Category: News

Good News of the Week – October 30, 2020

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 October 30, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

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

What does it mean for us to Build Better?

The pandemic and social upheaval of the past year have laid bare the wealth and health inequities across our society borne so heavily by low-income, BIPOC, and other marginalized groups. Join EDC and San Diego Grantmakers on November 17 for a virtual summit bringing together leaders from across sectors to challenge thinking and inspire action toward a more inclusive and equitable economy.

Learn More and Register

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance.

For businesses:

For individuals:

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

Manager, Marketing

Good News of the Week – October 2, 2020

Small business export center instituted at World Trade Center San Diego

By Bree Burris,

Partnership with Small Business Development Center aimed to support San Diego’s small businesses in going global

San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has contracted with World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) in a unique partnership that will bring an Export Specialty Center to the region, housed at WTCSD. Announced today, the dedicated center will focus on small business export advising and training that serves to increase the number of export-ready firms in the region.

Amidst a pandemic-induced economic crisis, rapid shifts in global and regional supply chains, and changes to the country’s trading relationship with major world powers, it is critical that home-grown businesses are equipped with tools to compete in the global marketplace.

“The partnership with SBDC allows our team to build upon the export support that we’ve delivered for more than five years through our MetroConnect program. While MetroConnect serves a competitively-selected cohort of export-ready companies each year, the SBDC work will really focus on getting small businesses to a point where they are positioned for international growth, which we know will grow jobs, increase revenues and improve resiliency here at home,” said Nikia Clarke, executive director, WTCSD.

Launched in 2014 as an affiliate of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), WTCSD will receive additional funding from SBDC to expand its export portfolio of small businesses, hire a new full-time employee, and tap into SBDC’s diverse network to funnel companies into its export accelerator program MetroConnect.

“By formalizing this partnership with WTCSD, the SBDC network now has a dedicated center focusing on export issues and advising here in San Diego and Imperial County. Exporting makes companies stronger and more resilient—especially important amid an economic downturn spurred by COVID-19,” said Daniel Fitzgerald, Associate Regional Director, SBDC.

The contract will run from October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. WTCSD has hired coordinator Ajogwu (Jeff) Adegbe to help lead these efforts.

About WTCSD
World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) operates as an affiliate of San Diego Regional EDC. WTCSD works to further San Diego’s global competitiveness by building an export pipeline, attracting and retaining foreign investment and increasing San Diego’s global profile abroad. sandiegobusiness.org/wtcsd

About SBDC
The San Diego and Imperial SBDC, hosted by Southwestern Community College, is funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (Go-Biz). It provides business advising on how to start, manage and grow a business, with most workshops and training at no cost to small business owners to provide economic impact for our region. The SBDC network includes eight service partners in San Diego County and one in Imperial County hosted by the Imperial Regional Alliance. San Diego County locations include: North San Diego SBDC (MiraCosta College), East San Diego SBDC (East County EDC), South San Diego SBDC (Southwestern College), the Brink SBDC (University of San Diego), Export Trade SBDC (WTCSD), Connect SBDC, Alliance SBDC (Asian Business Association) and International Rescue Committee SBDC. Services are provided in English, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Swahili, Dari, Vietnamese, Mandarin and others. sdivsbdc.org

Good News of the Week – October 23, 2020

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 October 23, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

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

San Diego’s Economic Pulse: October 2020

This edition of San Diego’s Economic Pulse covers September 2020 and reflects some effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the labor market.

  • Regional unemployment falls to 9.0 percent.
  • Long-term unemployment continues to increase.
  • Investments in workforce development and retraining become increasingly more important.

Read More

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance.

For businesses:

For individuals:

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

Manager, Marketing

Good News of the Week – October 2, 2020

Good News of the Week – October 16, 2020

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 October 16, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

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

Innovate78 launches new website

North County has changed a lot since we launched the five-city collaborative partnership, Innovate78. Now, we’re excited to debut Innovate78’s new website and brand highlighting what it’s like to live and work along San Diego’s 78 Corridor, how the program can assist local companies, and up-to-date information on the five cities. Explore the New Site

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance.

For businesses:

For individuals:

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

Manager, Marketing

Good News of the Week – October 2, 2020

San Diego’s Economic Pulse: October 2020

By San Diego Regional EDC,

Each month the California Employment Development Department (EDD) releases employment data for the prior month. This edition of San Diego’s Economic Pulse covers September 2020 and reflects some effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the labor market. Check out EDC’s research bureau for more data and stats about San Diego’s economy.

Key Takeaways

  1. Unemployment falls to 9.0 percent.
  1. Long-term unemployment continues to increase.
  1. Investments in workforce development and retraining become increasingly more important.

Labor Market Overview

The region’s unemployment rate was 9.0 percent in September down from a revised 9.5 percent in August 2020, and still three times above the year-ago estimate of 2.9 percent. Unemployment continues to increase in San Diego’s unincorporated and low income areas, while falling in wealthier areas. The highest unemployment area in the region was Bostonia at 16.5 percent and the lowest was Solana Beach at 5.0 percent.

