The Stanislaus Economic Development and Workforce Alliance will now be known simply as the “Stanislaus Business Alliance” as of a vote made Monday.
Its board unanimously agreed to the name change Monday, which became effective immediately. David White, CEO of the Business Alliance explained that there were two main reasons for the name change that worked hand in hand: they want businesses to know that they are there to support them, and they wanted their clients to know their name.
"We are here to address their needs working in partnership with chambers of commerce, our nine cities, Stanislaus County and other partners,” said White.
The Stanislaus Business Alliance serves Stanislaus County residents and businesses by attracting jobs to the county, helping local companies expand, addressing the workforce needs of employers and supporting entrepreneurs to develop their ideas into viable businesses.
There are four divisions within the Alliance: Business Development, Workforce Development, Innovation, and Marketing & Communications.
In the Business Development division, they manage business retention and expansion as well as business recruitment efforts. Workforce Development, or the Alliance WorkNet, serves the workforce development needs of the county. Innovation, or Alliance Small Business Development Center, serves the needs of innovators and entrepreneurs, and Marketing & Communications helps to promote the news and assets of the county to its local residents and externally to the outside world.
The Stanislaus Business Alliance claims it is “committed to creating a blueprint for success, which can make Stanislaus the strategic business choice for existing and expanding businesses.”
At the same meeting, the Stanislaus Business Alliance Board of Directors unanimously elected executive committee officers and board members:
Chairman – Jeff Foster, Foster Farms
Vice Chairman – Bill O’Brien, General Manager O’Briens Market and Stanislaus County B.O.S District 1
Secretary – Sharon Silva, CEO/President of Turlock Chamber of Commerce
Treasurer – Ron Jackson, CEO/COO of Beard Land and Investment
Doug Johnson – President and CEO of Stanislaus Surgical Center
Both Silva and Jackson are new executive committee members.
Members of the board include: Cal Campbell, Vice Mayor of the City of Riverbank; David Darmstandler, Co-Founder of DataPath, Inc.; Tony Madrigal, City of Modesto Councilman – District 2; and Charlie Souders, IBEW Local 1245.
