Valley Vision Helps Showcase Sacramento As Co-Host of California Economic Summit
Valley Vision Helps Showcase Sacramento As Co-Host of California Economic Summit
By Adrian Rehn
Valley Vision staff members Renee John, Adrian Rehn, Gretchen James, Grace Kaufman, Evan Schmidt, Navreet Hundal, and Trish Kelly. Not pictured: Hilary Tellesen
Valley Vision helped co-host this year’s California Economic Summit, organized by California Forward and held for the first time in Sacramento since 2016. Held October 8-10, 2024, the latest iteration of the annual Summit proved to be an incredible showcase for the Sacramento region’s leadership on inclusive economic development, workforce, innovation, and more.
The California Economic Summit featured a welcome reception at the California Mobility Center, a joint effort with the Growth Factory which was also kicking off their multi-day GFX Summit.
Valley Vision organized a set of regional tours on the first day of the Summit, which gave participants an on-the-ground perspective of how local communities are tackling some of our biggest economic and environmental challenges. By showcasing everything from sustainable food systems to novel workforce training programs, these tours highlighted the solutions that are helping to build a more resilient, inclusive future for California. See below for photos highlighting the tours:
‘From Farm to Fork to Food Innovation’ attendees explored sustainable food innovation at the Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein, a vineyard with a 100+ year history, programs for training the next generation of farmers and upskilling farmworkers, and a research accelerator supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs in ag, food, and health.‘Forging the Future: Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships at Sierra College’ attendees learned the secret sauce of this community college’s effective employer engagement practices and their ability to rapidly adjust training programs to meet industry workforce needs, including supporting mid-career folks’ pivot to new careers in emerging industries.‘Revitalizing A Commercial Corridor: Equitable Reinvestment in Stockton Boulevard’ attendees experienced Stockton Boulevard’s assets, including the Aggie Square innovation district at UC Davis Medical Center, the hundreds of family-owned businesses that make up Little Saigon, and a preview of the over 3,000 housing units (wow!) currently planned or being constructed along the corridor.
The welcome reception followed the tours, and served as a kickoff for both the California Economic Summit and the Growth Factory’s GFX Summit. In addition to showcasing our region’s topline facility for advancing clean mobility, attendees could taste several gourmet foods created with plant-based, lab grown meat alternatives. Innovative!
The main days of the Summit (October 9 and 10) featured plenary sessions, action-packed workshops, networking events, and more. See below for a few highlights:
Governor Gavin Newsom and Dee Dee Meyers, Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
Kome Ajise, Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Governments. (SCAG), Melissa James, CEO of REACH Central Coast, and James Corless, Executive Director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG)
Becky Morgan, longtime champion of regionalism and Founder of the Morgan Family Foundation.
Valley Vision’s Adrian Rehn making friends with Julián Castro, the new CEO of the Latino Community Foundation.
Finally, the Summit ended with a “handoff” from Valley Vision’s Evan Schmidt to leaders in Stockton, California, which is hosting next year’s Summit the week of October 20th, 2025. We wish Stockton the best and look forward to learning how they are building a vibrant economy. Subscribe to California Forward’s email newsletter for more updates! Thank you to California Forward, its staff, and partners for a fantastic showcase of Sacramento.
Adrian Rehn is a Senior Project Manager overseeing air quality and environmental projects as well as Valley Vision’s communications.
