Seven representatives from local business and economic
development groups gathered recently for a grand meeting of the
financial minds.
Hollister – It can be hard to tell who really speaks for the business community in San Benito County, home to two chambers of commerce, a downtown association, a business council and more.
But now everyone’s literally on the same page, having signed off on an agreement declaring the Economic Development Corp. as the county’s economic leader, particularly when it comes to recruiting new businesses.
“This is a great step forward,” said George Lewis, president of the EDC’s board of directors.
Seven representatives from local business and economic development groups gathered recently for a grand meeting of the financial minds. Scott Fuller, a director with both the San Benito County Business Council and the EDC, said the business council called the meeting so the groups could do a better job of cooperating and combining their efforts.
“We saw a lot of groups working on economic development,” said Fuller, general manager at San Juan Oaks Gulf Club. “There was a lot of energy and a lot of expertise, but not a lot of coordination.”
But why get together now? Lewis said one of the big reasons was money. In March, Lewis approached the Board of Supervisors to chip in money for the EDC. County representatives were sympathetic, Lewis said, but they were also concerned that different economic groups would end up overlapping or interfering with one another’s work. That’s why the groups signed a development agreement to formalize everyone’s roles.
Now when the EDC approaches a business about expanding into Hollister, Lewis said the organization will have “a better image.”
Jessica French, executive director of the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce, said the recent meeting was the first time anyone had succeeded in convincing “all those groups to sit at one table.”
“I think that just in general, it’s a good thing to keep going,” French said.
The supervisors found the agreement convincing, too. They’ve included $50,000 of EDC funding in the county budget that could be approved today. That money will probably account for about one-third of the EDC’s operating budget, Lewis said.
Most of the budget will pay the salary of a replacement for retiring EDC Executive Director Al Martinez, he said.
