April Economic Development News
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From Our Executive Director
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Let’s build on what works.
On Friday, April 19, AEDC was proud to host the Humboldt Economic Development Summit with support from terrific strategic partners like the Humboldt County Office of Economic Development, the City of Eureka, RREDC and College of the Redwoods. Representatives from Tribes, cities, unincorporated areas and special projects all came together to share the new and exciting things happening throughout the county, addressing specific issues such as health care, cannabis, arts and culture, the harbor and transportation.
We know some of you couldn’t make the event, and so we decided to use this newsletter as a recap, which links a an even more comprehensive "State of the Economy" booklet. If you have ideas for next year’s summit, please let us know. Let’s keep building our economy for us- and beyond.
~Ross
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2
nd
Annual Economic Development Summit
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AEDC recently hosted another success Economic Development Summit at College of the Redwoods. The event featured highlights of economic development activities from throughout Humboldt, and break out industry sessions focused on
Cannabis,
Harbor Development, Arts/ Culture and transportation.
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Humboldt County is full of economic possibilities. The Humboldt County Economic Development Summit is an example of the commitment the leadership has to invigorate and inspire innovation and entrepreneurism in the County.
College of the Redwoods was proud to host the Humboldt County Economic Development Summit. Our mission is to partner with the community to contribute to the economic vitality and lifelong learning needs of its service area. One way we do this is by fostering public/ private sector collaboration.
Dr. Keith Flamer, President/Superintendent College of the Redwoods
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Unincorporated Communities
Representatives discussed projects and developments in their communities
Presenters:
Scott Adair, Director of Humboldt County Office of Economic Development
Jenny Early, Executive Director, Garberville Chamber of Commerce
Cyndi Bainbridge, McKinleyville Chamber of Commerce
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State of the Economy
Below find excerpts of
articles
submitted by agencies regarding their efforts to build our local economy.
Read Full Versions of submissions
HERE
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Humboldt County
By Scott Adair, Humboldt County Economic Development Director
In December 2018 the County’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) received Federal approval and will serve as the County of Humboldt’s strategic framework for fostering economic vibrancy over the next five years.
Successful implementation of the CEDS will depend on the on-going collaboration of key stakeholders focused on common economic goals and includes strategies to strengthen “Targets of Opportunity” Industry Clusters as well as supporting the Arts & Culture, Alternative Agriculture (cannabis), workforce development and more.
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McKinleyville
Submitted by Cyndi Bainbridge, Executive Director, McKinleyville Chamber of Commerce
The McKinleyville Chamber is 267 members strong and serves a diverse business sector that covers a wide array of products and services offered within the community. The chamber hosted a State of McKinleyville forum in January and continues to offer a workshop series that cover topics that benefit member businesses and the community.
The chamber recently held a ground breaking ceremony for The Center in McKinleyville, which will house an integrated services project that includes McKinleyville Family Resource Center, Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services, Open Door Community Health Centers, Child Support Services, Trinidad Rancheria Tribal Social Services, and Humboldt State Department Social Work. The completed facility will make it easier for residents in northern Humboldt to access services.
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Garberville/Southern Humboldt
Submitted by Jenny Early, Executive Director Garberville Chamber of Commerce
To help address economic development challenges and support the business community, the Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce has established a quarterly cleanup campaign and is bringing together a beautification committee to identify and support key projects to beautify the area. The chamber hosts quarterly mixers throughout Southern Humboldt, has established a solid working relationship with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and is implementing a Business Watch Program.
To counter challenges brought on by legalization, the Chamber is also working to spotlight the positive impacts of the cannabis industry and support the industry sector with marketing and more.
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Larger Cities
Community Develop Directors presented
information
regarding
economic development in their cities.
Presenters:
David Loya, Community Development Director, City of Arcata
Rob Holmlund, Development Services Director, City of Eureka
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State of the Economy
Below find excerpts of
articles
submitted by agencies regarding their efforts to build our local economy.
Read Full Versions of submissions
HERE
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Arcata
Submitted by David Loya, Community Development Director
The City of Arcata is primed for an economic upturn with major industry sectors, including housing, niche manufacturing, and business and professional services, experiencing unprecedented growth in the past year.
The City issued a record 133 new housing permits in 2018 and 52 commercial construction permits for new or improvement to commercial space. Licenses issued for cannabis sales, manufacture, distribution or other activity are up 65% over last year while the city continues to grow and retain other business sectors. The City has four large housing developments and several use permits for various business activities currently under planning review.
