2023-09-11_item_4.4_economic_development_related_memberships_and_sponsorships

ITEM 4.4

CITY MANAGER' S REPORT
SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING
ITEM: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATED MEMBERSHIPS

AND SPONSORSHIPS
RECOMMENDATION: Approve a Resolution Authorizing City Participation in Membership Organizations and Sponsorship
Opportunities that Promote and Enhance the City of
Lathrop' s Economic Development Goals
SUMMARY:

The City of Lathrop' s Economic Development Division promotes the City' s attributes for opportunities that will enhance the overall well- being and quality of life of the community and its residents. The Division strives to create, support, and facilitate policies and programs that will enhance the economic environment for the attraction, expansion, and retention of businesses and industries that will improve the local tax base, create and retain jobs, and promote opportunities that facilitate economic g rowth.

The City of Lathrop' s economic development programs include marketing, networking, relationship building, and community involvement to help build a sustainable economy that supports job creation, business attraction, business retention, education and vocational programs that build an educated and skilled workforce, as well as an ecosystem of resources to encourage innovation and support small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The Economic Development Administrator is seeking City Council consideration and approval to participate in select member organizations and to provide City sponsorship of events and opportunities that promote and enhance the City of Lathrop' s economic development goals. Funding is available within the Economic Development Division' s budget to support these requests, which totals $ 9, 000 for each fiscal year.

BACKGROUND:

The Economic Development Administrator was hired in February 2019 to carry out economic development activities, including participation and representation of the City on various boards, committees, and commissions that promote economic development goals beneficial to the city, local businesses, and residents.

Outside of professional and targeted trade organizations, staff is engaged as a member or board member with the San Joaquin Partnership, iHub San ) oaquin, Manteca Chamber of Commerce, and TeamCalifornia, which are all not- for- profit CITY MANAGER' S REPORT- SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATED MEMBERSHIPS AND SPONSORSHIPS PAG E 2
organizations. Each of these organizations hold various events and activities, where sponsorship opportunities are available, to promote economic development activities as a State and/ or San Joaquin County region. Economic Development Division funding for membership dues and sponsorship opportunities are included in the Biennial Budget for FY 2023/ 24 and 2024/ 25 approved by City Council on June 14, 2023. The purpose of this staff report is to provide transparency and to obtain approval as to how these funds may be used as it relates to economic development memberships and sponsorships for the benefit of the community.

San Joaquin Partnership ( Partnership) is a private, not- for- profit regional economic development corporation that serves all of San Joaquin County and its seven incorporated cities. The Partnership markets the region for business attraction of industrial and large office projects for the purpose of creating jobs and enhancing the quality of life in our communities. The City of Lathrop has participated as a member of the Partnership since 1992. A partial list of businesses assisted by the Partnership' s efforts and who have successfully located and/ or expanded in Lathrop include: Tesla, Boise Cascade, Home Depot, DCG Fulfillment, Simwon America Corp., Pratt Industries, TEC Equipment, In- N- Out Burger, Pflug Packaging, Diamond Pet, AAFES.

At this time, the Partnership does not have any scheduled events requesting sponsorship opportunities, however, staff requests $ 1, 000 per fiscal year as discretionary funds to support potential events held by this organization and approved by the City Manager.
iHub San 7oaquin ( iHubSJ) is one of 15 state designated innovation hubs statewide. iHubSJ operates as a 501c3 non- profit organization. The mission of iHubSJ is to stimulate new innovations and foster a diverse entrepreneurial ecosystem in the San Joaquin County region.
iHubSJ board members include representatives from each municipality, economic and workforce development, healthcare, education and post- secondary education, industry, and entrepreneur and incubator service providers. In 2021, iHubS) established an Advisory Council to represent a diverse coalition of technical service providers, workforce development groups, green economy advocates, business associations, and small business development centers, to create an inclusive and comprehensive strategy to spark innovation by leveraging the full capacity of our community assets. iHubSJ harnesses these assets to stimulate partnerships, economic development, and job creation by providing an innovation platform for emerging entrepreneurs and business owners to grow their businesses and ideas.

At the September 13, 2021 City Council meeting, iHubSJ representatives presented Innovation in the Valley: an update on iHub San Joaquin" and requested a letter of support for a State of California iHub II designation and grant funding opportunity.

This type of local support leveraged iHubSJ' s ability to successfully receive the iHubII designation and a $ 250, 000 grant award.

CITY MANAGER' S REPORT- SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATED MEMBERSHIPS AND SPONSORSHIPS PAGE 3
iHubSJ holds signature events annually and adapts new programs as their resource network grows.

H20 Hackathon promotes teamwork and coding skills among students from middle school age, high schools, colleges and universities to solve specific issues in a one- day competition. Past Hackathons have totaled up to 200 students in the competitions, including teams from River Islands Academy and Lathrop High. The 7th Annual H20 Hackathon scheduled for November 4, 2023 will continue to be promoted to all Lathrop schools to encourage student participation.
iHub San Joaquin' s Annual Meeting and Innovation Summit is scheduled for September 28, 2023. This half day event will be promoted to Lathrop residents, small businesses, and home occupational start- ups for participation.

See Attachment A - iHub San Joaquin Annual Meeting and Innovation Summit)
Staff is requesting a $ 2, 500 annual contribution to provide local support toward iHubS] efforts, and $ 1, 000 for each fiscal year to sponsor the iHub San ) oaquin' s Annual Meeting and Innovation Summit and the Annual H20 Hackathons.

