AgPLUS News – January 2017

Ag-plus-final_update_sep2015_sm THE QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY AGPLUS FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING CONSORTIUM BY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT FRESNO STATE
JANUARY 2017  VOL. 2  ISSUE 1 WWW.CVAGPLUS.ORG MAIL 6     calendar 4     PERSON 6

2017 Food Processing Expo

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We are just two weeks away from the 2017 Food Processing Expo in Sacramento! To kick off the event, the California League of Food Processors has teamed up with AgPLUS to host the inaugural Food Processors Workforce Summit on February 7. The Summit will address many challenges food processors face in the Central Valley, including recruiting, training and retaining a strong workforce. Panel discussions will feature experts from industry, education and government. The focus will be on food processing industry workforce needs, where companies can find help in obtaining the best employees, and how human resource managers can keep up with various regulation requirements.

Keynote speakers will be Tim Rainey, executive director of California Workforce Board, and Matthew Roberts, dean of Field Operations for Workforce and Economic Development Division, California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. The morning session will be moderated by AgPLUS executive committee member Trish Kelly, Valley Vision, Sacramento; afternoon will be moderated by Sany Fiack, Zenith Insurance.

Learn more about the event and to register for the Summit

To register for the Food Processing Expo, visit the official website: www.foodprocessingexpo.org


AgPLUS business resource workshops

AgPLUS will continue to implement its business resource workshops throughout the year. The next one is scheduled for January 27, in Marysville, Calif. Lead for this workshop is Valley Vision, Sacramento. Office of Community and Economic Development at Fresno State (OCED) and Center for Economic Development at Chico State (CED) will begin implementing workshops in their respective regions beginning in February.

Be on the lookout for upcoming workshop schedules on the AgPLUS calendar.
 


WET Center kicks off Regional Innovation Strategies

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Fresno State President Joseph Castro opens the January 17 kick-off event for BlueTechValley and Regional Energy Innovation Accelerator projects.

The Fresno State Water, Energy and Technology (WET) Center kicked off its BlueTechValley Innovation project and Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program on Tuesday, January 17.

In November 2016, AgPLUS partners at Fresno State comprised one of 35 organizations from 19 states awarded funding through the EDA Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program in the i6 Challenge category. Learn more about RIS. The $500,000 in funding received supports the Central Valley Regional Energy Innovation Accelerator Project (Project). This will generate significant new innovations and opportunities in Central Valley disadvantaged communities (DAC) by deploying an accelerator program for water, energy and agricultural technology startups. Furthermore, the Project will leverage existing Energy Innovation Cluster programs and infrastructure to support an estimated 19 companies and generate or retain a minimum 76 part-time and 37 full-time Central Valley jobs by completion. Learn more about the Project.


Register today!

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The 2017 Manufacturing Summit is hosted by San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance. Its members have been hard at work since last year to put together the best event yet!

As at past events, there will be numerous vendors featured as well as breakout sessions with industry experts. A variety of subjects and solutions will be discussed including:

  • New Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
  • State of the Art Energy Efficiency Solutions
  • Apprenticeship Programs
  • Human Resources in Manufacturing
  • Export and Import
  • Vocational English Second Language (VESL) Program
  • Trends and Best Practices in Manufacturing
  • Plus much more … including a special Manufacturing Exhibit area!

The Summit will be at the Fresno Convention Center on April 20 – Manufacturing Alliance members receive a registration discount. Learn more about Summit workshops and sponsorship opportunities.

Interested in finding out more about the San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance and becoming a member? Visit www.sjvma.org. Go to MEMBERSHIP on the toolbar. On the dropdown box, click on the Membership Application. Download the form. Fill out all information then follow instructions to submit to Sam Geil.


CalAsian Chamber hosts 2017 international trade shows

International work group member CalAsian Chamber of Commerce is hosting two international trade shows in March and May. The Shanghai HotelEX 2017 is in Shanghai, China, from March 26 through April 2. Seoul Food and Hotel 2017 is in Seoul, South Korea, from May 14-21.

CalAsian Chamber of Commerce has been committed to helping food and beverage growers/producers expand and export their products to the Asian market for the past five years. This has been achieved by organizing international trade missions, providing export training support, marketing research and business matching. CalAsian Chamber administers the China Direct and Korea Direct export programs under a cooperative agreement with the International Trade Administration Market Development Cooperator Program under the U.S. Department of Commerce.


Stay up-to-date

We have a lot of exciting new projects in the pipeline for the New Year! Be on the lookout for news on future developments, and stay up-to-date on info and upcoming events. Visit www.cvagplus.org.


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THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT FRESNO STATE IS A CO-LEADER OF THE CENTRAL VALLEY AGPLUS FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING CONSORTIUM (AGPLUS) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, PROVIDING OPERATIONAL SUPPORT FOR AGPLUS.

CONTACT US | PHONE 559-278-0721 | WWW.CVAGPLUS.ORG