Sacramento, Calif. – “Today, Governor Brown’s State of the State Address detailed California’s record of accomplishments during the last seven years, laid out an ambitious agenda for this year and offered a roadmap for California’s continued success in the years to come.

As the sixth largest economy in the world and the world’s capital to industries ranging from biotech and clean energy to new, cutting technologies that are still in the concept and research stage, the Governor’s initiatives provide a framework for California’s next generation innovation economy. 

No surprise, the Governor continued to set milestones for us to reach including a goal of putting five million zero emission vehicles on the road by 2030. I know California’s companies are ready to meet the challenge. Already, GO-Biz has worked with companies such as Proterra, BYD and Tesla to establish and grow zero emission vehicle manufacturing in California and our office leads the state’s efforts to expand the number of recharging stations that will move people wherever they are going. Moreover, establishing policies to create a cleaner environment incentivizes the development and commercialization of emerging clean technologies in California. GO-Biz has worked with companies building solar panels to wind turbines, recycling and re-using waste and manufacturing goods using advanced technologies and equipment that reduce energy consumption to receive incentives and resources to expand production and create jobs.  

In addition, the Governor’s proposal to expand workforce readiness opportunities aligns with one of the top priorities of any business which is to locate near an available and skilled workforce. GO-Biz will work with our education partners to ensure we match employer skill needs with the training Californians receive. 

Finally, building off the Governor’s remarks, his proposed 2018-2019 budget includes the extension of the California Competes Tax Credit. To date, 865 companies from throughout California have been awarded tax credits and these businesses are projected to create 83,414 new jobs and invest $15.7 billion in California. The proposal also includes new resources to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in addition to expanding the New Employment Credit for businesses that hire individuals with barriers to employment. 
The Governor’s State of the State address and budget proposal will continue to support business attraction, expansion and job creation in California for years to come.”

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit, www.business.ca.gov.

Contact Information
Address:
1325 J Street, Suite 1800
Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone: 1-877-345-4633
Email Us

Explore more articles by category:  GO-Biz News  |  CalOSBA News  |  Press Releases |  Opinion Editorials

Sacramento, California – The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) today announced a partnership with California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) designed to increase the benefits for businesses that participate in GO-Biz’s recently launched ‘CA Made’ state labeling program for manufacturers. The partnership provides CA Made manufacturers with access to the statewide benefits of CMTC’s ‘Made in California’ program.

“Our partnership with CMTC will increase the visibility of the CA Made program and provide manufacturers with improved access to suppliers, business-to-business networking and events, and technical assistance specific to the needs of manufacturers,” said GO-Biz Deputy Director Jesse Torres. “CA Made manufacturers will now enjoy a broad expansion in program benefits to support their manufacturing operations and marketing efforts.”

“Since launching in 2011, CMTC’s Made in California program has grown to include more than 900 small- and medium-sized manufacturers. Through this partnership with GO-Biz and the CA Made program, we will significantly enhance the ability of California manufacturers to promote products that are made in California,” said CMTC’s President and CEO Jim Watson.

CA Made is a state labeling program designed to encourage consumer product awareness and promote the purchase of products manufactured in California. The program is administered by GO-Biz.  CA Made provides the following services to approved products:

• A license to use the CA Made label on products, packaging, and point of sale merchandising.
• Placement of the product and company biography on the CA Made website.
• Information on services from program partners.
• Marketing via GO-Biz’s social media sites (e.g. Twitter, Facebook).
• Access to CMTC’s Made in California partnership benefits.

For more information on CA Made, visit http://camade.ca.gov/.

CMTC’s Made in California Program promotes California manufacturers, brands, and product lines through marketing, events, and business-to-business networking opportunities.  CMTC is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology and is part of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (“MEP”) Program.

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit, www.business.ca.gov.

Contact Information
Address:
1325 J Street, Suite 1800
Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone: 1-877-345-4633
Email Us

Explore more articles by category:  GO-Biz News  |  CalOSBA News  |  Press Releases |  Opinion Editorials

Sacramento, Calif. – Today, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced that the California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) committee approved $69 million in tax credits for 90 companies projected to create 6,236 jobs and make $1.2 billion worth of new capital equipment investments across California. View the complete list of approved companies and award amounts.

