Businesses Look to Oftelie for Help Fitting In

Stan Oftelie, who took over as executive director of the Orange County Business Council in May, said he had expected to field the usual gamut of questions from the business community about the council’s role in economic development and public policy formation.

The surprise has been the number of business people who have expressed a desire for a greater sense of community.

“A lot of people are relatively new” to Orange County, he said. “They think it’s beautiful, it’s wonderful, but they want to know how they fit into the community.”

Oftelie, the highly regarded former head of the Orange County Transportation Authority, said he’s also been asked to provide assistance to businesses hoping to find their place in the so-called “Technology Coast” of Southern California. They want help networking and establishing links to potential partners and customers. “They want a road map,” he said.

One idea that’s under discussion at the business council, Oftelie said, is to sponsor regular networking conferences for companies of all sizes to meet and discuss their needs and possible strategic relationships.

“We’re just talking about that--it’s in the embryonic stage,” he said. “I’m just collecting questions right now.”

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Patrice Apodaca covers economic issues for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-5979 and at patrice.apodaca@latimes.com.