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Madera County E-BIZ
Welcome to Madera County Economic Development’s E-BIZ! On a monthly basis, our online Newsletter covers important local, regional and national news that impacts our local economy. E-BIZ reports on new projects and events in our cities and towns and keeps readers up to date on the state of the region’s economy. News about your business is always welcome.
Please send items, questions, comments, or suggestions to the Madera County EDC at info@maderacountyedc.com or visit our Web site at maderacountyedc.com
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SAVE THE DATE
Attention Manufacturer’s- GMCIA Meeting
March 11, 2009 at Noon
 Madera Manufacturers, please attend the upcoming Greater Madera County Industrial Association (GMCIA) meeting on March 11, 2009 at Noon, located at the Madera Municipal Golf Course.
For more information, contact Shirley Driggs at 559-673-8496.
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Small Business Development Day
Free Event
March 5, 2009
Fresno Exhibit Hall
The City of Fresno and its organizing partners are hosting the Inaugural Small Business Development Day. This event will provide business owners with free workshops, training, and technical assistance they need to grow and succeed in today’s economy.
For more information and registration please click here http://www.fresnostartup.com/sbdd.aspx
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MCEDC State of the County Event
Wednesday March 18, 2009 from 11:30-1:30
Madera Municipal Golf Course
Speakers will be Max Rodriguez representing the Madera County Board of Supervisors, Mayor Justin White, representing the City of Chowchilla and Mayor Sam Armentrout, representing the City of Madera
Contact Madera County EDC (559) 675-7768 to reserve your seat at $30 or email lgrow@maderacountyedc.com
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Madera County Unemployment Rate
January 2009 Unemployment Rate
*Central Valley counties include: San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings & Kern
Source: www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov
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LOCAL NEWS
City and County still growing
Madera Tribune
Madera and Madera County continue to grow, both economically and in population. The CA Department of Finance lists Madera County as the state’s seventh-fastest growing county at an annual rate of 1.78 percent and that means the county is picking up about 3,000 new residents a year. While residential construction has slowed, along with the housing market, commercial construction has kept moving. For more detailed information on current projects in Madera County continue reading…
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Ground Breaking Ceremonies for the Fossil Discovery Center in Madera County
The San Joaquin Valley Paleontology Foundation & Madera County Dig Oversight Committee held a ground breaking ceremony February 17th for the new Madera County Fossil Discovery Center located at Avenue 21 ½ and Road 19 ½. This summer, the Fossil Discovery Center will open its doors and boast the largest mid-Pleistocene epoch dig site in North America. Most sites of this nature typically only cover an acre or so; this one is 25 acres wide and may still reveal over 20,000 more items waiting to be unearthed.
For more information about this exciting project or to contact the Foundation, go to http://www.maderamammoths.org
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Gottschalks reports increase in January sales
The Fresno Bee
Gottschalks Inc. reported that sales in January increased from a year ago, bucking a trend of declining sales for the Fresno-based department-store chain. The company, which filed for bankruptcy last month, reported its local sales among 58 department stores and three specialty stores were $33.3 million, an increase of 10.6% over the $30.1 million reported in January 2008. “We believe that closures of other retailers in many of our core California markets benefited our top line performance,” Gottschalks Chairman and CEO James Famalette said in a written statement. Gottschalks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from its creditors on Jan. 14. Read more..
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Sunkist posts $839m in total 2008 revenue
The Business Journal
Citrus giant Sunkist is calling 2008 a banner year, with total revenues of $839 million, up 8 percent from 2007. Russ Hanlin, Sunkist’s president and CEO, said the year started with a record 95-million carton navel orange crop that still commanded favorable prices “for a crop of this magnitude.” Next up was the lemon crop, which exceeded revenue records for the last two years by $20-$60 million. Read more…
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Fresno State opens largest library in CSU System
Central Valley Business Times
The largest library in the 23-campus California State University system has opened for students and faculty at California State University, Fresno. The Henry Madden Library, in the heart of the campus, features an elliptical design entrance that the university says visually represents a Native American Basket and an entire north wall of windows overlooking a redesigned Peace Garden. The $105-million project included construction of a five-story north wing (one level is below ground) and renovation of the south wing. At 340,000 square feet, it is the largest academic building on campus. Read more…
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New Strategies to Improve the Economic Vitality of the San Joaquin Valley
The Maddy Forum
 The Economic Development Work Group of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley has been tasked with developing creative and collaborative solutions to the region’s infrastructure challenges, focusing on the growth of target industries with comparative advantages, and promoting the region as a business and tourism destination. Bobby Kahn, a leader of the Partnership’s Economic Development Work Group and the Executive Director of the Madera County Economic Development Corporation and Chair of the Central CA Economic Development Corporation is our guest.
To listen to Bobby Kahn’s interview please click here
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STATE NEWS
Foreclosures slow dramatically, down more than 25 percent in January
Central Valley Business Times
- California foreclosures at lowest level since December 2007
- “Home sales are roaring back
Foreclosures across the United States plummeted by more than 25 percent in January, with many of the hardest-hit states seeing dramatic drops in the number of homes repossessed by lenders, according to figures compiled by real estate information company foreclosures.com Inc, of Fair Oaks. Completed foreclosures in the Golden State dropped more than 31 percent in January to 14,351, the lowest level since December 2007, and less than half the 31,851 properties foreclosed in the peak month of September 2008. Click here to read full article
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California bullet train wants to haul some economicstimulus money
Central Valley Business Times
- Says it will seek up to $2 billion
- Could be used for a Central Valley project
California’s proposed high-speed rail system-the bullet train- could use as much as $2 billion of the federal economic stimulus package signed into law by President Barack Obama, says Quentin Kopp, Chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which is charged with building the bullet train route in the state. For a list of initial projects continue reading….
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NATIONAL NEWS
SBA says stimulus bill will boost small business
Central Valley Business Times
- Planning underway for quickest small business impact
- “Will truly help small business owners affected by the credit crunch”
The stimulus bill signed into law by President Barack Obama contains a package of loan fee reductions, higher guarantees, new SBA programs, secondary market incentives, and enhancements to current SBA programs that will help unlock credit markets and begin economic recovery for the nation’s small business sector, the SBA says. The bill provides $730 million to SBA and makes changes to the agency’s lending and investment programs. For a break down of funding programs click here….
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Contact
Madera County
EDC
2425 W.
Cleveland Ave., Suite 101
Madera, CA
93637
559-675-7768
www.maderacountyedc.com
Past
Newsletters
Please
click the below links to see a .pdf of our past
newsletters:
Spring 2009
Click Here
Winter 2008
Click Here
Newsletter
Ideas
If you have a story that you think
might be of interest, please contact:
jherd@maderacountyedc.com
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