“The California Competes Tax Credit encourages companies from around the world to locate, expand and add good paying jobs in California,” said Panorea Avdis, GO-Biz Director and Chair of the California Competes Tax Credit Panel. “In just three years, hundreds of companies have made commitments to expand in the state and GO-Biz will continue to host informational workshops and work with our regional and local partners to ensure companies of all sizes know about and apply for these tax credits.”

GO-Biz Director Panorea Avdis convened the committee, which includes Treasurer John Chiang, director of the Department of Finance Michael Cohen, and Senate appointee Denise Zapata and Assembly appointee Madeleine Janis, at the California Department of Food and Agriculture auditorium in Sacramento.

“This tax credit was the decision-maker for our company to add manufacturing jobs here in California,” said John Barrett, Chief Financial Officer, ReAction Optics. “As a third generation Californian, I want these jobs to be here, but as an executive, I have to make business decisions. This credit ensures our long-term growth happens right here at home.”

In 2013, Governor Brown created the California Competes Tax Credit to focus on helping businesses grow and stay in California. Since 2014, GO-Biz has allocated $622.8 million to 865 companies projected to create 83,414 new jobs and make $15.7 billion in new investments.

“Our company set out to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions and invented the foldable electric vehicle,” said Peter Lee, CEO and Founder of Urban 626. “California is where the idea was founded, and because of the California Competes Tax Credit award, it’s where the URB-E will be manufactured.”

About California Competes
The California Competes tax credit is part of the Governor’s Economic Development Initiative (GEDI) which Governor Brown signed legislation to enact in 2013 (AB 93 and SB 90). GO-Biz evaluates the most competitive applications based on the factors required by statute, including total jobs created, total investment, average wage, economic impact, strategic importance and more. Companies are exempted from paying state income taxes in the amount awarded.

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit, www.business.ca.gov.

Contact Information
Address:
1325 J Street, Suite 1800
Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone: 1-877-345-4633
Email Us

Explore more articles by category:  GO-Biz News  |  CalOSBA News  |  Press Releases |  Opinion Editorials

GO-Biz Launches Cyber-Health IT Advisory Board with

USC Center for Body Computing

Board Will Make Recommendations to Support Innovation and Protect Patient Data

Sacramento, Calif. – Today the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced the formation of a new Cyber-Health Information Technology Advisory Board as part of an ongoing effort to support cybersecurity innovation and bolster advanced technology industries. The advisory board will be led by the University of Southern California (USC) Center for Body Computing and will include representatives from industry and education cybersecurity experts.

“California’s entrepreneurs and innovators are on the cutting edge of technologies that will redesign everything from how we commute, grow our crops and manage our health,” said Panorea Avdis, Director, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. “Cybersecurity is a critical core component of all of these growth industries, and we are partnering with education and industry experts to ensure data is secure and protected.”

The USC Center for Body Computing will lead the advisory board with its founder and executive director, Leslie Saxon, MD, serving as chair. The advisory board will work to help further identify, define and communicate the cyber risks versus benefits associated with health IT solutions.  The board will also identify existing collaborative processes that can help enhance the overall cybersecurity position for healthcare technology, before developing pilot projects to address gaps and test solutions.

“We’re honored to partner with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to spearhead the Health IT advisory board to assure we are defending patient information against hacking vulnerabilities and ensuring medical data is shared but safe while also adequately notifying the public about potential risks,” said Saxon.  

The Health IT advisory board includes the following leaders in technology and digital health: Chris Tyberg, division vice president, Medical Device Security at Abbott; Amy Tong, director and State chief information officer for the California Department of Technology (CDT); Darin Andersen, MBA, co-chair of the Economic Development Subcommittee for Cybersecurity Task Force of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services; Bill Britton, vice president of information technology and chief information officer, California Polytechnic State University; Wainwright Fishburn, Global Head, Digital Health, Cooley LLP;

John Mattison, MD, chief medical informatics officer at Kaiser Permanente, SCAL; and Andrew Thompson, chief executive officer of Proteus Digital Health.

The advisory board is scheduled to host two industry board meetings convening this fall and in spring 2018. The group will develop a white paper that outlines both immediate collaborative opportunities and a long-term strategy to bolster cybersecurity for health IT and mobile health.

