Advisory Board: Economic Development Committee
Subject: RECEIVE Report From and/or Provide Direction to Staff Regarding County Economic Development Work Program
Presenter: County Staff
Contact: Alyson Greenlee, Economic Development Manager, 925-655-2783
Information:
Since the last meeting of the Economic Development Committee on August 7, 2025, various elements of the economic development work program have proceeded. This report includes updates on multiple efforts.
Referral History and Update:
- On October 28, 2025, a Countywide Economic Development meeting was held with a specific focus on Preparation for the TeamCalifornia Site Selector’s Economic Development Forum. Welcome, coffee, and pastries were provided by the City of Pleasant Hill, and after a round of introductions, there was round-robin information sharing and updates with a discussion that focused on preparations for the TeamCalifornia Site Selection and Economic Development Forum on the Northern Waterfront of Contra Costa County. Staff reported that this was a one-time meeting due to the unique nature of hosting the conference and will return to hosting the regular countywide economic development meeting in 2026.
- On November 5-7, 2025, the TeamCalifornia Site Selection and Economic Development Forum was held at the Concord Hilton with Contra Costa County as the host county, and over 150 developers, brokers, site selection consultants, workforce partners, and other providers in attendance. Prior to the start of the conference, East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA) partnered with TeamCalifornia and Contra Costa County and the Cities of Antioch, Brentwood, Concord, Oakley, and Pittsburg to conduct a bus tour that included stops at the various points in the cities and the Byron Airport, and at which Chair Supervisor Diane Burgis spoke along with Director of Airports Greg Baer, and CEO Andrew Clare and Founder David Merrill of Elroy Air. Supervisor Candace Andersen as Chair of East Bay EDA participated at various stops on the bus tour. District IV Supervisor Ken Carlson opened the conference with welcome remarks on November 6, 2025, and introduced a video with several CEOs from around the County-including Austin Sharp of Headlands Brewing Company with locations in District II and Keith Miao of Birdstop with testing at Byron Airport in District III. Several partner organizations were sponsors of the event, including the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County, Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council, Brookfield Residential, MCE, City of Concord, Skylinks at Buchanan Fields, Visit Concord, and East Bay EDA. Additional partners on the bus tour included: the Crockett Chamber of Commerce, the Crockett Historical Museum, and Lucia’s Craft Sandwich (District V).
- The site selection consultants topics included a focus on industrial land: long term planning and acquisition best practices (Newmark); location decisions, shifting inventory and tariffs (Stream Realty Partners); Mythbusters Site Selection Edition - California vs. the Rest (Hickey and Associates); From Broad to Focused; how Leading Organizations Turn Analytics Into Influence (Capital Rivers); Economic Outlook (Beacon Economics); and Roundtables with Each Consultant Participating in Roundtable Discussions for Open Dialogue and Questions with Attendees to Answer More Specific Questions about Site Selection. A special dinner for sponsors that was invitation-only with transportation provided allowed more time with site selection consultants while other attendees enjoyed an evening tasting event.
- Additional topics on November 7 included Economic Development, Land Use and Tools (Kosmont Companies); Retail; What to Watch, Who to Chase in Times of Uncertainty (Gallelli Real Estate).
- Staff have worked with Contra Costa Television (CCTV) to finalize videos for the Economic Development website (<https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/4805/Economic-Development>):
o Video of TeamCalifornia Site Selectors’ Northern Waterfront Bus Tour
o Business Leaders Welcome TeamCalifornia Site Selectors’ Conference
- Staff are continuing to follow up on the various business attraction and site selection leads that the forum afforded.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
RECEIVE Report From and/or Provide Direction to Staff Regarding County Economic Development Work Program.