San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation

Investors, community partners, and friends: Thank you for celebrating San Diego with us at last week's 2024 Annual Dinner! ☀️🎉 San Diego’s continued collaboration toward regional prosperity and global competitiveness would not be possible without you—and our celebration of San Diego's progress would not be possible without our sponsors and partners: Thank you to our underwriter, Point Loma Nazarene University—your continued support and partnership makes this event and our work possible. Thank you to Congressman Scott Peters, Mayor Todd Gloria, and Bob Brower for welcoming our guests, and to Jennie Brooks for her inspiring words and for continuing to serve as EDC's Board Chair. We were honored to recognize our 2024 #SDlifechanging awardees for their work toward an #inclusiveSD: 🏆 Solar Turbines, which has been HQ'd in San Diego for nearly 100 years and employs nearly 5,000 regional employees to design and manufacture industrial turbines—presented by San Diego State University and UC San Diego. 🏆 Retired VADM Jim Zortman, who served as EDC's Board Chair and helped EDC establish inclusive growth as a regional economic imperative—presented by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). A very special thank you to our name badge sponsor Meyers Nave, program sponsor Paul Plevin Quarles, and beverage sponsor University of San Diego. And thank you to our dinner sponsors Aya Healthcare, Burnham Center for Community Advancement, Carrier Johnson + Culture, Gafcon PM-CM LLC, Illumina, Kaiser Permanente, NOVO Brazil Brewing Co., San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, Scripps Health, SDG&E, Sharp HealthCare, Snake Oil Cocktail Company, Snell & Wilmer, and U.S. Bank. Here's to another year of collaboration, innovation, and inclusion—we hope you'll join us again in 2025! ✨ 📸: Mallory Kessel Photography

Good news, San Diego: 🔬 Eli Lilly and Company acquires Radionetics Oncology for $1B 💰 Element Biosciences secures more than $277M in Series D funding 🍻 Athletic Brewing Co. raises more than $50M in equity financing More in #GNOTW, sponsored by Manpower San Diego ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gdaFH5Jc

Summer always marks exciting and impactful moments for San Diego’s community and economy: An estimated 800K travelers for Independence Day, Comic-Con International's $160 million in local economic impact, and San Diego Pride's 50th annual celebration. ☀️ And throughout the year, EDC's President and CEO Mark Cafferty writes, our economic development dialogue, agenda, and goals must recognize and remember the impact that small and LGBTQ-owned businesses have on our economy and see the stimulus effect that events like San Diego Pride and others have on our community. This summer, we invite you to continue to lean into #inclusiveSD with us—here's how ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gZTYCWiD

Congratulations to MiraCosta College Superintendent and President Dr. Sunita "Sunny" Cooke, EDC board member and Economic Development Committee co-chair, on her election as president of the board of directors for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). 🎉 She will be the first Indian-born person (Desi) to lead the board in the 104-year history of AACC, which is the primary advocacy organization for more than 1,000 associate degree-granting institutions nationwide. As MiraCosta College celebrates 90 years of service to the San Diego region, Cooke’s election underscores MiraCosta’s ongoing commitment to leadership, advocacy, and innovation in higher education. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gVKaAgSG

NEW: EDC’s Talent Initiatives team analyzed the region’s talent pipeline for entry-level business roles, leveraging insights from 126 companies in San Diego County employing 24,000. What we learned: 1️⃣ Lack of sufficient training or education is the primary reason for hiring difficulties for entry-level business positions, employers said. 2️⃣ Employers predict the highest job growth will be in purchasing and buying roles over the next 24 months. 3️⃣ The most challenging positions to fill include supply chain and logistics, finance, and project management roles, all of which reported high turnover rates. Read more in our 2024 Talent Demand Report on Business, which serves as an industry guide for education providers on the skills students need to access quality, in-demand jobs in the region ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gFvFT5c4

Good news, San Diego: ⚡ General Atomics develops tool to support fusion experiments 🔬 Bright Peak Therapeutics raises $90M Series C 🚀 Parabilis Space Technologies, Inc. supports Space Force, NASA More in #GNOTW, sponsored by Manpower San Diego ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gmWnJaKd

Good news, San Diego: 🤝 County of San Diego partners with Junior Achievement of San Diego County on youth workforce development program ✈️ The City of San Diego breaks ground on Brown Field Municipal Airport in Otay Mesa 💰 Carlsbad-based Allez Health secures $60M Series A More in #GNOTW, sponsored by Manpower San Diego ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gKM_eNAm

Where is San Diego's economy relative to the rest of the U.S.? In Q1 2024, our Research Bureau reports: 1️⃣ San Diego home prices continued to reach new historical heights. 2️⃣ Life Sciences led VC investments. 3️⃣ Office vacancy grew as landlords lost tenants and new office spaces opened. 💬 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gCGXn5SV #sandiego #economy #realestate

We're home from our #SDinSJ trip, where hearing stories of employer engagement, inclusion efforts, and meaningful public-private partnerships with such a special and committed group of San Diego leaders and friends was almost magical. "But it isn’t magic that that will move the needle," EDC's President & CEO Mark Cafferty writes. "It is hard, focused, intentional, and purposeful work. It requires an unwavering commitment to the belief that inclusion is a true economic imperative." And it requires the support of thoughtful committed citizens, like you, who together can help our region meet our 2030 goals: 50K quality jobs in small business, 20K annual post secondary completions, and 75K newly thriving households. Hear about our time in San Jose, with thanks to sponsor Southwest Airlines for making this trip possible, and how you too can join the #inclusiveSD movement ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gKjfG4Ch

We're home from our #SDinSJ trip, where hearing stories of employer engagement, inclusion efforts, and meaningful public-private partnerships with such a special and committed group of San Diego leaders and friends was almost magical. "But it isn’t magic that that will move the needle," EDC's President & CEO Mark Cafferty writes. "It is hard, focused, intentional, and purposeful work. It requires an unwavering commitment to the belief that inclusion is a true economic imperative." And it requires the support of thoughtful committed citizens, like you, who together can help our region meet our 2030 goals: 50K quality jobs in small business, 20K annual post secondary completions, and 75K newly thriving households. Hear about our time in San Jose, with thanks to sponsor Southwest Airlines for making this trip possible, and how you too can join the #inclusiveSD movement ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gKjfG4Ch