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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
HIGH SPEED RAIL POSITION
At the April 14th Commissioners Meeting the MCEDC Board of Directors in an unanimous vote agreed to support the California High Speed Rail A-1 alignment (BNSF Route) and oppose the A-2 alignment (Union Pacific Route) if the cities of Madera and Chowchilla and the County are not successful in collaborating with the High Speed Rail staff in developing an alternative route that minimizes the negative impacts on the cities and their respective local economies. The board agreed to support the A-1 alignment due to the potential loss of revenues to both cities and the County; and the possible loss of hundreds of jobs from the proposed A-2 route alignment. The consequences caused by the A-2 alignment will result in the displacement of commercial businesses in the downtown Madera and Chowchilla area, jeopardize commercial retail projects such as the proposed Ave. 17 project in Madera and destroy Chowchilla’s new commercial/industrial growth center along Highway 99. If the CA High Speed Rail Authority moves forward with the A-2 alignment it will bisect the county’s two cities with a high speed rail system that will do no more than run through the cities at speeds in excess of 200 MPH every 4-5 minutes. If you would like to see a map of the proposed alignments please click here. |
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SAVE THE DATE
Attention Manufacturer’s- GMCIA Meeting
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 at 7:00AM
Madera Municipal Golf Course
Madera Manufacturer’s, please attend the upcoming Greater Madera County Industrial Association (GMCIA) meeting on May 12th, 2010 at 7:00AM, located at the Madera Municipal Golf Course.
The meeting’s program guest speaker will be Richard Pombo running for the congressional seat of the 19th district.
For more information, contact Shirley Driggs at 559-673-8496.
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Chick-Fil-A Leadercast
Friday, May 7, 2010
8:00AM - 3:00PM
Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino
777 Lucky Lane, Coarsegold CA 93614
 The Chick-Fil-A Leadercast is the premier one-day leadership event featuring the world’s best leaders speaking about the leadership principles that matter most. Broadcast LIVE by GiANT Impact from Atlanta to hundreds of locations around the world, the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast is a catalyst for new ideas and better leadership practices. Tickets are $99.00 and include coffee, lunch, refreshments, and entrance to the Business Expo. To purchase tickets contact the Oakhurst Area Chamber of Commerce at 559-683-7766 or visit www.oakhurstchamber.com. Click here for press release.
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Madera Air Show
May 22 & 23
Madera Airport
Dabuco, Inc is proud to bring you the 1st Annual Return of the Gathering of Warbirds.
Ticket prices are $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for kids (6-12) and free for kids 6 and under. For event information and tickets please click here. http://www.maderaairshow.com
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Featured Properties
Cold Storage/Warehouse Space for Lease
3451 Yeager Road, Madera, CA
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2,000 +/- square feet of office space
- 1,000 +/- square feet of showroom area
- 11,000 +/- square feet of warehouse space
- 5,000+/- square feet cold storage (50-60 degrees)
- 3- 12’x14’ roll-up grade doors
- 3.52 +/- acres lot
- Fenced Yard
- Electrical 400 AMP’s
- 18’ clear height
Property is located just off of Highway 99 at Avenue 17 in the Madera Airport Industrial Park.
For more detailed information including pictures and a property flyer please click here or contact Julie at (559) 675-7768.
Office Space Available for Lease *One free month per lease year!
450 S. Madera Ave., Madera, CA
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Suites from 717+/- square feet up to 4,914+/- square feet
- Lease rate: $0.85/ square feet
- Term: 2 year minimum
- Parking: 4 spaces per 1,000 +/- square feet, plus additional street parking
- Easy access to Highway 99 on/off ramps
- In close proximity to Madera Community Hospital
- Near all services including restaurants, financial services, retail and schools.
For more detailed information including pictures and a property flyer please click here or contact Julie at (559) 675-7768.
Property information was gathered from sources deemed reliable. MCEDC is not responsible for inaccuracies.
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"New Quarterly Report"
Madera County Industry - First Quarter 2010 Statistics
Total Base
(Sq. Ft.) |
Total Vacancy
(Sq. Ft.) |
Vacancy Rate |
Avg. Asking
Rental Rate |
| 7,042,114 |
933,494 |
13.26% |
$0.35 |
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Source: TK Consulting - Tammy Katuin, Independent Real Estate Marketing Consultant, click here to see full report.
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Madera County 2010 Unemployment Rate
- Madera County 17.5
- Central Valley (Avg.) 19
- California 13
For Madera County cities and Census Designated Places click here
*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
Ribbon Cuttings
- Juice Plus - Oakhurst
- Sierra E-Waste - Oakhurst
- Hi-End Gift Store - Oakhurst
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Valley rail options create friction
Madera County cities, farmers split on route
The Fresno Bee
 The California High-Speed Rail Authority board voted April 8 to drop the western rural route alternative narrowing it down to two route alternatives. One generally follows the Union Pacific Railroad tracks from Merced to Fresno, closely following Highway 99. The other departs Merced on the BNSF line, swings east of Chowchilla and Madera, then rejoins the Union Pacific corridor near the San Joaquin River. The BNSF route had been designated as the system’s preferred route when its first major environmental released in 2005. But is was nearly dropped from consideration because of the potential conflicts with farming and because it is slightly longer than the other options and slower than most. Only after the western route was rejected did the BNSF option become a leading alternative again. That pleased the two Madera County cities, which don’t like the idea of two new sets of high-speed tracks running through the center of their towns alongside the Union Pacific corridor.. Read more.
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Geotourism Map unveiled to officials
Sierra Star
 Representatives from National Geographic, the Sierra Business Council and Sierra Nevada Conservancy unveiled the newly created Geotourism Map to a packed house of tourism officials in Yosemite Valley April 8. (Geotourism is defined as “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place.) More than 1,200 nominations were received for the site and currently more than 400 sites have been identified and placed on the map. Read more.
