BY amanda weston
A
bout 400 of the area's
business and political
leaders gathered at
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
on March 2 for the Third
Annual North County
Economic Summit, hosted
by the North County Eco-
nomic Development Cor-
poration (the nonprofit wing
of the San Diego North Eco-
nomic Development Council).
Mark Kalpakgian, president
of the board of trustees for the
North County Economic De-
velopment Corporation, said
the summit covered the state
of North County's industry
clusters, innovation and patent
filings, which are all strong
suits for the area. However, the
presenters and panel members
also pointed out that high
housing costs are an ongoing
challenge.
"When you look at the big
picture in North County, it's
very positive," Kalpakgian
said. "Even as we traverse
through the strengths, the
weaknesses, the opportunities,
the threats, there is so much to
be grateful for walking out of
that summit."
Josh Williams, president of
BW Research Partnership Inc.
and one of the summit's pre-
senters, elaborated on the job
market, saying that North
County went from 7.8 percent
unemployment in January
2013 to 4.4 percent unemploy-
ment, creating a tight labor
market. The numbers show
North County recovering
quickly from the recession,
even though it was hit harder
initially. He also pointed to
growth in North County's
high-skill niche manufacturing
markets, such as aerospace and
defense and pharmaceuticals.
He also said the brewery mar-
ket continues to grow.
The benefit of the summit,
Kalpakgian said, stems from
the people who attend.
"It raises the questions, it
gives the data, it begins to tell
the story," he said. "The big
charge is to be able to walk out
of that summit and say, know-
ing what we know from the
people, from the data, from the
panel, we're going to do this
different or that different so we
can positively impact North
County. That's the real value."
EVENT FOCUSES ON
LOCAL VINEYARDS
T
he Vineyard Symposium on
March 9 at the California
Center for the Arts in Escon-
dido provided an opportunity for
small- to mid-sized grape growers
in the area to learn from the best in
the industry and network with
neighboring growers.
"There are similar symposiums in
the area," said Owner of
Grangetto's Farm & Garden Supply
Kevin Grangetto, who organized
and hosted the event, "but they're
currently geared toward the more
corporate-size growers. We wanted
to create an event specifically for
the smaller, boutique growers."
The day-long symposium in-
cluded guest speakers and panels,
networking events and a chance to
meet and talk with vendors of
grape-growing and harvesting
equipment. Mark Greenspan, Ph.D.
and Viticulturist from Advanced Viti-
culture, Inc., served as the keynote
speaker for the 100-plus attendees.
"This event was a great opportu-
nity for growers to interact and dis-
cuss innovative growing techniques
pertinent to the area," said
Grangetto.
CLICK HERE
to learn more.
– BY amanda weston
{GRAPE GROWING}
l
IN THE NEWS
NORTH COUNTY BUSINESS JOURNAL
x
SPRING 2016
x
sdnedc.org
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MORE PHOTOS
FROM THE
SUMMIT
<
Panel members and presen-
ters included, from left, Tony
Davis, Melinda del Toro, Colin
Parent, George Chamberlin,
Rita Brandin, Matthew Tucker,
and John Seymour.
ECONOMIC GAUGE
n SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS STATE OF AREA'S INDUSTRIES
