the road each day.*** This smart, practical, and employer-led commuting solution helps alleviate rising costs and ultimately supports households.
Join the movement
Progress on EDC’s 2030 Inclusive Growth goals is only achievable with and through the region’s employers who must be committed to scaling innovative and intentional solutions in San Diego. Companies like Cultura are helping to collectively pave the way toward a more inclusive regional economy. Join us:
Endorse the goals, and be part of the change San Diego’s economy demands.
*A thriving renter-occupied household, as defined by EDC, needs at least $77,280 in household income per year while homeowner-occupied households need $124,368 per year to be considered thriving.
** Estimates based on 2024 Commute with Enterprise reporting, an average 5-day/ week commute and 2024 AAA costs associated with operating a vehicle including fuel, maintenance, and depreciation. CommutewithEnterprise.com/Showmethemath.
*** Estimates based on 2024 Commute with Enterprise reporting. Assuming participants previously drove alone. CommutewithEnterprise.com/Showmethemath.
Each year when we give out awards at our Annual Dinner, I think of the two people who inspired them—Duane Roth and Herb Klein. And while we now call them our “Life. Changing.” Awards in alignment with our regional branding and communications efforts, I am reminded again that both Duane and Herb changed many lives. Mine included.
This year marks EDC’s 60th Anniversary. And while our Annual Dinner is always a big event that means a great deal to our team and the broader economic development community we work with and through, this year it feels like it means even more.
Part of what makes it more significant for me is thinking about how perfectly our award winners represent both the spirit of our work, and all that is truly special about the region we call home. As we celebrate six decades of economic development, we are really celebrating the people and the businesses who have paved the way and made this journey possible.
The first award is given to an individual who has gone above and beyond the responsibilities of their job to make San Diego a better place for all. Perhaps no person embodies this description more than Dr. Constance Carroll. Dr. Carroll served as the chancellor for San Diego Community College District for 17 years—the longest tenure of any chancellor in district history. She has served on countless local, state, national, and international boards and committees for both education and the arts. Dr. Carroll played a critical role in raising the profile of community colleges in the eyes of business and industry leaders throughout the region, and she is responsible for establishing and expanding the offerings of four-year bachelor’s degrees within the community college system. She has also done as much to advance the causes of economic equity and inclusion as any San Diegan I can think of.
The second award celebrates a business or organization that is changing the world from San Diego through science, technology, and innovation. Again, few organizations better embody this description than General Atomics (GA). A home-grown San Diego success story, GA has been a cornerstone of San Diego’s innovation economy since 1955. From aerospace and defense to electronics and energy, GA has become a global leader all while maintaining its headquarters in the heart of the Torrey Pines Mesa. GA boasts one of the region’s most talented and diverse workforces, and has significant education and workforce development partnerships with all of the region’s colleges, universities, and community colleges. GA co-owner and vice chairman Linden Blue has served on EDC’s board of directors for more than 25 years and was an executive committee member for more than a decade. GA’s impact exactly emulates the Life. Changing. Award.
So, during an iconic year for our organization, we are hoping that you can join us in recognizing the contributions of an iconic leader and company, and the ‘Life. Changing.’ roles they have played within our region.
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. GNOTW is sponsored by Manpower.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of March 7, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
Ready to take your business global but weary where to start?If you’re a San Diego small business with little to no experience in exporting, join our free webinar on March 27. Learn the fundamentals of exporting from World Trade Center San Diego’s Export SBDC advisor and a U.S. Commercial Service officer.
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. GNOTW is sponsored by Manpower.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of February 28, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
To celebrate and inspire the efforts of regional employers, EDC published a spotlight on Cultura and its efforts to support local, quality jobs as a small business—one of three pillars of the 2030 Inclusive Growth goals.
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. GNOTW is sponsored by Manpower.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of February 21, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
Apply to join MetroConnect VIII export accelerator
Know an export-ready business that could benefit from growing its international presence? WTCSD’s MetroConnect export accelerator is back for its eighth cohort, offering up to $30,000 in grants, executive workshops, and mentorship from multinational leaders. Deadline to apply and expand your export sales is June 30.
