Vallejo
Economic Development: Chamber of Commerce
Vallejo is a dynamic community located in southern Solano County within the Bay Area . A strategic location, mid-way between San Francisco and Sacramento, at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the San Francisco Bay, and at the entrance to the Napa Wine Country, has shaped Vallejo's history and contributed to its present status as a "gateway" city . Vallejo's location is further enhanced by its transportation infrastructure, offering freeway and ferry access to regional centers of employment and recreational attractions .
Goal EET-1: Strong, Stable, and Diverse Economy: Cultivate a strong, stable, and diverse local economy.
- The first step Vallejo can take is to support its existing and promising industry clusters such as manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, tourism, and higher education. Arts and entertainment is also a driver for revitalization of the downtown.
- The second step is to market Vallejo as an affordable place for business, emphasizing the advantages it offers in terms of location, infrastructure, and workforce, and as a fun place to shop, dine, and visit.
- To grow its economy, the City will need to support economic development initiatives with quality public services, stable municipal budgets, and smart public infrastructure investments. The final step is to track progress in generating economic vitality through performance metrics and robust data and information systems.
Goal EET-2: Good Jobs, Education, and Training: Promote workforce development to build the local economy.
-Providing good jobs for Vallejoans requires making sure that there a wide variety of jobs available and that community members have the education and skills needed to get those jobs. Similarly, to attract new businesses, Vallejo must offer a workforce that possesses the skills employers need. Promoting the workforce and building the local economy requires diversifying the economy and preparing Vallejo’s youth for employment after graduation from high school or college.
- Vallejo’s history has taught that a viable economy depends on a diverse range of industries that offer jobs that can truly support families and individuals. With the transportation and other infrastructure resources that exist in the city, a wide range of businesses can thrive in Vallejo.
-Providing local, meaningful jobs, especially for people already in Vallejo, can offer multiple benefits to the community, from investment in public safety and schools, to a lesser need for driving and therefore lower pollution levels. A variety of organizations are actively working on providing professional education and vocational training for Vallejoans, with whom the City can partner
Goal EET-3: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Successful Local Businesses: Foster innovation and entrepreneurship.
-There are many ways that Vallejo can support its existing businesses and make them stronger and prosper. Vallejo can set the stage for innovation and entrepreneurship by partnering with local, regional, State and federal agencies and organizations like the Small Business Development Center at Solano Community College, the Vallejo Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Vallejo Chamber of Commerce to promote existing and new local businesses.
- Vallejo can also leverage support for revitalization and redevelopment of the Downtown/Waterfront District and retail corridors with new mixed use development and encourage and support Vallejoans who wish to start and run small businesses from their homes or in shared work environments
- New public private partnerships, such as in the municipal fiber optic network, can attract, retain, and give businesses a competitive edge with high capacity telecommunications infrastructure.
- The Downtown/Waterfront District can continue to play a major role in attracting investment to Vallejo. Its success can spread along the city’s corridors to provide a variety of live/work/play environments
- Providing safe, attractive, and comfortable corridors, which serve as neighborhood shopping streets, can help support local innovation and investment in Vallejo
Goal EET-4: Sustainable Economic Development: Pursue economic development that enhances equitable local wealth growth, improves quality of life, and respects the natural environment.
-Economic development and prosperity does not have to come at the cost of compromising the environment. Vallejo can benefit from California’s and Silicon Valley’s path-breaking environmental and energy initiatives by targeting and attracting businesses developing new technologies and products to save energy and lower humanity’s impact on the environment.
- This is one way of thinking about sustainable economic development, but there is another meaning too: the benefits that come from greater economic prosperity should be shared by all Vallejoans, sustaining and improving the lives of families and individuals who today reside and work in Vallejo.
-An economically successful business community is one that shares its lessons and some of its assets with the community as a whole. The City and partner agencies can facilitate this sharing through both educational and funding-assistance programs.