The region’s unemployment rate remains lower than California’s unemployment rate of 10.8 percent, but higher than the national unemployment rate of 7.7 percent.

 

Looking at monthly employment, total nonfarm employment increased by 11,700 in September. Government accounted for the largest monthly gains, adding 6,800 jobs last month, primarily concentrated in local government education (up 5,300 jobs). Even so, compared to a year ago, local government education is still down 11,700 jobs. Leisure and hospitality followed with an increase of 2,500 jobs. Job gains were driven by accommodation and food services, which added 3,200 jobs. These gains were offset by a loss of 700 jobs in arts, entertainment, and recreation. Educational and health services increase this month, adding 2,400 jobs.

Compared to a year ago, San Diego nonfarm employment remains down 117,700 jobs, or 7.8 percent. Leisure and hospitality represents the largest share, down 52,400 jobs. Accommodation is down 14,000 jobs over the year, and bars and restaurants are down 24,400.

 

Long-Term Unemployment Continues to Increase

Long-term unemployment has increased substantially during the past few months of the pandemic, though it remains significantly lower than the peak experience in the Great Recession of 2007-2009. In September, the number of unemployed persons in the U.S. who were jobless for 27 weeks or more increased by 781,000 to 2.4 million. During the Great Recession, the highest rate of long-term unemployment was 6.8 million in April 2010.

Long-term joblessness can have a significant impact on workers’ future career prospects. If out of work long enough, skills become outdated. Moreover, long-term unemployed workers often face continual earnings losses, earnings volatility, and more frequent unemployment throughout their careers. Finally, long-term joblessness greatly increases the risk of workers leaving the workforce altogether, which can have lasting economic impacts.

Workforce development and retraining are becoming increasingly more important, especially as more workers face long-term unemployment. Jobs currently in high demand include software developers and software quality assurance analysts and testers, registered nurses, and retail salespersons and supervisors, which had the highest total job postings in September. While the hiring of retail might be a good sign, this may be due to the reopenings of stores and retail which will eventual level off. The top in-demand skills include merchandising, auditing, accounting, and selling techniques. Working to adjust these skills to the changing work environment is essential. Read more about workforce development and retraining, and how EDC is playing a part.

For more COVID-19 recovery resources and information, please visit this page.

EDC is here to help. You can use the button below to request our assistance with finding information, applying to relief programs, and more.

Request EDC assistance

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Good News of the Week – October 9, 2020

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 October 9, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

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

Recap: What we’ve learned through MetroConnect V

World Trade Center San Diego (WTC) continues to support the 15 companies in its MetroConnect international sales accelerator program. As part of the year-long export education curriculum, WTC recently hosted two workshops with experts on international marketing and sales, as well as GDPR and data privacy. Read More

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance.

For businesses:

For individuals:

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

Manager, Marketing

Good News of the Week – October 2, 2020

Good News of the Week – October 2, 2020

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 October 2, 2020, here’s what we’re reading:

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

Advancing San Diego Company Spotlight: Family Proud

The Advancing San Diego (ASD) Internship Program aims to provide up to 100 San Diego-based companies with fully subsidized interns. This week, we sat down with Jaden Risner, CEO and Co-Founder at Family Proud, a veteran-owned and operated care management platform, that hosted an ASD software intern this summer. Read more.

San Diego business resources:

Amidst everything happening in the world, we need a reminder that there’s plenty of ‘Good News’ to go around in San Diego. We have also compiled additional resources for businesses and individuals seeking additional guidance.

For businesses:

For individuals:

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

Manager, Marketing

EDC’s Virtual Manufacturing Day 2020 Round Up

By Taylor Dunne,

Happy Manufacturing MONTH, San Diego!

We hope you were able to tune into our October 1 event featuring speakers from McKinsey & Co. discussing global supply chain risks and how supply chain professionals can ensure their businesses are resilient. Thank you to CMTC, Solar Turbines, and Walmart for sponsoring this event.

The following federally funded opportunities are available through CMTC to manufacturers in California. To learn more about how you can take advantage of these opportunities, contact San Diego regional manager, David Moates.

The following are resources from the event:

Other posts you may like:

Advancing San Diego Company Spotlight: Family Proud

By Bree Burris,

The Advancing San Diego (ASD) Internship Program launched this Spring in a remote-capacity amid the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to provide up to 100 San Diego-based companies with fully subsidized interns. This program targets companies with 100 employees or less, which comprise 98 percent of all businesses in San Diego, employ nearly two thirds of San Diegans, and account for 70 percent of job growth. A key issue for these companies has been a lack of time and resources to recruit the skilled talent necessary to continue their growth.

As students close out their Summer internship experiences, EDC has launched this blog series to highlight the innovative local companies that comprise the first cohort of the program, and the interns they hosted.

