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Calendar
SEPTEMBER
1ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE- DARK
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*Register on website, in person & Zoom 11:30 A.M
3AMBASSADOR & WELCOME TEAM MEETING
*In person & Zoom 8:00 A.M.
6LABOR DAY- OFFICE CLOSED
9MEMBERS MIX & MINGLE
Wardens - 4104 Technology Dr., Modesto 4:30PM-7PM
16 STANISLAUS GREEN TEAM The Climate Restoration Circle (CRC) Laura Stokes *Register on website, in person & Zoom 12:00 P.M.
16 TECH CONNECT
*Register on website 2:00 P.M.
17 GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COUNCIL Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow (Dist. 3) *Register on website, in person & Zoom 11:30 AM
22 RISING PROFESSIONALS
*Register on website, in person & Zoom 12:00 PM
23 MEMBERS MIX & MINGLE Gold Star Referral Clubs 1209 Shady Grove Lane Modesto,CA 4:30PM-7PM
*See website for more detail. Find Zoom Registry links and more at www.modchamber.org Please note that calendar events and details are subject to change.
**The Modesto Chamber of Commerce is located at 1114 J St., Modesto 16 STANISLAUS GREEN TEAM The Climate Restoration Circle (CRC) Laura Stokes *Register via Zoom 12:00 P.M.
OCTOBER
1AMBASSADOR & WELCOME TEAM MEETING
*In person & Zoom 8:00 A.M.
6ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Todd Aaronson, CEO, Modesto Convention Visitors Bureau (VisitModesto) Cecil Russell, Graffiti USA Classic Car Museum *Register on website, in person & Zoom 11:30 A.M
8MEMBERS MIX & MINGLE
TBD
15 GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COUNCIL Rosa Escutia- Braaton Modesto City Councilmember (Dist1) David Wright Modesto City Councilmember (Dist. 6) *Register on website, in person & Zoom 11:30A.M.
21 STANISLAUS GREEN TEAM
21 TECH CONNECT *Register on website 2:00 P.M.
21 MEMBERS MIX & MINGLE Valley Builders Exchange joint mixer with CVHCC 1118 Kansas Ave, Modesto, CA 95351 5:30pm-7:00pm
27 RISING PROFESSIONALS
*Register on website, in person & Zoom 12:00 PM
**The Modesto Chamber of Commerce is located at 1114 J St., Modesto 21 STANISLAUS GREEN TEAM Anthony Presto San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District *Register on website, in person & Zoom 12:00 P.M.
By Phillip Lan, President of Bay Valley Tech
The Central Valley and Silicon Valley are close, yet they are a world apart. Despite its proximity, Modesto and the surrounding cities have largely been locked out of Silicon Valley’s ‘techonomic’ miracle. That is about to change, however. A perfect storm combining Modesto’s fast-growing tech hub, the worsening nationwide tech talent shortage and Covid-driven work-from-home policies is about to create new exciting opportunities for local businesses if we play our cards right.
It is no secret that technology-based professions such as software development are some of the highest paid in the country. According to studies by the Bay Area Council, Opportunity Stanislaus and others, just 1,000 new tech jobs would deliver $150 million in direct salaries and expand the local economy by $700 million annually. During their 30-year careers, those tech workers would deliver an additional $21 billion (with a ‘b’) in new revenue to Modesto businesses. Tech workers earning $150,000 a year will have significantly more disposable income available for local businesses versus current workers in Modesto who make $30,000 annually.
Convincing high-paying tech employers to move into nontech regions is easier said than done, however. Many have tried, but only a small handful of cities across the country have succeeded in creating large, impactful tech clusters. Despite our best efforts, Modesto hasn’t had much luck attracting tech employers either—until very recently. The United States graduates 80,000 computer science majors annually, but according to federal employment data, there are currently a million Phillip Lan unfilled information technology jobs in this country. Nowhere is the tech talent supply-demand imbalance more pronounced than the San Francisco Bay Area where venture investors continue to crank out billion-dollar startups hiring software developers by the thousands. This is creating a huge opportunity for Modesto to quickly attract tech companies to the region, IF we can scale up our tech training programs fast enough. Establishing job-creating tech ecosystems is a bit of a zero-sum game, unfortunately, so Modesto does not have a long window to expand our tech workforce before another city reaches critical mass with aggressive workforce training programs. Winning cities keep all the marbles.
Not only do losing cities fail to attract tech employers, they also lose their own top tech talent to employers in winning cities, exacerbating the economic pain through systematic brain drain. UC Berkeley economist and best-selling author Enrico Moretti gives the example of Menlo Park and Visalia, two cities that were nearly identical in every economic and community health metric a few decades ago. Today, Menlo Park located in the heart of Silicon Valley is one of the healthiest, wealthiest cities in the country, whereas Visalia sits at the bottom of every socio-economic, educational and health indicator.
About Bay Valley Tech
Bay Valley Tech is an innovative free code academy and coding boot camp, training students in modern programming skills and connecting them with prospective employers. Bay Valley Tech also supports the broader tech community by sponsoring hackathons, software meetups, Women Techmakers, high school tech events and the Valley Agtech Summit. www.bayvalleytech.com
Modesto already has a fast-growing tech community, and Bay Valley Tech is on pace to train 1,000 new software developers in the next few years. Employers like Oportun and Tyler Technologies, two Nasdaq-traded tech companies, have taken notice. Both have set up offices in Modesto and hired local software talent. Many more tech companies, such as Build.com and WebEnertia, have also begun to dip their toes in the city’s tech talent waters with plans to expand. This is a good time for Modesto businesses to help grow local tech talent, attract tech employers as well as new clients by supporting the area’s tech initiatives such as Women Techmakers, Tech Connect, Hackathons or K-12 coding programs. Successfully working together now will positively impact our community for decades to come.
