San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
Website: http://www.sandiegobusiness.org/
 In addition to providing regional marketing and direct services
to growing companies, the focal points for the San Diego Regional
Economic Development Corporation are competitiveness and quality
of life issues. The collaborative recently received high honors from
the U.S. Department of Commerce, as the winner of the 2003 Excellence
in Economic Development Award for enhancing regional competitiveness.
Region Served: San Diego County and the cities of Carlsbad, Chula
Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial
Beach, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Oceanside, Poway, San
Diego, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach and Vista.
Population: There are 2,862,819 people in San Diego County, 1,255,700
in City of San Diego. San Diego is the seventh largest city in the
U.S.
Size of Region: 4,261 square miles
Strategic Partners: San Diego Regional EDC is a private, nonprofit
corporation funded by the City of San Diego, County of San Diego,
San Diego Unified Port District, City of Chula Vista, other cities
in the region, along with more than 200 private sector companies.
Established: 1965
Overview
In addition to its core services of regional marketing and economic
development, the San Diego Regional EDC is practicing a new model
of economic development by tackling barriers to quality economic
growth at the root. Through proactive consultation with business
leaders, the collaborative is aware that if the region cannot
provide good schools, manageable commutes, reasonably priced housing,
and an overall inviting quality of life, companies will look elsewhere
to invest.
EDC conducts primary research, such as Where the Tech Workforce
Lives, which documented the distance between the residence and workplace
of the region's technology workforce. The study determined areas
of the County benefiting from the growth of the tech industry and
will help inform future development. The San Diego Book of Facts,
compiled by the collaborative, details significant statistical information
about San Diego in a web-based resource that can be utilized by the
public. EDC also publishes a Public Policy Agenda, outlining the
organization's positions and strategies
around issues, legislation and/or government action, that impact
the San Diego region's ability to grow and prosper.
Some major ongoing projects of the EDC include:
- Workforce/Education Initiative: Creates stakeholder partnerships
to mobilize business and community involvement, to support regional
education and training
- systems ensuring the development of a highly skilled workforce
- Transportation Initiative: Stakeholders support efforts
to increase regional mobility on streets, highways, and mass transit
and increase the passenger and air cargo capacity of the region
- Housing and Land Use Initiative: Stakeholders support projects
and policies that increase the supply of affordable housing
for families earning the region's median wage, as well as projects
and policies that maximize the efficient use of land for
employment, housing needs and open space, and to enhance air and
water quality
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