In this feature, we sat down with Jaden Risner, CEO and Co-Founder at Family Proud. A part of the inaugural cohort of host companies, Family Proud is a San Diego-based, Veteran-owned and operated company that provides a care management platform which connects patients and families to a community and resources critical to their care, in a time of need.

The platform is secure and easy-to-use, and allows families to communicate to their support network, receive support through our care registry, and communicate with others in similar situations through our peer network. Family Proud provides a foundation for families to receive support and love, and enhance care for their loved one.

Why was your company founded?  

Family Proud started from a place of love. Our mission has always been to ensure no family need goes unmet and that’s why every day we strive to help as many people as possible with all the love we have to give.

Family Proud is inspired by both co-founders’ personal experiences. I spent 12 years of active duty with the Navy as a helicopter pilot. On one of my deployments, my mother had a heart attack and I was confronted with the struggles of remote care. Several deployments later, my father was diagnosed with cancer. I ended up becoming my mother’s informal caretaker and have personally experienced the burdens of care.

My co-founder Clay was a USMC staff sergeant and was diagnosed with cancer in April 2008. Four months later, after undergoing chemotherapy, Clay’s cancer went into remission. But when his cancer came back a year later, and he was given six months to live, the 13-year Marine Corps veteran set a new goal, the Iron Man. A clinical trial at UC San Diego is ultimately what saved his life, and he went on to compete in the Ironman World Championship triathlon in Hawaii in 2010 shortly after his terminal cancer discharge. Clay committed himself back to patient care, became a patient advocate, and went back to school. Clay is now a healthcare executive and Family Proud’s Chief Strategy Officer.

Tell us about your experience building a small business/startup in San Diego. What resources, services, and/or organizations were most valuable for supporting your Family Proud’s growth?

San Diego has a great startup ecosystem. From academia to events and coworking spaces, Family Proud has been fortunate to lean on the community to support our early growth. The ASD Internship Program is an example of the collaborative support available in San Diego—working together to support innovation, development, and growth for the greater San Diego economy.

Has your company pivoted as a result of COVID-19?  

Although our initial market focus was on the pediatric cancer and Veteran communities within the San Diego region, COVID-19 has opened our service aperture to a far greater audience in need. For example, to broaden our impact, we rolled out our “Digital Care Kit” program—a custom PDF e-package consisting of care registry credit, relevant resources, products, services, lessons learned, and peer connections based on the recipient’s location and adversity. Family Proud vets families in need and connects them with a care kit, which has been sponsored by a generous donor. To request or sponsor a Family Proud Digital Care Kit, please visit our website.

Tell us a little bit about your interns and the value they bring.

As a small business in San Diego, we’ve been fortunate to receive consistent news/opportunities from the City and EDC newsletters. The timing of the launch of the ASD Internship Program happened to coincide with our product development schedule. Our software developer intern, Shaeli, was an amazing addition to the technology team. She brought a fresh, outside-the-box perspective, was resilient and flexible to the new virtual/remote collaborative environment, and always approached her weekly tech sprint challenges with a positive and determined attitude. Family Proud was very lucky to have Shaeli onboard with us this Summer!

Company contact info:

Learn more about Advancing San Diego and our internship program.

You might also like to read:

September Monthly Report

By Taylor Dunne,

Monthly Report – September 2020

A note from our board chair Julian Parra:

As I take on the role of board chair for the next two years at San Diego Regional EDC, I am fortunate, blessed, and humbled by the opportunities that life has given me. I also recognize that my story is not the norm for Latino immigrants in this country and that my journey thus far is not particularly common for a city kid from Chicago. I feel both an obligation and responsibility to use this time at EDC wisely, effectively, and purposefully. And as the threats and realities of COVID-19 and racial injustice continue to grip our community and our economy, like many, I feel the urgency and the need to accelerate the recovery that lies in front of us. From the years following the Great Depression to those following the Great Recession, every recovery that the American economy has experienced has increased systemic poverty and widened the inequalities in Latino and African American communities. Too often, in a rush to restore economic normalcy for some, entire segments of our communities have been left further behind and unable to find and maintain their footing on a new and changing economic foundation. Our commitment at EDC is to do everything we can—drawing on the breadth and depth of every partnership and relationship we have— to get this recovery right. Read more.

By the Numbers

  • 12.3% San Diego County unemployment rate
  • 299 business assisted year-to-date
  • 6.3K jobs impacted year-to-date
  • 43 interns places in small companies

Featured Stories

BD Deemed Essential; Remains Operational Amid Uprise of COVID-19

Reopening Your Small Business

San Diego Science & the Global Pandemic: A Recap

Investor Recognition

  • City of Vista
  • Clearway
  • CMTC
  • Gafcon
  • General Dynamics
  • Intesa
  • Kilroy Realty
  • Murphy Development
  • Nfinit
  • PLNU
  • ResMed
  • SDSU