Economic Development and Unemployment

By Jerry L Duncan

Fresno's ability to participate in California's new and vibrant economy will only come when we work together and make our economic transformation an urgent priority. My business experience will help to guide us through this journey.

Our stagnant economy and our unemployment rate have created a situation of the utmost importance and urgency. The impact on our families is often devastating. I have had several people tell me that their grown children have ended up leaving Fresno when they didn't want too in order to secure a decent job.     

It is unfortunate that now it has become the taxpayers job to also provide the second attempt at giving the basic education to the many citizens that our schools have failed to properly prepare. This is called basic skills training and is a major challenge for us to accomplish. Getting companies to relocate to or expand in Fresno does us no good if the available labor pool cannot even fill out an application or get to work on time.

There is no I in TEAM. It is critical that we bring and keep together the groups in that are working so hard to fix the issue of economic development and implement the changes in our government that are necessary for success. There have been many good ideas presented on how our city government can change but somehow there never seems to be any willingness to implement them. It's time for that to end. Our unemployment is not just a problem for the City of Fresno, but also for Clovis and the entire County. The only way in which we will solve this is for all of us to work together. Together we are powerful, separated we are weak. We must all work together as ONE team.Accountability     

Any program currently receiving city funds targeted at training and economic development will be held accountable for results. This is not complicated. Programs will have clearly defined goals that you and I can easily understand and if the results are not there, the program improves, goes away or is replaced. Period.

The roll of our city government is not to get in the way of economic development, but to get out of the way to help make it happen. While many very positive changes have occurred in the internal operations of the city, Fresno still has a general reputation with many for being an anti-business city. The reasons as to how we got this way are many and certainly the attitude and behavior of the City Council has contributed to this. What is important is that we must change it. To do so will take effort, trust and commitment. While it may seem obvious to say that a healthy economy helps us all, this message seems to get lost in the reality that is known as working with the politics of the City of Fresno.

Good News! Companies are interested in Fresno! Recently, I have had the opportunity to meet with some of the heads of several very large high tech corporations and well as heads of major venture capital firms. When I talk to them about how Fresno should be a place to locate their business, they see our current availability of labor and our low housing and building cost as a significant asset and selling point.

One thing they tell me we do lack is the basic business infrastructure to attract new business. Getting new businesses interested in coming to Fresno does no good if the basic services are not in place. We must get additional industrial parks ready so that we are able to respond quickly to the needs of an interested business as well as finished getting the city properly wired with high-speed Internet access so we as a city can compete in a high tech world. 

Stories like the GAP relocating in Fresno are wonderful. The reality is that we need to have a GAP story every month, not once every 4 years. The good news is we can do it.

We must not forget who got us here. Fresno has a wealth of existing successful businesses that conduct business worldwide. All to often they are forgotten when it comes to economic revitalization. They have made a significant investment in Fresno and provide the thousands of private sector jobs that make up our workforce. Our city's commitment to existing business must be strong and they must become our first priority. They have made a commitment to Fresno and it our City's duty to help them grow. A new job that is added by an existing company who needs to expand is still a new job. We can ill afford to have our base of companies' relocate to another area. Fresno, The Entrepreneurial Capital of America?

Fresno's greatest resource is its people. Fresno has a grand tradition of being a place where opportunity exists if one is willing to work hard. Most of success of Fresno's leading citizens was the result of this wonderful spirit of entrepreneurialism in an environment that encouraged it. Today they employ thousands of Fresnan's and because of their generosity our city enjoys many the quality of life benefits that it does.

There is no shortage of people with the energy, drive and enthusiasm to create another wave of successful entrepreneurs. We have a tremendously successful resource in the Central Valley Entrepreneurial Center now being run by Fresno State. Besides the existing programs such as the Business Incubator, where start-up and young companies are helped through their infancy, and the Out Sources Data Bank, they are engaged in the Entrepreneurial Resource Center (ERC). The ERC is a program that is helping low capital entrepreneurs evaluate and start a new small businesses. These services will include feasibility help and help in starting a home based business. It is the place where a person who has a good idea, a lot of passion but not a lot of money can go. This program needs to be aggressively supported by our city. 

With the ever-increasing influence of government in our daily lives, it has become more complex and much more difficult to start even a very small business. The barriers placed in the way of starting a new business by government are significant. 

While it is the reality that many of these new businesses may not grow into monster firms, some will. But even a better reality is that with such little cost we can help thousands of Fresno citizens become self-sufficient and begin the process of achieving the American dream of accumulating wealth. It will also help establish our city as a true business friendly environment. Fresno can become the entrepreneurial capital of America.