Consultants: Sonoma County should refine its pitch to businesses

Dear Sonoma County,

We know you’re part of Northern California’s Wine Country, an enviable location with hillside vineyards, great food and a quality of life that arguably is second to none. Now, tell us something we don’t already know.

That was the message Thursday from international “site selectors” - consultants who help companies decide where to expand. They came to Santa Rosa this week for a conference aimed at promoting Sonoma County and California as a great place to do business.

“Quality of life is something that California is known for,” said Larry Gigerich, managing director of Ginovus, an Indianapolis-based consulting firm that advises companies on potential locations for their business operations. “I don’t think that it’s something that you have to sell.”

What is not so well known about Sonoma County, he said later during a break in the conference, is the county’s burgeoning advanced manufacturing industries, natural organic food sector, life sciences businesses and its relatively attractive housing costs, compared to close neighbor San Francisco.

“So being 45 minutes to an hour north of there, and being able to live in a smaller community and have those things you want for your family is something that’s very important and a great opportunity for Sonoma County,” Gigerich said.

Gigerich, whose talk focused on the latest trends in business site selection, was among the key speakers at the fourth annual Meet the Consultants Forum, held at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel in Santa Rosa.

The three-day conference was organized by Sonoma County BEST, a public-private partnership that is attempting to increase jobs by recruiting and retaining businesses. BEST was responsible for bringing the event to Sonoma County, as well as providing transportation for the forum’s guest speakers and the consultants.

TeamCalifornia, a nonprofit membership group made up of economic development organizations across the state, organized the forum’s content and speakers.

“This year, we’re highlighting Sonoma County - its amenities, its business-readiness and the location it has to offer,” said Josh Townsend, economic development manager for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and a member of the Sonoma County BEST board of directors.

Townsend said about a half-dozen site selectors, including Gigerich, are participating in the event, which among other things is designed to help California economic development officials learn what businesses are looking for.

“They let us know what major businesses look for when locating in the United States,” said Townsend, who also serves as vice chair of TeamCalifornia's board of directors.

The conference covered a number of topics on Thursday, including site location opportunities in brownfields, areas that have some environmental contamination; foreign and direct investment in the United States; and attracting investment capital from Asia.

Andreas Dressler, managing director of Terrain, a global consulting firm that specializes in direct foreign investment, stressed, among other things, the importance of communities determining: “What type of investment do I want to attract?”

Dressler, who helps companies develop international expansion strategies, said it’s important for communities to differentiate themselves in the most unique way possible and to show: “Why are you better than anybody else? … On paper, all these places look the same.”

Adam Meek, principal and CEO of Brownfield Management Associates, said every community, even Wine County, has brownfield sites that with the proper handling could be turned around into economically productive ventures.

Meek highlighted a century- old steel mill on the edge of downtown Atlanta that was reborn as a mixed-use residential and retail project in 2005 despite its designation as a brownfield. Meek also cited redevelopment in Emeryville as an example of a successful transformation.

Albert Lerma, project manager for the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, said the forum was an opportunity to learn what site selection consultants are looking at.

“Things like transportation, labor costs, costs of doing business, regulatory issues - we know that with some things we’re at a disadvantage in California,” Lerma said. “On the other hand, as they mentioned, we have a lot of things that are very positive for California.”

He said that Sonoma County’s reputation as a mecca for organic and locally grown products has a strong appeal to millennials.

“Craft beverages is a great example,” he said. “We’re starting to make inroads into the larger craft beverage sector. So the Budweisers of the world are getting a little bit nervous, because their market share is really decreasing, and we’re seeing it grow from the businesses here in Sonoma County.”

The forum continues through Saturday.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat .com. On Twitter @renofish.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to provide more detailed information about the mission of Sonoma County BEST and Josh Townsend's role in the group and Team California.