To celebrate and inspire the efforts of regional employers, EDC’s Inclusive Growth blog series highlights San Diego companies helping to drive progress on the 2030 Inclusive Growth goals.
Launched in 2018 and informed by a partnership with the Brookings Institution, the Inclusive Growth initiative sets 2030 goals for San Diego related to increasing: 1) the supply of talent, 2) quality small business jobs, and 3) newly thriving households. The goals inform San Diego’s economic priorities and make the business case for economic inclusion.
Small businesses are the backbone of the economy
San Diego small businesses represent 98 percent of all firms and account for 59 percent of total employment, outpacing the national average. In 2023, San Diego County ranked third for most new business formations in California. Despite significant contributions, small businesses struggle to keep up in an increasingly expensive market.
With a goal to add 50,000 new quality jobs in small businesses by the end of the decade, EDC data shows a surge in progress after years of steady recovery. In 2023, the region added 48,481 new quality* small business jobs, nearly surpassing the goal.
While the significant rise in quality jobs is reassuring, small businesses still struggle to compete. Employer-led efforts to support small businesses and increase the number of quality jobs are critical to the future of the region’s economy, and Cultura is among the local companies contributing to the progress.
How Cultura is moving the needle
Cultura is a San Diego small business specialized in a broad range of furniture solutions tailored to fit the needs of its clients. Since 2009, Cultura has partnered with more than 1,250 companies to build spaces that support their businesses, people, and ultimately culture. Whether it’s designing inviting lobbies, creating flexible workspaces, or setting up collaborative meeting rooms, Cultura excels at transforming environments that foster both productivity and well-being.
As a diverse, women-led company, Cultura plays a critical role in the region’s economic ecosystem. By providing tailored solutions for office environments, Cultura directly supports the infrastructure needs of San Diego companies while also adding to the region’s number quality jobs. Cultura also prioritizes small, local businesses in its internal vendor selection process, further strengthening the local economy.
When local firms choose to work with local vendors, they are not only fulfilling their needs but also investing back into the regional economy. This practice helps keep procurement dollars circulating locally, promoting quality jobs and fostering a more resilient local economy. In fact, EDC has found that if local anchors shifted just one percent of existing spend to local, small, or diverse suppliers, San Diego would see millions of dollars in economic impact and thousands of jobs.
The synergy between large anchor institutions, smaller businesses, and local vendors like Cultura creates a powerful multiplier effect that fuels job growth, drives innovation, and sustains a thriving economy.
Cultura’s mission to create the best work environments begins internally. Offering flexibility in the work schedule, competitive salaries, matching retirement contributions, annual bonuses, and a unique work environment, the company demonstrates how small businesses can contribute to Inclusive Growth progress.
Join the movement
Progress on EDC’s 2030 Inclusive Growth goals is only achievable with and through the region’s employers who must be committed to scaling innovative and intentional solutions in San Diego. Companies like Cultura are helping to collectively pave the way toward a more inclusive regional economy. Join us:
Endorse the goals, and be part of the change San Diego’s economy demands.
*A quality small business job is defined as one provided by a company with fewer than 100 employees and that pays at least $23 per hour and provides healthcare benefits.
Originally authored by Taylor Dunne in Voice of San Diego’s ‘A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools’
Every parent wants to see their child pursue a career that makes them happy, and it is a bonus when they can feel confident that that career will also set them up for financial success.
In San Diego, one of the most dynamic economies in the world, there is abundant opportunity for high-impact careers and upward mobility—sometimes you just need to see it to believe it.
In my role as the director of talent initiatives for San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), I have devoted my career to improving the pathways from local education programs into high-wage, high-demand jobs across San Diego County. Here are some common questions I get asked about these efforts in our region.
Q: What is Career Technical Education?
According to the state of California’s Department of Education, Career Technical Education (CTE) is “a program of study that involves a multi-year sequence of courses that integrates core academic knowledge with technical and occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway to post-secondary education and careers.” Here in San Diego County, the board of education’s first goal speaks to CTE as a priority, stating that the public education system should aim to “connect the educational experience to the world of work, to guarantee all students graduate prepared for college, career, and beyond.”