Manteca Chamber of Commerce' s is a not- for- profit organization whose Board of Directors in 2021, approved its expansion to serve businesses in Manteca, Lathrop and surrounding communities. The Lathrop Chamber of Commerce has been nonexistent since 2019, and our small businesses have struggled to contact a chamber to hold ribbon cuttings and provide networking opportunities to market their businesses. In 2021, the Manteca Chamber held a Real Estate, Innovation, Development, and Entertainment ( RIDE) Tour and invited the City of Lathrop' s Economic Development Administrator to participate as a presenter. RIDE Tour participants included real estate brokers, developers, businesses leaders, and residents. The tour featured residential, commercial, and industrial development and opportunities in Lathrop and Manteca with special stops at the Great Wolf Lodge, the Lathrop Generation Center, and the Tesla Megafactory. Another RIDE Tour featuring Manteca and Lathrop is in the planning process to be held Spring 2024.

The RIDE Tour is at no cost to the City of Lathrop other than staff time for coordination and presentation. The cost of inembership for Lathrop to belong to the Manteca Chamber of Commerce is $ 1, 500 annually.

TeamCalifornia is a not- for- profit statewide economic development organization that promotes California for the purpose of business attraction.

Members include municipalities, economic development organizations, utility companies, brokers and other agencies interested in the promotion of California.

Members have the opportunity to participate in various trade industry events focused on attraction of retail and industrial industries.

CITY MANAGER' S REPORT— SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATED MEMBERSHIPS AND SPONSORSHIPS PAG E 4
Participation may include exhibiting in the TeamCalifornia Booth or sponsoring a networking event hosted by TeamCalifornia such as at ICSC - a retail focused industry membership organization, and IAMC - an industrial corporate real estate focused membership organization.

TeamCalifornia also holds an annual signature event called Meet the Consultants, where site selectors, consultants and brokers from around the nation present to and engage with TeamCalifornia members. In 2021, the San Joaquin Partnership hosted the Meet the Consultants conference held at Great Wolf Lodge and provide a bus tour of San Joaquin County to the participants. Lathrop' s Economic Development Administrator served on the host committee, provided a tour of Lathrop, and River Islands was a featured presenter at the opening dinner that was held at the Boathouse. Participating with TeamCalifornia in these marketing opportunities allows the City of Lathrop to leverage marketing dollars to engage in more activities that otherwise may be too costly for an individual city to join.

For all conferences, tradeshows, programs, activities, sponsorship opportunities afforded to the City of Lathrop through the TeamCalifornia membership, out- of-state travel and participation are brought to City Council for approval. Staff is requesting 3000 of funding discretion under City Manager approval to sponsor opportunities presented by TeamCalifornia that are held within the State of California such as Meet the Consultants, and receptions at the ICSC conferences held annually in Monterey and San Diego. ( See Attachment B - TeamCalifornia Sponsorship Opportunities at ICSC San Diego)
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the resolution to authorize City participation in membership organizations and sponsorship opportunities that promote and enhance the City of Lathrop' s Economic Development Goals.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION: The purpose of this staff report is to provide transparency and to obtain approval as to how these funds may be used as it relates to economic development memberships and sponsorships for the benefit of the community.

FISCAL IMPACT: The Economic Development Division budget, as approved in the City of Lathrop' s Biennial Budget for FY 2023/ 24 and 2024/ 25, supports funding for the proposed memberships and sponsorship opportunities outlines within this report.

ATTACH M ENTS:

Attachment A - Resolution Authorizing City Participation in Membership Organizations and Sponsorship Opportunities that Promote and Enhance the City' s Economic Development Goals
Attachment B - iHub San Joaquin' s Annual Meeting and Innovation Summit Flyer Attachment C - TeamCalifornia Sponsorship Opportunities at ICSC San Diego CITY MANAGER' S REPORT- SEPTEMBER 11, 2023

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATED MEMBERSHIPS AND SPONSORSHIPS PAG E 5
APPROVALS:
g'- 31- 23
Shelley Burcham Date
Economi lopment Administrator
a
Cari Jame Date
Director of Finance
r
Salvador Navarrete Date
City Attorney
R• - 23
Step J. Salvatore Date
City Manager
RESOLUTION NO. 23-

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LATHROP TO

AUTHORIZE CITY PARTICIPATION IN MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS AND

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES THAT PROMOTE AND ENHANCE THE CITY

OF LATHROP' S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOALS
WHEREAS, City Council approved funding for a full- time Economic Development Administrator position to carry out economic development activities on behalf of the City; and
WHEREAS, staff has identified membership organizations and sponsorship opportunities that promote and support Lathrop' s economic development efforts to enhance the economic environment; and
WHEREAS, transparency of how City funds are used for economic development memberships and sponsorships for the benefit of the community; and WHEREAS, funding identified for proposed memberships and City sponsorships have been included in the approved biennial budget for FY 2023/ 24 and 2024/ 25.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Lathrop, authorizes City participation in membership organizations and sponsorship opportunities that promote and enhance the City of Lathrop' s Economic Development Goals up to the amount approved by Council for this purpose in each biennial budget.

The foregoing resolution was passed and adopted this 11th day of September 2023, by the following vote of the City Council, to wit:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSTAIN:

ABSENT:

SONNY DHALIWAL, MAYOR
ATTEST: APPRO D AS TO FORM:

Teresa Vargas, City Clerk Salvador Navarrete, City Attorney Resolution No. 23- Page 1 of 1
ATTACHMENT " B" ' • • • • •
1 the speaker lineup
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ANATALIO UBALDE
Founder& CEO
SizeUp
1 1

JEFF WINGFIELD
Deputy Port Director,
Regulatory& Public Affairs
Port of Stockton

HASAN ALI
Founder
Air Tutors
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SOPHIA ZHENG
Founder& CEO
Bludot 7echnologies Inc.

SHARI TAVAF
coo
Monetery Bay DART

Lathrop City CouncilSeptember 11, 2023

Lathrop City Council
September 11, 2023