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STATE
California foreclosure activity declines
Central Valley Business Times
- Q1 sees 40.2 percent drop
- Central Valley declines by 39.2 percent
- Madera County, 347 Notices of Defaults, down 53.2 percent
Lending institutions started formal foreclosure proceedings on fewer California homes last quarter, according to figures compiled by MDA DataQuick, a realty information company based in La Jolla. But it is unclear how much of the drop can be attributed to shifts in market conditions, and how much is because of changing policies, it says. A total of 81,054 Notices of Default were recorded at county recorder offices during the January to March period, says DataQuick. That was down 4.2 percent from 84,568 for the prior quarter, and down 40.2 percent from 135,431 in the first-quarter 2009. Read more.
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California opens new economic development office
- Governor creates office by executive order
- Joel Ayala named director
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has used an executive order to create what he’s calling the “Governor’s Office of Economic Development” and has named Joel Ayala, former president and chief executive officer of the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, as its director. The office is supposed to help businesses acquire the direction, information and resources they need to invest, succeed and expand in California, the governor’s office says. “California is the best place in the world to do business, and by cutting red tape and streamlining functions, my Office of Economic Development will make the state an even better partner to the economy,” says Mr. Schwarzenegger.” Read more.
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NATIONAL
Business Opportunities and locally made: 2 of the top 10 business trends
Entrepreneur.com sees business opportunity and locally made products as 2 of the top 10 business trends for 2010. More than half of today’s Fortune 500 companies were founded during a recession or bear market.
What are the other Business trends?
- Green Power
- The Senior Market
- Discount Retail
- Education-people are upskilling
- Parental outsourcing
- Health and wellness
- Texas
- Affordable Alcohol
- Pets
Click here for the complete article
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 Manufacturing Shifting Back to the U.S.?
A note in Ingenics' Industrial Insights says, "Manufacturing products overseas was once a sensible move for U.S. businesses, allowing them to take advantage of lower costs without compromising quality. This has changed in recent years. Quality is now questionable in some parts of the world, leading many American consumers to prefer products that are ‘Made in the USA.' Coupled with rising oil and logistics prices and a closing wage gap in many foreign countries, manufacturing abroad has become less attractive. At the same time, the recovering economy, along with new government incentives, have renewed interest in the U.S. as a manufacturing destination. top of the page |
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Two Cheers for the U.S. Manufacturing Rebound
Caterpillar is among the U.S. industrial companies enjoying a resurgence in profits and optimism as export climb-amid weak domestic demand
Boomberg Businessweek
For the first time since the recession began, “you’re starting to hear company executives truly sound optimistic,” says Michael Jaffe, who covers Caterpillar and other industrial companies as an equity analyst at Standard & Poor’s.
Indeed, much of the news and data from the manufacturers is good. In March, the U.S. Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index hit 59.6 the highest reading for the survey since July 2004. Durable good orders fell 1.3% in March, but economists cheered a 2.8% rise in orders excluding transportation, which tends to be volatile from month to month. Read more.
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BUSINESS
MCEDC CONGRATULATES SIERRA AMBULANCE, B-K LIGHTING & EDUCATIONAL EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION ON THEIR CRYSTAL TOWER AWARDS
Thank you for all the support you give to our community!
This special award is given out annually by the Madera County Compact. The Madera County Compact is a group of business, community and education leaders working collaboratively to support efforts to improve the quality of life in Madera County.
The Awards were featured in a Sierra Star article click here to read more.
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Chowchilla almond grower branches out
Merced Sun Star
For 50 years, the Zinke family in Chowchilla has been growing almonds. Now the family is known for more than just tasty nuts. They have turned part of their orchards to organic, and are producing a rival to peanut butter. “Almond Butter can be used just like peanut butter,” said John Zinke, grandson of the original owner, Henoch Zinke. Read more.
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Investor breathes life into Madera radar station
The Business Journal
A former Cold War radar station in Madera is seeing new life as an event facility thanks to a local investor who has poured nearly $2 million into the project so far. Ron Patterson, a self-described buyer of “beat-up junk buildings,” purchased the former Madera Air Force Station back in October for $750,000 and is currently turning the 41-acre site into a destination attraction complete with three on-site commercial wineries, a wedding chapel, a full service banquet hall and a patio with gathering space for up to 300 people. The project is expected to employ up to 50 people at first. Read more.
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RESOURCES
PG &E reminds customers to always call 811 before digging
PG&E
During national safe digging month, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reminds local businesses to always call 811 before any construction or excavation project, big or small. Whether it’s planting a tree, installing a sprinkler system or building a fence, business owners and professional excavators need to know where gas and electric lines lie underground.
The 811 hotline is a free service that provides important information on where utilities exist beneath excavation areas. Natural gas pipelines, electric power lines and other utilities buried underground can lie within just a few feet of the surface. These lines can easily be damaged, even during shallow digging projects. Accidental contact with these lines can be dangerous, with the potential to cause serious injury, property damage and outages.
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Work Opportunity Tax Credit for employers
In the past, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) has been of limited value to most employers. However, recent changes put this federal income tax credit (often worth $2,400 per hire) in reach of many more companies. If your business actively hires recently discharged veterans or individuals aged 16-24, then you should investigate this program.
In California, vouchering is fairly straightforward, free, and administered by the Employment Development Department (EDD). Note: Paperwork must be filed with EDD within 4 weeks from the date of hire.
Below are some useful links regarding the WOTC program:
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Resource links for financial aid and business advice
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Contact
Madera County
EDC
2425 W.
Cleveland Ave., Suite 101
Madera, CA
93637
559-675-7768
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