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The City of Eureka
Submitted by Lane Millar, Deputy Development Services Director
The City of Eureka is experiencing mixed economic signals, but remains optimistic about the future. The most promising area of economic growth in the City is attributed to the legalization of cannabis. Over 100 licenses have been approved, mainly for manufacturing or distribution., which has lead to investments in building improvements and plans for future construction. In addition, the city is anticipating new businesses like Old Navy, In-N-Out Burger and more.
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Local Tribes
Local tribal representatives presented an
overview
of exciting economic
development
projects happening in their communities.
Presenters:
Wendell Freeman, Treasurer Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria
Jana Ganion, Sustainability and Government Affairs Director, Blue Lake Rancheria
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State of the Economy
Below find excerpts of
articles
submitted by agencies regarding their efforts to build our local economy.
Read Full Versions of submissions
HERE
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Wiyot Tribe
Submitted by Yolanda Latham, MBA, Tribal Administrator
The Wiyot Tribe are the aboriginal people of Humboldt Bay, Mad River, and lower Eel River. The land base includes two reservations: the Table Bluff Reservation and the Old Table Bluff Reservation. Both reservations are located 16 miles from southwest of Eureka, California. The Table Bluff Reservation is 88 acres with an estimated population of about 600 tribal members. Currently, the Wiyot Tribe is the process of planning for economic development, seeking grants to facilitate a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). Due to restrictions, such as ruralness of Table Bluff, economic development activities are being reviewed throughout the Wiyot ancestral territory, thoroughly and beyond Humboldt County.
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Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria
Submitted by Wendell Freeman, Tribal Council Treasurer
The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria continues to serve a prominent role in the economy of the Eel River Valley and Humboldt County, currently employing more than 400 in our government and enterprise operations, putting over $20 million into the local economy. Bear River is also proud to source from local suppliers, contractors, and service providers to further build our economy and benefit us all.
Bear River owns and operates Bear River Casino Resort, Tobacco Traders, Pump N Play gas station, Recreation Center and, opening May 2019, the Bear River Family Entertainment Center. The Rancheria has a public library, Little Bears Learning Center and day care, and a Youth Development Center opening soon. They are working with United Indian Health to bring a health clinic to the reservation, and with HSU and the Department of Energy to make Bear River energy independent.
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Blue Lake Rancheria
Submitted by Jana Ganion
The Blue Lake Rancheria (BLR) is developing several economic enterprises to foster community resilience innovation. Currently in design, the Toma Resilience Campus creates a state-of-the-art facility for regional capacity building. Toma plans include a business incubator, makerspaces, training/event venue, commercial kitchen, and retail store, estimated to open in 2021. The Hula Community Park will be a multi-purpose outdoor space anchored by a synthetic turf field.
BLR is also developing several ‘economy-enabling’ initiatives, building a new Tribal Administration and Justice Center, expanding its electrical, implementing several education and workforce training programs and more.
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Health Care
Panelists offered information about projects designed to grow medical workforce and improve access to medical care in our community.
Presenters:
Jack Allen, St. Joseph MA Residency Program Coordinator
Connie Stewart, HSU Nursing Program
Susi Huschle, HCOE Healthcare Pathways
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State of the Economy
Below find an excerpt from an article submitted regarding the new residency program.
Read Full Versions of submissions
HERE
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Family Medical Residency Recruits Doctors
Submitted by Jack Allen, MA Program Coordinator
A brand new residency program welcomes its first class of 6 residents in July, 2019. St. Joseph Hospital of Eureka Family Medicine Residency program is a partnership between St. Joseph Hospital and Open Door Community Health Centers, and has been in development since 2015.The goal of our program is to recruit and retain compassionate, qualified family physicians to Humboldt County and will have 18 residents year round by 2021. Residents will see their own “continuity” patients at Open Door, practice hospital medicine at St. Joseph and be exposed to a variety of specialty practices through St. Joseph Health Medical Group and other community partners.
Anticipated impacts include more timely and effective patient care patients as well as providing local physicians with increased support from their primary care colleagues, lessening the burden on overworked physicians. For more information about our program, please visit our website:
https://www.stjoehumboldt.org/family-medicine-residency-program/about/
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Harbor
In this session, panelists discussed economic development happening around the harbor and looked at two large projects, Nordic Aquafarms and an Off-Shore Windfarm, both currently exploring development in the county.
Presenters:
Larry Oetker, Humboldt Bay Harbor District
Lynette Mullen, Local Liaison Nordic Aquafarms
Matthew Marshall, Off Shore Wind, Redwood Coast Energy Authority
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Off Shore Wind in Humboldt?
