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CEPCO to celebrate 25th anniversary in October

CEPCO will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on Thursday, October 29 at the Bell Memorial Union on the Chico State campus. The event will start at 5:15 pm with the traditional wine and olive oil tasting, followed up by our 25th anniversary celebration and Excellence in Business Awards. The Polynesian-themed night will feature awards presented in 13 categories, as well as the finals of the Venture Island entrepreneur contest. A no-host bar will be present, as will a silent auction, plus spectacular food options provided by Associated Students Catering.

Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased by calling CEPCO at 895-1202, by sending an e-mail to Bob Linscheid. Individual tickets start at $75. Please call or e-mail for more information.

Photos from the 2008 CEPCO Excellence in Business awards can be found by clicking here.

Talent Mobilization Approval

The CEPCO Talent Mobilization Strategy was finalized on June 4 at the CEPCO Board meeting. The final document can be found by clicking here . Questions can be e-mailed to bob@wemanage.org.

Hatamiya reveals Supercenter survey results to Chico Chamber of Commerce, CEPCO

"CHICO -- As the city prepares to talk about allowing Chico's Wal-Mart to expand into a supercenter, a former state commerce official said Tuesday that communities with supercenters have benefited by increases in tax revenue.

Lon Hatamiya, who served as the state's Technology Trade and Commerce Department top official from 1999 to 2003, came to that conclusion after studying California-gathered retail sales tax data.

Hatamiya indicated the higher retail sales tax revenue was linked to additional shoppers coming to a community or increases in sales at other businesses."

To read the rest of Laura Urseny's article that appeared in the Chico Enterprise-Record, click here

There is plenty more information available about how Wal-Mart Supercenters affect communities, and you can find five links listed below:

Wal-Mart plans to add more solar (May 2007)

An Analysis of Taxable Retail Sales and Retail Business Permits in California Cities with Supercenters (December 2008)

New Research Reveals Strong Local Economic Benefit of Walmart Supercenters (December 3, 2008)

Findings of Supercenter Survey

Survey finds Wal-Mart Supercenters Key to Economic Development (December 11, 2006)

Keep up with Enloe's Century Project

Big things are happening at Enloe Medical Center's Esplanade campus and the organization has a Web site devoted to keeping the public up to date with the planned expansion. The Century Project consists of a five-story patient tower; a single-story surgery center and emergency center; a parking structure and a park.

Enloe has multiple pages designed to keep the public up to date with the progress of the Century Project, plus slideshows on the Enloe site. Links include: Construction progress (click here ), frequently asked questions (click here) and neighborhood updates (click here).

Stay tuned to cepco.com and enloe.org to keep up with this exciting expansion for Chico's major healthcare provider.

What is Chico Economic Planning Corporation (CEPCO)?

CEPCO is a privately funded organization incorporated July 1, 1985, and is comprised of local business people working together to ensure Chico’s economic strength and vitality.

CEPCO’s Mission and Goals

The primary goal of CEPCO is to create new jobs and new wealth for the Chico community by aiding in the retention and expansion of existing businesses, providing local residents employment, and attracting new businesses to the area.

We believe that economic development is one of our most important community services, and a crucial function that provides the kind of boost that keeps our economy strong and allows us to maintain a high quality of life.

CEPCO works with other visionary business and community leaders, including the City of Chico, Greater Chico Chamber of Commerce, Butte Community College, CSU, Chico, Tri-County Economic Development Corporation, and Butte County Economic Development Corporation, to accomplish these goals.

See the mission statements for some of our programs and task forces, listed below:

Come Home to Chico

MISSION:

To capitalize on the affinity that Chico State Alumni have for the campus and to provide jobs, opportunities to return to Chico for visits, investment and business start-up opportunities.

The Chico Economic Development Corp. (CEPCO) is spearheading the "Come Home to Chico" effort. Perhaps some of those alumni might be in a position to bring a company back to Chico, providing jobs for other citizens here. That theory is behind a new economic development campaign for Chico that is looking to capture talented individuals interested in living somewhere they love.

Finding talented employees is a "major issue" for businesses. Employers have communicated to CEPCO they need employees to do specific kinds of jobs. They're not always finding those employees readily.

To read more about the program, click here.

Testimonial Form

CEPCO's Talent Mobilization Committee

MISSION :

Working to train and retain the emerging workforce.

COMMUNITY VISION :

Chico is a vibrant community surrounded by natural beauty that is characterized by welcome neighborhoods and a sense of individual belonging that embraces the heritage and natural beauty of the region and values its sense of place with developing partnerships of citizens, business and educational communities striving for economic prosperity of its people that encourages active public involvement.

GOALS:

The goals of the task force are to improve workforce preparation by strengthening the partnerships between industry and education, public agencies and community-based organizations and advocating for the following initiatives, which can be viewed by clicking here.

CEPCO's Job Creation Committee 2008 - 2010

MISSION :

The mission of the Chico Economic Planning Corporation (CEPCO) is to provide advocacy on public policy issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in the Chico region.

CEPCO’s primary functions are:

• Advocacy on Public Policy Issues
• Leadership for Countywide Prosperity
• Education and Networking Opportunities for all CEPCO Members

CEPCO educates its members and the public through thoughtful development of positions on public policy issues that affect the economy and quality of life in Butte County. CEPCO will rely heavily on its appointed Task Forces to identify issues and then develop sound positions for the Board of Directors to consider for official advocacy.

For more information on CEPCO's task forces click here.

Thank you Members for your continued support!

CEPCO would like to thank the following organizations for renewing their memberships:

Grancell, Lebovitz, Stander, Reubens & Thomas

Renewable Energy in Butte County

With its numerous Renewable Energy systems, including the world's largest private hydrogen fuel cell system, as well as the nation's fifth-largest solar array, Butte County produces more watts of renewable energy per capita than any other county in the nation. View the Renewable Energy brochure, produced by CEPCO, BCEDC, and the County of Butte to learn more.

Renewable Energy PDF file