The Newsletter
August 2011
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CED and CSU, Chico
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Contact Us: (530) 520-3897 cedcal@csuchico.edu |
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| Greetings! |
It's the start of another school year, and in this issue of our newsletter we take a little "peek behind the curtain" at the Center and look at some of the work being done by our Student Researchers. There's a first person account by Nick Billeci of the real-world experience he gained working directly with businesses here in Northern California. With the announcement of our 2012 County Economic and Demographic Profile series, our researchers have already started scouring various on-line sources to collect and package the data that goes into our County Profile Series. These valuable county data profiles are in need of sponsors so think about stepping up to the plate, sponsor a county, and use the Profile as part of your marketing and promotional material --- your customers (and prospective customers) will love you for it! With the release of the California redistricting maps, Warren Jensen can now create customized economic and demographic data projects and analyses based on the various Congressional, State Senate, and Assembly districts. And, finally, August has been a very busy month for our Broadband Project Manager, Cathy Emerson, as she (working with CENIC) wrapped up two proposals to the California Public Utilities Commission for funds to start the formal infrastructure planning efforts that will bring high speed Internet service to rural and remote areas of Northern California. Dan Ripke Director Don Krysakowski Assistant Director |
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2012 County Economic and Demographic Profile Series Announcement
| | The Center for Economic Development has begun production of the 2012 County Economic and Demographic Profile Series. This year, with electronic document technology, the profiles will be even easier to use with clickable navigation and easily copied tables and charts that can be pasted into any document. We're adding a lot of new Census 2010 and American Community Survey data now available for this year. Still, we can only produce a profile with a sponsorship, so now is the time to get your county on board. A sponsored profile is only $4,900, which is a great deal considering it would cost about $12,000 to have a comparable county profile produced as a stand-alone document. Please visit our sponsorship webpage or call us at (530) 898-4598 for more information and to find out how to get on board! |
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| Map(s) of the Month | |
Click on the maps below to see full-size
The Center for Economic Development has access to all the new state redistricting maps. We can prepare Census profiles for all 40 Senate Districts, 80 Assembly Districts, or 53 Congressional Districts. Call us at (530) 898-4598 and let us know how we can help with your community and neighborhood economic and social data needs.
 
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Real Life Experience Gained Through my Internship Experience by Nick Billeci
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As a Research Assistant at the Center for Economic Development (CED) I work closely with small businesses to help them develop their ideas and become better performing businesses. Some of the services that I personally have performed include researching a business' competition, identifying markets and areas for potential expansion, and helping substantiate people's business plans. These services have been provided for clients through the CED's Business and Industry Assistance Program to businesses from many different regions of Northern California, from South Lake Tahoe to Sacramento to Shasta Lake.
My favorite project so far has been helping a client develop a recreational facility. While our strict client confidentiality guidelines prevent me from mentioning the business or the owner, I can still describe what I did in the general terms. The client had an idea that turned out not to have been done before in the region and was new to the state as a whole. To begin the project, I analyzed what few competitors he had and identified what his price points could be when he opened for business. I then used demographic information to compare his potential market to the markets of his closest competitors so that he had an idea of his potential revenue relative to others in the industry. This was followed by the creation of a trade area map which estimated how far his potential customers would drive to visit his facility. This project exposed me to many different ways to estimate market size and all the work that goes into creating a new business.
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Broadband Update
| The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) in conjunction with the Center for Economic Development (CED) at CSU, Chico submitted two proposals this month to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for regional consortia broadband planning funds. The first proposal, for the Northeastern California Connect Consortium (NECCC), includes the seven counties of Butte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou and Tehama. The second proposal, for the Upstate California Connect Consortium (UCCC) includes the four counties of Colusa, Glenn, Lake and Sonoma. Included with these proposals were letters of support and consortia membership pledges from over 70 different entities: county and city governments, non-profits, community-based organizations, and Internet service providers.
Winning proposals for each consortium may be awarded up to $150,000 per year over a 3-year period from the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF). We anticipate the notification of awards from the CASF staff by the end of October, 2011.
In conjunction with efforts from three other consortia groups totaling 23 counties, we will create a comprehensive Northern California Broadband Plan. This plan will provide a blue print for the design and deployment of improved and/or new broadband infrastructure to provide greater capacity and connectivity to the more rural and remote areas of the North state.
Upon confirmation of formal acceptance from the CPUC, CED will post both proposals and all corresponding appendices on its Web site that can be found by using the following links: NECCC and UCCC, Stay tuned for updates, or contact Cathy Emerson, Broadband Project manager, for more information at cmemerson@csuchico.edu |
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