“As a state with a worldwide reputation as technology leader, California is the ideal place to build this board to address key issues regarding the intersection of technology and healthcare,” added Saxon.

In addition to this advisory board, GO-Biz’s cyber-related activities include chairing the Economic Development Subcommittee of the California Cybersecurity Task Force, a statewide partnership comprised of key stakeholders, subject matter experts, and cybersecurity professionals from California’s public sector, private industry, academia, and law enforcement; administering the annual CyberCalifornia Innovation Challenge, a statewide cybersecurity competition for high school students; and co-managing CASCADE, an initiative to bolster California’s defense supply chain cybersecurity resilience, innovation capacity and diversification strategies along with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR).

About CyberCalifornia

The CyberCalifornia coalition was formed to reinforce California’s leadership position in cybersecurity as it relates to commerce and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.  The powerful combination of cybersecurity and the emergence of IoT makes California the perfect place to build secure next-generation technologies.  CyberCalifornia will contribute to the Golden State’s cybersecurity leadership by organizing public-private partnerships in cybersecurity, in order to facilitate research and innovation, educate California businesses about cybersecurity needs and resources, and connect California’s robust workforce development system with the needs of California employers.

About USC Center for Body Computing
The USC Center for Body Computing is the digital health innovation center for the Keck Medicine of USC medical enterprise. Collaborating with inventors, strategists, designers, investors and visionaries from health care, entertainment and technology, the USC CBC serves as a national leader on digital health and wearable technology. Founded in 2006 by Leslie Saxon, a trained USC cardiologist, the CBC was one of the nation’s first academically-based centers to focus on digital health solutions. Dr. Saxon, an internationally renowned digital health guru has spoken at TEDMED, SXSW,WIRED international

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit, www.business.ca.gov.

Contact Information
Address:
1325 J Street, Suite 1800
Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone: 1-877-345-4633
Email Us

Explore more articles by category:  GO-Biz News  |  CalOSBA News  |  Press Releases |  Opinion Editorials

San Francisco, CA – The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), in partnership with ProMexico, Mexico’s Trade and Commerce agency, will join The Mexican Entrepreneur Association and the Mexican Association of PE & VC Funds on a three day conference, October 18-20, promoting innovation exchange, trade, and investments between California and Mexico. The forum will focus on four main technologies: the Internet of Things, cloud computing, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

The event is another key step in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Governor Brown signed with Mexico to expand trade and investment in 2014. At the time, Governor Brown noted that the primary purpose of the MOU was to establish a formal and flexible framework between CA and Mexico to expand trade and investment cooperation, foster scientific and technological collaboration for business development in emerging sectors, strengthen communication, boost economic development and create jobs.

California businesses pursuing export opportunities to Mexico and identifying opportunities for investment in the four main technologies will connect with more than 150 Mexican officials, businesses and investors. The delegation from Mexico will meet with leading California technology companies.

The forum will be held on October 18^th at the Marriot Hotel, Union Square, San Francisco with visits to local technology companies on the 19^th and 20th. 

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit, www.business.ca.gov.

Contact Information
Address:
1325 J Street, Suite 1800
Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone: 1-877-345-4633
Email Us

Explore more articles by category:  GO-Biz News  |  CalOSBA News  |  Press Releases |  Opinion Editorials

Sacramento, CA, October 2, 2017– GO-Biz joins the 35,000 manufacturing firms and the 1 million manufacturing employees celebrating Manufacturing Day in America 2017. In its fifth year, Manufacturing Day in America invites students, entrepreneurs and business leaders and the public to get to know the manufacturers in their community.

In California, according to the National Association of Manufacturers, manufacturers account for 11.33 percent of the total output in the state, employing nearly 8 percent of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $278.58 billion in 2015. In addition, there were 1,284,100 manufacturing employees in California in 2016, with an average annual compensation of $96,711 in 2015.

Moreover, manufacturers help to drive California’s economy, with $142.39 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2016. This helps create jobs in the state, and 25.20 percent of its employment stemmed from exports in 2011. Small businesses comprised 96.0 percent of all exporters in California. 

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit, www.business.ca.gov.

Contact Information
Address:
1325 J Street, Suite 1800
Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone: 1-877-345-4633
Email Us

Explore more articles by category:  GO-Biz News  |  CalOSBA News  |  Press Releases |  Opinion Editorials