CTE courses can fall into one of 15 industry categories, identified by the California State Board of Education. The courses can be standalone, or part of a multi-year series. Some of them also count toward A-G requirements, which must be completed for admission into a California public university.
Q: When should I start thinking about career pathways for my child?
CTE opportunities at school are a great time for students to begin thinking about prospective career paths. K-12 schools across the region offer these courses, and some have gone the extra mile to really set students up for success.
For example, the Chula Vista Elementary School District offers Innovation Stations where students learn about careers in life sciences, health, technology, and more. A portion of this experience includes local tech giant Qualcomm, which brings to life what the students are learning in the classroom.
Helix High School offers a biotechnology pathway that stacks courses for grades nine through 12. Kearny High Education Complex runs four small, unique schools, each focused on a critical industry, embedding CTE in students’ learning throughout their four years. These kinds of curriculum, coupled with internships, school clubs, and other opportunities, can offer students the chance to begin exploring what careers are available to them in San Diego and how they might begin preparing for those careers today.
In fact, employers agree that experience indicating a proven interest, like school clubs, extracurricular activities, and elected courses like those available through CTE pathways, rise above other qualifications in roles like computing and engineering. Candidates with less formal training that can articulate how they have independently pursued opportunities are more appealing than those who are fully trained but disinterested.
On the other hand, these opportunities can also help young people weed out the careers they do not want during these formative years, before they invest time and money into further training.
Q: What are the jobs of tomorrow?
Looking ahead, future jobs are technical in nature, and they’re in industries like technology (especially with the rapid development of artificial intelligence), healthcare, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. We also anticipate alternative energy will continue to climb that list. Increasingly, these jobs require some sort of post-secondary training.
Everything from trade schools to four-year degrees and beyond become critical for preparing students to take on those roles into the future. In fact, over 100,000 more jobs require a post-secondary degree today as compared to just eight years ago. Luckily, they are also some of the highest paying in our region. We see growth in jobs that pay salaries of upwards to $149,000 per year.
So, what does that mean for San Diego’s future talent and local companies?
It means that community college, trade school, and university classrooms need to be accessible to all San Diego students regardless of economic status or family history. This economic growth, combined with a declining population, means that companies cannot continue to rely on traditional recruitment patterns like sourcing from elite universities, and instead must consider additional channels.
Working age population vs. jobs over 10 years:
In fact, to keep pace with the economy, the San Diego region will need to double the number of people receiving a post-secondary education by 2030.
Q: What tools and resources are available?
EDC is excited to have been able to help bring a new distinction to this year’s version of Voice of San Diego’s A Parent’s Guide to San Diego Schools. You can look for the labor market score for schools offering Career and Technical Education programs. Additionally, parents can explore local learning opportunities in relevant fields at the San Diego STEM Ecosystem’s web directory, which includes a filter for cost-free options.
Finally, our organization offers resources that can help parents connect with the local economy and industry-vetted training programs:
Explore EDC’s Talent Dashboard where you can access more real-time local data, like what is shared above, to help with understanding the future of jobs in San Diego.
Check out Advancing San Diego’s Verified Programs. These are post-secondary training programs across the region that have been vetted by local companies for teaching the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow while also reaching and serving a diverse student population. In receiving this status, Verified Programs open opportunities for students to access paid internships and other critical work-based learning experiences.
Learn more and get involved in EDC’s Talent Initiatives. Contact our team today:
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. GNOTW is sponsored by Manpower.
Get Good News of the Week in your inbox every Friday.→ Sign up
For the week of February 14, 2025, here’s what we’re reading:
As tariff threats loom and the country teeters on the brink of an all-out trade war, we all wonder what it means for our binational region, the future of the popular USMCA, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs tied to global commerce in San Diego. This will be a volatile period for the North American supply chains that enable this region to compete globally. What we have learned is that in the midst of uncertainty, we should return to what we know to be true about this binational region.
