We have, in the White House and in the Administration, a good feeling about Fresno’s future. This is a city that’s smartly working to reposition itself in the State. If you’re a business wanting to expand or start-up, hey, think Fresno.”
–Mark Zuckerman, White House Deputy Director
A new chapter in story of Fresno’s economic turnaround
You’re often heard Mayor Swearengin talk about Fresno as a Comeback City. For more than 10 years, business, community, non-profit and public sector leaders have been working and planning for a different future for our city. Those leaders have been helping to write Fresno’s comeback story by doing the heavy lifting necessary to revive our economy and turn around our inner city and downtown.
Those efforts received a significant boost on Monday when the Obama Administration announced that Fresno has been selected as one of only six cities nationwide to participate in an initiative to encourage economic growth and community development.
Under the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative, federal agencies will provide experienced staff to live in Fresno and work directly with Mayor Swearengin’s office, the private sector and other institutions to leverage federal dollars and support the work being done at the local level to encourage economic growth and community development.
Five federal agencies – the Economic Development Administration and the departments of Environmental Protection, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and Agriculture – each will commit a full-time staff member to our efforts while several others will add part-time team members.
The team will be working with us in areas identified as vital to the city’s economic strategies, including expanding and attracting industrial businesses, developing transportation infrastructure, supporting downtown and neighborhood revitalization, and improving adult education programs.
We’ve worked hard to get Fresno on the national radar screen, and we’ve finally made some progress on this front.
More information on the initiative is available in a news release on the City’s website.
White House news release on the initiative
Kirk Nagamine, CEO of CVBI had the opportunity to say a few words about the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in this effort.
