Tag: IG Spotlight

Inclusive Growth Spotlight: Cultura

By San Diego Regional EDC,

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:

*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.

To get involved in EDC’s work, contact:

Teddy Martinez
Teddy Martinez

Sr. Manager, Research

Inclusive Growth Spotlight: San Diego County Regional Airport Authority

By San Diego Regional EDC,

To celebrate and inspire the efforts of regional employers, EDC’s new Inclusive Growth blog series will highlight 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, more than the national average. The impact that small business owners have on local jobs cannot be overstated, and yet, they 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 are critical to the future of the region’s economy, and the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is among those contributing to the progress.

How SAN supports the ecosystem

As a regional anchor institution that generates more than $12 billion dollars in economic activity each year, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is a pillar of the economy. This fall will mark the completion of the first phase of the much-anticipated Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport. The project will continue to generate economic opportunity for San Diego, primarily through jobs and contracting opportunities—key components of Inclusive Growth.

Learning to do business with the Airport can be difficult to navigate for small, local businesses. The Airport Authority’s Small Business Development (SBD) Program is the primary business unit responsible for opening the doors to smaller businesses so that they can compete for airport contracts.

The Airport Authority’s Procurement Department also maintains an outreach plan and tracks supplier diversity metrics for all solicitations. In collaboration with department contract owners, Procurement develops solicitations and facilitates the review, evaluation, selection, and onboarding of respondents. To engage local, small, and Veteran-owned businesses, the Airport Authority implements a variety of outreach strategies designed to ensure these businesses are informed of contracting opportunities and can be competitive when bidding on Airport projects.

Both SBD and Procurement, in partnership with all Airport Authority departments, encourage diversity in the Airport’s suppliers, professional services, contractors, and concessionaires.

The Airport Authority’s annual “Meet the Primes” event is open to the public and connects small businesses directly with prime contractors, airport staff, and other government agencies to learn how to navigate the contracting process. In addition, the Authority hosts various training and educational events throughout the year, covering how to work with the Airport and become certified for contracting opportunities.

“We also try to see if there are opportunities to unbundle projects to make certain aspects of the project smaller, so more businesses have the ability to compete,” said Craig Ruiz, Manager of the Airport Authority’s SBD Program. “We do targeted outreach to businesses in those different categories to ensure they are prepared to bid.”

On a project-specific level, the Procurement team proactively identifies businesses that can meet the needs of each project, ensuring all relevant vendors are informed and engaged through targeted outreach. The Procurement Department leverages platforms like PlanetBids, an e-procurement tool where businesses can register, access contracting opportunities, and connect with prime contractors for subcontracting opportunities, helping to broaden their reach and increase their chances of success. Small businesses are invited to signup for PlanetBids to access trainings and more information.

Small shifts in local spend by San Diego’s anchor institutions create quality jobs. EDC found that a one percent increase in local construction spending could generate more than 1,000 new quality jobs for the region.

“Supplier diversity provides a greater range of solutions to projects, and helps our community flourish,” said Airport Authority Director of Procurement Jana Vargas. “Investing in these businesses creates a ripple effect that allows them to reinvest in their communities, creating a cycle of opportunities.”

The Airport Authority’s efforts continue to show results. For 2023, there was a 21 percent year-over-year growth in major construction project spending to Local Business Certified (LBC) firms, with more than $32 million awarded to LBCs.

Businesses in the Small Business Enterprise (SBE) category were awarded contracts representing almost $28 million in 2023. The federally funded Quieter Home Program awarded $1.4 million to Small Business Enterprises (SBE).

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. Anchors like San Diego County Regional Airport Authority are helping to collectively pave the way toward a more inclusive regional economy.

*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.

To learn more and get involved in EDC’s work, contact:

Teddy Martinez
Teddy Martinez

Sr. Manager, Research

Inclusive Growth Spotlight: Booz Allen Hamilton

By San Diego Regional EDC,

To celebrate and inspire the efforts of regional employers, EDC’s new Inclusive Growth blog series will highlight 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.

