West Center named Economic Development Liaison

On May 3, the County of Mendocino Board of Supervisors voted to appoint West Business Development Center (West Center) as the Economic Development Liaison for the county's nascent economic development program. Specifically, the motion, which passed by a unanimous vote, directs the Executive Office to work with West Center as the first phase of their economic development program strategy. The $175,000, 12-month contract was negotiated in coordination with the BoS Economic Development Ad Hoc Committee, the County's Executive Office, and the Planning & Building Services Department.

West Center was contracted to provide services in three strategic areas: economic development capacity; business recruitment and retention; and workforce development. Under the terms of the contract, West Center will become a business grant clearinghouse, serve as the initial point of contact for businesses interested in locating or expanding into Mendocino County, provide business retention and recruitment information resources, develop an economic development newsletter, and create a business toolkit that will assist both county departments and budding businesses with the information necessary to launch or grow a business in the county.

The need for an economic development lead agency was highlighted by the findings of the Mendocino Opportunities for building a Vibrant Economy (MOVE 2030) initiative. The year-long MOVE 2030 project planning process was funded by the federal Economic Development Administration and was intended to lay the groundwork for the development of a more resilient economy in Mendocino County. The legwork of MOVE 2030 was achieved in 2020 through a broad stakeholder engagement process that involved community organizations, strategic public, private, and non-profit partners, industry representatives, and public policy advocates. The MOVE 2030 process culminated in the publication of the County of Mendocino Economic Development Analysis report, presented to the Board of Supervisors at their March 22, 2021 meeting. The report contains five strategies for the county's action summarized as:

• Bolster the county's economic development infrastructure

• Strengthen the small business and entrepreneurship environment

• Build, support and retain a robust and adaptable County workforce

• Address housing affordability and barriers to new development

• Expand the regional broadband access

Mendocino County Economic Vitality was also included as a key pillar of the 2022 Mendocino County Strategic Plan, adopted by the BoS on Jan. 23, 2022. The scope of work being undertaken by the West Center includes key actions that support implementation of the county's strategic plan by collaborating with economic development partners to identify areas where the county can support business attraction, development, and expansion and implementing policies and practices to make it easier for businesses to start up and expand.

In the discussion leading up to the BOS vote on May 3, 1st District Supervisor Glenn McGourty offered his full support for this latest economic development measure, stating: “(With) the connections that Mary Anne Petrillo (West Center) has with both the SMEDD as well as with Josh Metz, who has extensive background in economic development, we are creating our own eco-system to access numerous grants in the coming year…. I'm confident this plan is going to work.” Josh Metz is a lead advisor in the Economic Development service group for Regional Government Services, and will be collaborating with West Center to meet the terms of the contract.

Likewise, Supervisor John Haschak (District 3) who also supported the vote said, “We're going to get a lot more out of this contract … we don't have anyone in the county to do this work and it's critical. We are at a critical juncture as far as economic development. We need to move forward with this.”

With the backing of the Board of Supervisors, West Center will start the work of identifying and sourcing grant funding opportunities that will further core economic development efforts in the county. West Center has already begun work under their new contract and will report their findings and progress in monthly reports to the Board of Supervisors.