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority, with support from several private companies, is one step closer to developing the first offshore wind farm on the West Coast, according to its executive director Matthew Marshall.
The authority, along with Principle Power, Aker Solutions, and EDP Renewables, recently submitted a lease application to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. According to Marshall, if approved the lease would give the authority and its partners “site control” over an ocean area of approximately 70 square miles, meaning they have exclusive project rights to that area. This doesn’t mean the project will span 70 square miles, Marshall said, instead it defines the boundaries of where Redwood Coast could put the project.
The proposed wind farm would consist of 10 to 15 wind turbines, capable of producing 100-150 megawatts, according to Marshall. That’s enough energy for about 70,000 households,” Marshall said. “Offshore wind is the largest untapped resource we have.”
Marshall estimates a project of this caliber could cost around $500 million.
“If everything goes smoothly and in an efficient fashion, we’re hopefully looking at being operational by 2024,” he said.
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Nordic Aquafarms Eyes Humboldt Bay Location
Submitted by Lynette Mullen, Local Liaison for Nordic Aquafarms
In February of 2019, Nordic Aquafarms announced plans to build a land-based fish farm on the Samoa Peninsula. Nordic is a trailblazer in the land-based fish farming industry and is developing sustainable fish farming practices that will deliver super fresh high-quality seafood to regional markets with a focus on low environmental impact and sustainability in every facet of the business.
Benefits of land-based fish farming include:
- The ability to recycle and treat water on site to reduce overall water consumption;
- Recycling of waste resources and nutrients;
- The prevention of sea lice and parasites;
- The elimination of fish escape into the sea and co-mingling with wild species;
- The application of renewable energy concepts;
- A shorter distance to market for a high quality, fresh product, reducing the carbon footprint of air and land transport;
- Consistent quality and traceability all year round
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Cannabis
In this session, panelists discussed the cannabis industry from their perspective- covering projects, challenges and opportunities to create a more vibrant industry.
Presenters:
Jon O’Connor, Manufacturing - Papa & Barkley
Hannah Whyte, Farming - Emerald Queen Farms
Laura Lasseter, Cannatourism - Elevate the Magic
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Elevate the Magic with Cannatourism
Submitted by Laura Lasseter, Director of Operations ,Southern Humboldt Business & Visitors Bureau
The Southern Humboldt Business and Visitors Bureau was founded as a destination marketing organization that includes the cannabis industry. The SHBVB's primary goal is to accelerate sustainable economic growth through tourism marketing and destination development inclusive of the cannabis industry and to provide business leadership and effective coordination for the Southern Humboldt community. The SHBVB advocates to restore and retain the natural environment, art, culture and history of Southern Humboldt. Working in conjunction with the Humboldt Lodging Alliance- South the SHBVB created the Elevate the Magic campaign- Visit Southern Humboldt -America's Cannabis Heartland. In the 10 months since the launch, Elevatethemagic.com website has seen over 1.3 million impressions.
In May, the SHBVB will work with key partners to launch the first of the Meet the Farmer Dinner series, which will feature local celebrity farmers sharing authentic stories as cannabis farmers and top notch hospitality.
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Arts and Culture
In this session, panelists discussed organized efforts that focused on Arts & Culture as an economic driver, including a new festival and a service for artists to help them sell outside of Humboldt County.
Presenters:
Christina Swingdler, Humboldt Artisans Group
Jenna Catsos, Eureka Street Art Festival
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Public Art Transforms: The Eureka Street Art Festival
Submitted by
Jenna Catsos, Coordinator, Eureka Street Arts Festival
Planning is underway for the second annual Eureka Street Art Festival, which will focus on Downtown Eureka and the 6th and 7th street corridors – and include about 20 murals. The festival’s goals include creating employment opportunities for artists, bring attention to Eureka’s Arts + Culture District, bolstering the economy through increased tourism, and use murals to improve blighted areas and reduce crime.
Last year’s inaugural festival featured 24 artists who created 23 pieces in Old Town. The event drew about 3,000 visitors throughout the week, and over 5,000 people for the Block Party, boosting initial and follow up sales in the area. The festival also accomplished its mission of creating intentional, accessible art that enlivens public spaces, stimulates community revitalization, and attracts visitors to Eureka.
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Artisan Group Reaches Beyond the Redwood Curtain
Submitted by Christina Anastasia, Founder Humboldt Artisans Group
Humboldt Artisans Group, founded by Christina Swingdler of Christina Anastasia Jewelry, and her partner, Jim Christensen, is a Wholesale Representation group dedicated to helping Humboldt based artists market and sell their work beyond the Redwood Curtain.