Regional talent demand remains high

To maintain economic competitiveness, the region needs 20,000 students per year completing post-secondary education within six years of graduating high school. These include certifications, career technical education, and college degrees. Progress toward the goal has increased incrementally since 2017 yet completions have shown signs of tapering; the region still falls short of the goal; and the local supply of talent continues to be a critical priority for San Diego employers.

Talent scarcity has become the new normal as hiring demand exceeds the supply of talent across industries. Compounding this challenge, student success is demographically uneven in the region. Despite making up 35 percent of the population, Hispanics and Latinos only account for 17 percent of residents over 25 years old with at least a bachelor’s degree. Critical to growing the local talent pool is creating more opportunities for Black and Latino students to succeed. Employer-led talent pipeline development efforts are critical to the future of San Diego’s economy and Booz Allen Hamilton is among those working toward a solution.

Employer-led solutions

Combining 110 years of strategic consulting expertise with the perspectives of diverse talent, Booz Allen leverages innovative solutions for its clients in defense, cybersecurity, healthcare, and energy. In the San Diego metro area, Booz Allen employs more than 1,200 people with a range of technical expertise contributing to the region’s reputation as a hub for innovation and a catalyst for groundbreaking ideas.

While San Diego has a highly educated workforce with a proportion of bachelor’s degree holders that is seven percent higher than the national average, Booz Allen is among many employers across San Diego still facing a talent scarcity challenge. A smaller talent pool makes competition for technical professionals more intense, especially as the presence of major tech companies has increased over time and local startups continue to flourish.

To help expand access and exposure to quality jobs in STEM, Booz Allen and the Booz Allen Foundation are deeply committed to supporting San Diego youth.

Here’s how the company is committing to Inclusive Growth:

  • For the past 10 years, Booz Allen has partnered with the USS Midway Museum to offer STEM education programming to elementary and middle school students in Southeast San Diego. This year, the Booz Allen Foundation is underwriting scholarships for 1,000 students, predominantly from Black and Latino communities.
  • Since 2023, the Booz Allen Foundation has provided resources to Southwest San Diego around Lincoln High School (LHS) and its surrounding community. Recognizing that schools are part of a larger ecosystem, the company supported not only LHS but also the elementary and middle schools that feed into it, along with local organizations like Girl Scouts of San Diego and MANA de San Diego with a focus on youth exposure to STEM. Last year, the Foundation supported LHS’s engineering program including its inaugural FIRST robotics team. With this support, the robotics team made the regional robotics competition, earning a spot at the FIRST international championship in Houston. For many participants, this was their first time flying, staying in a hotel, and dining at a sit-down restaurant—a truly life-changing experience. Additionally, LHS students attended the San Diego State University College of Engineering Expo, where they connected with first-generation college students thriving in STEM fields, helping them envision their own future in these careers.
  • The company is also a strong supporter of the Elementary Institute of Science (EIS), a Southeast San Diego-based organization that has provided equitable access to STEM since the 1960s. EIS has partnered with the Booz Allen Foundation to take its mission to new heights. Together, they are developing new AI programming and teacher training to stay ahead of rapidly changing technology, providing stipends for internships to help talented students earn money while advancing their education and careers, funding scholarships for students to attend EIS STEM camps, facilitating volunteer days to support the community, among other efforts.
  • Lastly, the Booz Allen Foundation is proud to support Rady Children’s Hospital’s Medical Academy, which provides high school students with valuable learning opportunities in healthcare. Through its Equity Grant, the hospital is connecting students with Booz Allen employees to explore the fundamentals of artificial intelligence (AI) and its emerging applications in healthcare. This initiative empowers students to gain exposure to cutting-edge technology, expanding their career possibilities in both healthcare and AI, and preparing them for success in these high-demand fields.

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 Booz Allen are helping to collectively pave the way toward a more inclusive regional economy.

To learn more and get involved in EDC’s work, contact:

Teddy Martinez
Teddy Martinez

Sr. Manager, Research