To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Economic Development Board
Staff Name and Phone Number: Sheba Person-Whitley - 707.565.7170
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Sonoma County Economic Development Board Foundation Annual Report for Fiscal Years 2018-2019 & 2019-2020
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Receive the Sonoma County Economic Development Board Foundation’s Annual Reports for Fiscal Years ending June 30, 2019 and June 30, 2020
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Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Economic Development Board Foundation (Foundation) is a non profit agency that was developed and designed solely to support the Economic Development Board’s mission and events, as approved by the Board of Supervisors. In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foundation and County, the Foundation presents its Annual Reports for the Fiscal Years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.
Discussion:
The Foundation began its first year of operations in Fiscal Year 2002-2003. In August 2002, it signed an Operational Memorandum of Understanding with the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors that formally defined the relationship between the Foundation and the Economic Development Board (EDB), an agency of the County of Sonoma. The Foundation has produced its annual reports for the Board's review for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2019 and June 30, 2020, as required by Article 10.1 of the Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Foundation.
The Foundation continues to provide support to the local community, the County, and the business and philanthropic communities. The Foundation received $497,381 in donations, grants, and event revenue for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 and $1,503,278 in Fiscal Year 2019-2020. This revenue was used to support workshops, conferences, special events, and quarterly and annual economic activity reports and forecasts. The Foundation continues to provide ways for local businesses to attend educational events and forums, and to actively engage in and gain a meaningful understanding of the Sonoma County economy.
In Fiscal Year 2018-2019, the Foundation supported four signature annual events, as well as funded several new events, workshops and initiatives. The following are a few highlights of the projects supported or funded by the Foundation in 2018-2019:
• The Creative Sonoma program produced a full slate of professional trainings and workshops, grant making programs, and special initiatives. These activities were fully or partially covered through grants and donations received by the Foundation, which funded program expenses as well as staff costs. Professional development topics focused generally on the business aspects of art and included workshops on financial management for artists, selling creative work and products, managing nonprofit organizations, and more. Over $99,000 in grants were disbursed to creative individuals, organizations, and businesses. In addition, a cohort of teaching artists received specialized training to address trauma of school-aged populations, and Creative Sonoma funded residencies with these artists to schools throughout the County.
• Manufacturing Day seeks to inspire the next generation of Sonoma County manufacturers by supporting direct industry engagement with students, creating hands-on learning opportunities, and promoting education and training pathways that lead to careers in manufacturing. The 2018 event was held on October 19th and featured on-site tours of local manufacturer sites, panel discussions and hands-on activities for students.
• In May 2019, the Outdoor Recreation Business Council hosted the first-ever In Your Backyard Outdoor Recreation event at Lynmar Estate. Bringing together outdoor recreation and hospitality sectors, the event provided a great opportunity for businesses to network, learn about new outdoor opportunities, and forge business partnerships. The keynote speaker was world-class climber and Sonoma County native Kevin Jorgeson who was recently featured in the documentary film The Dawn Wall. Prior to the event start, attendees participated in a complimentary Outdoor Adventure, including golf, kayaking, yoga, bike outing and guided garden tours, to showcase the breadth of outdoor offerings.
Economic Forecast Events
• The Fall Economic Forecast is an annual event of the Foundation's Research Initiatives Program developed for local businesses, governments, and organizations for detailed regional analysis of economic trends. Dr. Thornberg presented an informative talk about California and Sonoma County, including GDP, foreign trade, industrial production, consumer spending, labor market, local economic performance, tourism and more. The event was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park with over 500 people in attendance.
• The State of the County is an annual event sponsored by the Economic Development Board (EDB) to present the current and future challenges facing the county in terms of growth and development, especially post-2017 wildfires. It was an opportunity for the County of Sonoma to showcase recovery efforts and what to expect in the upcoming year as recovery efforts continue. Attendance included over 550 people at the 16th annual breakfast.
• Micah Weinberg, President of the Bay area Economic Council spoke at the 2019 Future of Work Spring Conference. His keynote address focused on his research and perspective on regional and national workforce trends impacting our community.
In Fiscal Year 2019-2020, the Foundation supported three signature annual events, as well as other events, workshops and initiatives. The following are a few highlights of the projects supported or funded by the Foundation in 2019-2020:
• The Creative Sonoma program held professional trainings, workshops and grant making programs. These activities were funded through grants received by the Foundation and included topics focused generally on the business aspects of art, financial management for artists, selling creative work and products, managing nonprofit organizations, and more. Over $68,000 in grants were disbursed to creative individuals, organizations, and businesses.
• The 2019 Manufacturing Day event was held on October 4th and featured tours at local manufacturing sites as well as a panel discussion featuring business leaders from Keysight Technologies, CamelBak, and Labcon. Its intent was to inspire the next generation of Sonoma County manufacturers by supporting direct industry engagement with students, creating hands-on learning opportunities, and promoting education and training pathways that lead to careers in manufacturing.
Economic Forecast Events
The Fall Economic Forecast was held at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park. It is an annual event of the Foundation's Research Initiatives Program developed for local businesses, governments, and organizations for detailed regional analysis of economic trends. Dr. Chris Thornberg gave an informative talk about California and Sonoma County, including GDP, foreign trade, industrial production, consumer spending, the labor market, local economic performance, tourism and more.
The State of the County is an annual event sponsored by the Economic Development Board (EDB) to present the current and future challenges facing the county in terms of growth and development. It was an opportunity for the County of Sonoma to highlight key opportunities, challenges and initiatives facing Sonoma County. Attendance included over 500 people at the 17th annual breakfast.
Prior Board Actions:
11/13/18 - Board received the Sonoma County Economic Development Board Foundation’s Annual Report for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2018.
Fiscal Summary
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There are no County costs associated with these reports. The Foundation finances the drafting of the reports and the legal counsel and CPA to review them. The attached reports provide a summary of FY 18-19 and 19-20 activities. During FY 2018-2019 the Foundation took in $500,719 in revenue and recorded $516,864 in expenses. For FY 2019-2020 the Foundation took in $1,517,548 in revenue and recorded $349,322 in expenses.
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
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Attachments:
FY 2018-2019 Annual Report for the Sonoma County Economic Development Board Foundation
FY 2019-2020 Annual Report for the Sonoma County Economic Development Board Foundation
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
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