Gilroy Chamber Business Focus

10 OCTOBER 12, 2018

GILROY DISPATCH GILROY CHAMBER BUSINESS FOCUS

OCTOBER 12, 2018 9

Elected Officials and Economic Development W

Footsteps Preschool, a ministry of The Foothills Church, celebrated their Grand Opening with a Gilroy Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, October 3. Celebrating with Footsteps Preschool were community members, church members and staff, Chamber Directors, members and staff. All present enjoyed a tour of the classrooms, an explanation of Footsteps Preschool programs, and barbecue with the kids enjoying the bounce house. Footsteps Preschool is currently enrolling students. For more information go to their website footstepspreschool.us or contact Rachel Ratliff at 408842-7269 or rachel.ratliff@thefoothillschurch.org.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Wednesday, October 17, 6:45 – 8:00 a.m. – Chamber Breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn. The breakfast is hosted by Heritage Bank. Mayor Roland Velasco and City Administrator Gabe Gonzalez will provide City updates and do a Q & A session. Saturday, October 20, 2:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Beer Crawl throughout downtown. 25 pour stations. For cost and more information go to downtowngilroy.com Saturday, October 27, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Hall of Fame Luncheon honoring this year’s inductees, Susan Valenta, Jack Sturla, Lawson Sakai and Al Gagliardi. Join us at Old City Hall Restaurant for the ceremony. Cost of lunch is $35. Register at gilroy.org or 408-842-6437. Wreaths Across America – Help honor the nearly 1,500 Veterans buried in South County by sponsoring a Christmas wreath to be placed at their gravesite on Saturday, December 15. Sponsor a wreath for $15 at gilroy.org or 408-842-6437

hile many voters in Gilroy will be very focused on national and statewide issues this election season, our local elections can have a greater impact on our daily lives. Our city policies and leadership will impact our local economy as much as the state and national leadership we elect in November. In terms of economic development, we should all be aware that local decisions and resources for economic development will play a large role in our quality of life. Decisions made by local elected officials impact the future of our community and without a vision and true leadership we will not reach our full potential as a community. Leadership is a critical factor in effective economic development and can come from many places within the community. Following is a list of things local elected officials should know about economic development in order to be effective leaders:

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Your local economic strengths and weaknesses

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Your community’s place in the broader regional economy

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Connections between economic development and other city policies

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Your regulatory environment

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Your local economic development partners and stakeholders

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The needs of your local business community

A strong understanding of the community will assist local elected officials in making critical decisions that impact our city and its residents. Elected officials should have an understanding of how our community fits into the broader region and how local policies impact our competiveness as a business location. A community’s regulatory process should allow for timely, reliable and transparent resolution of issues facing businesses. Gilroy has a number of assets to make us competitive as a business location, but unless the leadership of the city reflects the true economic goals and business friendly environment that companies seek, we will not realize full potential as a business location. For more information on economic development for Gilroy, please contact the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation at 408-847-7611 or email president@gilroyedc.org.

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