Economic Development Through Entrepreneurship
(FRESNO, Calif.) The Central Valley Business Incubator (CVBI) will celebrate the first anniversary of its Claude Laval Water & Energy Technology (WET) Incubator with an Innovation Showcase beginning at 7 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, at the Piccadilly Inn University in Fresno. Featured speaker will be Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) in Sacramento.
The purpose of the event will be to identify challenges and issues facing Californians regarding water and energy, as well as highlight the cutting-edge technology that world-class companies served by CVBI’s WET Incubator are developing. The showcase will commence with registration and trade show exhibits at 7 a.m., follow with breakfast at 8 a.m., and then the keynote address by Quinn. As executive director of ACWA, Quinn leads the largest water organization of its kind in the nation. With offices in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., ACWA is a statewide association whose 450 local public water agency members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. Quinn, who became ACWA executive director in July 2007, has more than 22 years of experience in California water issues. He has worked on several key policy initiatives, including the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan now under development to protect species and provide regulatory assurance to water users. He also participated in negotiation of the 2002 Sacramento Valley Water Management Agreement, the 2000 CALFED Record of Decision, the 1995 Monterey Agreement, the 1994 Bay-Delta Accord, and a number of water transfer agreements. Prior to joining ACWA, Quinn served as deputy general manager of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California and represented the district on numerous statewide issues since 1994. He joined MWD in 1985 as principal economist, and became deputy general manager in 1994. Before coming to MWD, Quinn was a project manager at the Rand Corporation, specializing in research on natural resources and environmental policy issues. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado in 1974 and his master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1976 and 1983. Tickets are $100 per person with tables of 10 available for $1,000, and may be obtained by calling the WET Incubator at 559-278-4540 or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it About the Central Valley Business Incubator The Central Valley Business Incubator is a public/private partnership fueled by community resources. CVBI helps startup companies launch successfully by creating an entrepreneurial community where people learn how to balance their passion and ideas with the structure of running a successful business. CVBI offers business development classes and houses five on-site members at each of its two facilities – the Launching Pad for mixed-use incubation and the Claude Laval Water and Energy Technology (WET) Incubator. Founded in 1996, CVBI is a nonprofit organization that fosters economic development through entrepreneurship and job creation. It has worked with more than 3,400 entrepreneurs who have obtained more than $14.5 million in capital and created 2,030 direct, verifiable new jobs for Central Californians. ###