Volume 07 | June 2020

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS & INVESTOR UPDATES

Have exciting business information you want us to share? Email Us Here!

Valley First Credit Union to Provide Loans to VOLT Institute Students Allowing More Locals to Improve Workforce Outcomes   VOLT Institute has partnered with Valley First Credit Union to make tuition affordable for prospective students. This allows students looking to improve their long-term wage outcomes to apply for funding with most payments deferrable until the program is complete at which time students can expect to start working in the maintenance field thanks to a job placement track record of over 90%.   Before the availability of the loan program some would-be students were deterred by the cost, which is low compared to similar programs of VOLT’s caliber but still represented a modest financial investment in one’s future. “We are very pleased that Valley First Credit Union stepped forward to offer loans to our VOLT Institute students,” said David White, Chief Executive Officer of Opportunity Stanislaus, the parent and governing organization to VOLT Institute, along with Stanislaus County Office of Education. “This partnership will make a big difference in our ability to make training available to those who want to enhance their career and find a great job in manufacturing.” Continue reading. Crystal Creamery Responds to COVID-19 With New Procedures, Safeguards As California’s oldest family-owned dairy, Crystal Creamery has been doing things right for over 100 years. So when COVID-19 started looming the company knew it would show the same commitment to safety and quality that customers and employees had come to expect. They started by doing their homework, reported Dawn Astorino, their Environmental Health and Safety Manager. “We read everything we could about COVID-19 including recommendations from health and risk management authorities and started implementing safeguards before it was mandatory,” said Astorino. “Every location of ours has safety protocol in place. Even those employees working off site have to comply. Applying the same high standards to everyone across the company keeps all of our workers and customers safe.” Some of the measures Crystal Creamery put in place include: wellness testing at all locations; employment of an additional daily janitorial service to provide extra sanitation; written policies for dealing with potential illness at any position; provision of sanitizer and disinfect for all stations and workers; installation of additional time cards to allow for social distancing; installation of plexiglass in shared work and rest areas; and additional space dedicated for break areas. Continue reading.

Opportunity Stanislaus Human Resources Team Helps With Seasonal, Year-Round Hiring Opportunity Stanislaus has continued to offer Human Resource and Workforce assistance through our HR Concierge program. We start by creating a timeline of milestones for both of our teams to work collaboratively with social media promotion, hiring events or application events for seasonal hires all being potentially included. Our expert social media team will blast out your workforce needs to our 25K+ followers on social media, educational and community-based partners. We create custom posts to various platforms where we track how much traffic is being directed to your careers page. We also partner with our robust research department to bring you data on wages, marketplace saturation and regional and state outlooks for your hard to fill positions, which ensures that you stay competitive even in tight markets.  Companies we have worked with in the past include Crystal Creamery, Sovena USA, Graham Packaging and Super Store Industries. There is no limitation on industry or the level of role you are looking to fill. Please reach out to Sharon Pohl at spohl@opportunitystanislaus.com or (209) 488-4525 if you would like more information about how we can support your organization. S2A Modular to Bring 270 Jobs to Stanislaus County, Revolutionize Modular Home Industry S2A Modular, a company focused on the sustainable building of homes, apartments and hotels, will add 270 direct and an additional 209 indirect workers to the local economy when it opens a new MegaFactory in Patterson this year. The 270 direct full-time jobs are in areas that include construction, sales, architecture and engineering. In an implan study conducted by Opportunity Stanislaus it was estimated that the initial economic impact of construction and operation of the site will generate over $85 million, with an annual ongoing impact of $63 million. Those figures capture everything from employee compensation to sales tax to retail sales generated by S2A employees. S2A was founded in 2018 in Palo Alto and has the distinction of being the first company to make electrically self-sustaining custom luxury homes. The Patterson MegaFactory is one of two being built in California with ultimate plans for 35 MegaFactories nationwide by 2023. For more information click here.

Women's Professional Networking Group to Host Virtual Event The Valley Sierra SBDC is continuing its "Women Who Mean Business" event series hosted by Emmy Award Winner & Valley Sierra SBDC Consultant Jessica Chang Irish. The theme of this quarter's meeting will be on "Resilience."  The event will be held via Zoom on Thursday June 25th, from 4-5:30pm. In addition to Chang, speakers include psychologist and speaker Gladys Ato and Gallo Center for the Arts CEO Lynn Dickerson. To register click here.

Stanislaus County's unemployment rate is 17%, up 8.6% from March to April. This jump is relatively small compared to other counties within California with experts chalking the stability up to the prevalence of “essential” industries in Stanislaus County. Agriculture; Food and Beverage Manufacturing; and Distribution and Logistics reign as the county’s biggest industries. At present California state unemployment stands at 15.5%

Opportunity Stanislaus is proud to welcome its newest investor Oportun. Oportun is a financial services provider focused on low-income borrowers. To learn more about Oportun click here. And as always but more than ever during these difficult times we appreciate the support of ALL our investors.

Opportunity Stanislaus Expands Services to Hispanic-Owned Businesses Opportunity Stanislaus believes strongly in the need to increase opportunities for entrepreneurship and economic prosperity within the Hispanic business community and has conducted a number of programs and activities in 2020 to further this effort.   Work has included development of a network of contacts in the Hispanic community throughout a variety of industries including many individuals in a position of influence; translation of key organizational materials into Spanish; and dissemination of information about business resources to local Hispanic-owned businesses. Additionally, Opportunity Stanislaus hosted the first ever local COVID resource websinar entirely in Spanish. To view the webinar click here.   Opportunity Stanislaus is now represented in the Central Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, on the advisory board of the South Modesto Partnership; in the Stanislaus County Latino Emergency Council; and on the Stanislaus County Underserved Outreach Taskforce. For more information or to become involved contact Aluriel Ceballos, Marketing and Special Projects Coordinator for Opportunity Stanislaus at aceballos@opportunitystanislaus.com or via phone at (209) 488-4528.

Opportunity Stanislaus, VOLT Institute Offer Premiere Management Training For Executives Opportunity Stanislaus, in partnership with VOLT Institute and Next Gear Consulting, is pleased to announce a new class of its Senior Leadership Series designed to teach important skills such as strategic planning, building a positive company culture, and leadership to top executives. Taught by Kristi Marsella, CEO of Next Gear Consulting , and former VP of Human Resources at G3 and E.&J. Gallo Winery, this series is a great opportunity to improve upskill employees.   In order to maintain the integrity of the coursework, the seven-part biweekly series requires commitment to attendance. Classes will be held August 20, September 3 and 17, October 1, 15 and 29 and November 12 in addition to a networking reception on November 19. The number of participants for this program is very limited and will be determined by a selection panel. Enrollment is not guaranteed, and preference may be given to participants from employers who create a local economic impact and add value to Stanislaus County or who have demonstrated support for economic development. Tuition is just $500. Applications are due July 27. To apply click here.

Get Compliant With Retirement Plan Laws Does your business have a retirement plan in place to keep you compliant with new laws? If not Opportunity Stanislaus and the Valley Sierra SBDC can help with expert guidance from CalSavers authority Michael Faircloth at a free webinar held June 30th. Sign up now by clicking here.