The Humboldt Artisans Group uses a team of vetted, dedicated, and trained road reps, a website for wholesale buyers, printed catalog, and a wholesale showroom in Los Angeles to help artists get exposure and earn money from sales outside the region.
For more information contact
jim@ humboldtartisansgroup.com
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Transportation
In this session, panelists discussed getting in, out and around Humboldt, focusing on the airport and road projects.
Presenters:
Gregg Foster, Fly Humboldt
Marcella Clem , Director Humboldt County Association of Governments
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Air Service
In 2003, RREDC helped the Humboldt County Aviation Division and the Redding Airport secure funding to start service to LAX.
After the success of this effort, RREDC continued to take a leading role in supporting and developing new air service.
RREDC continues to help Humboldt County with airport business recruitment and development and we sponsor
Fly Humboldt!
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Smaller Cities
Representatives offered highlights of economic activities happening in their communities
Presenters:
Susan Ornelas, Economic Development Planner, Blue Lake
Patrick O’Rourke, City Council, Ferndale
Debra Garnes, Mayor, Rio Dell
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State of the Economy
Below find excerpts of
articles
submitted by agencies regarding their efforts to build our local economy.
Read Full Versions of their submissions
HERE
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City of Fortuna
Submitted by Liz Shorey, Deputy Community Development Director
Fortuna has a number of economic development activities in process including the McLean Foundation’s community complex adjacent to Newburg Park. The finished complex will include the Multi-generational Center, Senior Center, and Reaching for Independence. The site will expand the City’s soccer fields, and include restored wetlands ponds and over a mile of public trails and is expected to serve as an economic asset that will attract visitors and show potential businesses what the City has to offer.
The city has also been awarded funding to acquire and preserve 7 acres of riverfront open space to be developed into a public park adjacent to the Riverlodge. Additionally, the City recently amended its Riverwalk District zoning to expand allowable retail activities, to increase tourist retail opportunities such as art and boutique shops.
Economic development opportunities and priorities include revisiting the City’s cannabis prohibition, adopting Airbnb regulations, promoting better opportunities in the Main Street commercial area through
facade
improvements, and more.
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Rio Dell
Submitted by Kyle Knopp, City Manager
The City of Rio Dell’s plans for economic growth continue to center around the cannabis industry. The town now hosts some of the only purpose built cannabis construction developments on the north coast and the Business Park (specially zoned for cannabis) has over 200,000 square feet of new cannabis facilities approved for development through the city and construction is underway on 33,000 square feet of value added processing space.
The City is also focused on housing. DANCO Communities is developing a 26 unit supportive housing project in town and the City issued 97 Building Permits. The city also approved 235 Business Licenses in 2018, many of which were issued to home based businesses.
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City of Blue Lake
Submitted by Susan Ornelas, Economic Development Planner
Blue Lake economic development is on the upswing as the City is deeply involved in promoting business development and creating a climate of efficiency and success for local entrepreneurs. The City’s new Opportunity Zone will promote mixed use development in the former business park and will leverage residential development to promote craft industry and retail opportunities and investment.
The City is taking a creative approach to incubating small business by pre-permitting food truck locations, constructing a rentable commercial kitchen and conducting a highest and best use analysis to identify future investment. The City is leading the effort to define the town as “The Gateway to the Mad River.” Working with local recreation enthusiasts and our partner communities, the City is improving access to the Mad River and is excited to be the starting point of the new Annie and Mary Trail.
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SBA 504 Current Rate:
4.53%
- Low down payment for borrowers
- Competitive fixed interest rate
- Long Term loan
- From $50,000 to $5 million for commercial real estate, construction and equipment acquisition.
Many commercial loans available on the market require a sizeable percentage down before the loan will be granted, and this can be an obstacle for many business owners looking to improve their facilities. The SBA 504 Loan offers a solution for that -- you can borrow up to 90% of your financing needs at a fixed rate, so only a minimum of 10% down is required.
The remainder is split between the SBA loan (40%) and a bank loan (50%), and the Arcata Economic Development Corporation will work with your bank to submit your loan application. Loan amounts range from $50,000 to $5 million, and some restrictions apply.
For more information, call Kelli Sterling, Loan Manager: 707-798-6132 ext. 212 or email kellis@aedc1.org.
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Arcata Economic Development Corporation
Fax: (707) 798-6130
Tel: (707) 798-6132
707 K Street, Eureka, CA 95501
Newsletter produced by
Lynette Mullen, Projects Delivered
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