The Chico Innovation Council met on Thursday, the 22nd of September. This meeting, led by Bob Linscheid, covered current and pressing issues.
There was a briefing about the 27th Annual Excellence in Business Awards which will be held this October on the 27th. CEPCO has been working with Creative Composition for the invitations. They have been mailed out with QR codes on them. CEPCO will start contacting the nominees. Tickets are on sale.
Sustainability Management Consulting gave a presentation giving information regarding the business. It is a company owned by Angela Casler and her husband, and is managed by Jill Loewen. SMC provides an action plan for its clients with the purpose of helping them save money and increase their revenues. They value making companies profitable yet still protecting the environment and being conscious of the social and economic impact. With SMC companies will see immediate savings, a plan with achievable goals, and see payback in less than 6 months. SMC has plans to expand and to create jobs by encouraging start-up businesses around the United States with a franchise program. Overall, SMC encourages making big impact with small actions.
Regarding the CEPCO board and Grow Cal Innovation Scorecard, Bob Linscheid received an invitation from the Cal Poly campus to initiate an Innovation Scorecard for their community. This will be done the 8th and 9th of November.
There was a discussion of what new companies to invite to meetings in the future. Useacode, TextbookGateway.com, and Prowieprint were companies Derek Sine mentioned as being possible presenters. Chico is a sales community and it needs to act on that by creating a sales curriculum. Dr. Hubbard recommended the Miller-Heiman method of sales training.
It was decided that at the Tech Group Briefing the idea about improving Chico's sales skills should be discussed because Ken Naas will be there. There will be a discussion on creating a Regional Continuing-Education program.
In the end, it was decided that there is a need to investigate opportunities to enhance sales curriculum in local higher-ed institutions to capitalize on a cultural strength in Chico and follow up with similar models of local success companies. Possibilities include a certificate program at CSUC or Butte College and internship opportunities. It was also decided that companies like Sustainability Management Consulting provide fantastic examples of scalable, green, innovative companies that will fuel Chico's economy in years to come.
