REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
February 4, 2016
FROM: BRUCE RUDD, City Manager
Office of the Mayor and City Manager
BY: LARRY WESTERLUND, Director of Economic Development
Economic Development Division
SUBJECT
Title
Approve an agreement in the amount of $75,000 between the City of Fresno and the Fresno Business Council, Inc., acting as fiscal agent for the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster Initiative, to develop and grow local manufacturing businesses utilizing cross-sector collaboration, enhance competitive economic development among local businesses, and attract new companies.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends Council approve an agreement with the Fresno Business Council (FBC), acting as the fiscal agent for the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster Initiative (Cluster), for $75,000 to assist with their efforts to develop and grow local manufacturing businesses utilizing cross sector collaboration, enhance competitive economic development among local businesses, and attract new companies.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The importance of diversification and strengthening the economy has been a high priority for the City of Fresno, economic and workforce organizations and citizens for many years. Changes in the global and national economy have made restoring and enhancing manufacturing an important focus of economic strategies nationwide. Fresno has tremendous potential to capitalize on this movement and is rapidly assembling the elements to achieve growth in our manufacturing sector.
Initiated by a handful of Fresno manufacturing companies, and rapidly adding more local manufacturing partners, the Cluster, which is a collective of Fresno-area manufacturers working together to advance the growth and diversification of this industry, has taken shape and is growing. Last year, the Cluster held two major events-a Town Hall Meeting on workforce and its first Advanced Manufacturing Summit, with over 400 attendees and many positive r...
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