Making a Pitch for Orange County

For those of us who live or work here, Orange County offers a rare and exceptional quality of life as well as the promise of economic growth and success. Unfortunately, not many people outside our region know about us. We need to be more aggressive about communicating why Orange County is an ideal place for business.

If Orange County is to thrive into the 21st century, it is imperative that we build an economy that can compete on a global basis. By positioning the county as the West Coast’s premier choice for trade, commerce, tourism and innovation, we can develop the financial fuel to fund essential local services (police, fire, roads, sewers, etc.) and a vibrant community rich in culture, arts, education, recreation and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Through the volunteer and professional leadership of the Orange County Business Council (OCBC), our county recently took a step toward meeting this goal.

In mid-November, the council’s Economic Development Division led a 12-member delegation of representatives (including myself) from both the public and private sectors on a trade mission to New York City--the initial phase of a long-range marketing effort to enhance the county’s economic base. Our objectives:

1) Market the county as an excellent place to live and conduct business;

2) Raise the level of awareness of Orange County;

3) Dispel misconceptions about the business climate in the county and Southern California; and

4) Meet with business leaders of companies with significant operations in California and the potential to expand.

Success was met at every turn. In almost every meeting, the Orange County delegation, including representatives from the banking, development and utilities industries as well as the county’s chief financial officer, was commended for traveling across the country to promote our region.

“Team OCBC” met with decision-makers in the technology and biosciences areas, major site-selection companies, as well as representatives of the Wall Street financial community to discuss the direction of Orange County government and business.

(In case you were wondering, the county government bankruptcy is past history on Wall Street. Not once during a meeting with bond firms was Orange County CFO Gary Burton asked about this issue.)

Unlike other cities and regions with disjointed outreach efforts, I believe East Coast executives appreciate and want a single point-of-contact available at the Orange County Business Council. And, yes, we discovered companies with projects in the works who asked us to confidentially provide them with more information about the county’s considerable assets. In fact, we developed three strong leads that might eventually result in new businesses and jobs here.

We are convinced that our proactive efforts in New York will prevail, bringing new, quality jobs to Orange County as well as a renewed confidence in our county’s economic future.

It is also our hope that more public-private partnerships will evolve that will result in the county’s continued growth.

Orange County is a great place to live and do business, and we must continue to deliver that message across the nation and the globe.