In 1993, crime was escalating in the community and economic and social indicators were dropping. In response, a small group of business leaders got together to form an organization to address critical issues. The early years involved the creation of a number of subject matter committees including vision, jobs, crime and education in order to do the research necessary to develop action plans. The early years also included the building of a civic infrastructure, the network of relationships that crosses all boundaries essential for transformational change. One of the first projects of the Business Council was the establishment of the Central Valley Business Incubator. This project, a partnership between Fresno State and the Business Council has created over 1,000 jobs and is planning to move downtown Fresno this year.

In 2000, a seminal report was issued entitled “The Economic Future of the San Joaquin Valley.” The report offered the Valley two choices--stay on a low cost path and maintain the status quo or shift to an added value economy and increase the prosperity and quality of life for everyone. Using the recommendations in the report, a group of a dozen people put together a plan which became the Collaborative Regional Initiative (CRI). This effort, a joint venture between Fresno State and the Business Council, included five initiatives that were determined as our best opportunities for community transformation. The initiatives included: insuring a state of the art technology infrastructure,  increasing the number of  knowledge workers, improving the quality of life through land use and transportation decisions, achieving high quality performance in our human services and education systems and the creation of an innovative culture. An essential element of the CRI was a commitment to a new contract for civic behavior. This “contract” became the Community Values of the Fresno Region. Ultimately the CRI launched twenty-six projects that have either been completed, are still in an implementation stage or have been picked up by other organizations.

In 2003, Mayor Autry asked his economic advisors to evaluate the city budget. The report that ensued was called Meeting the Challenge. A critical finding was that if more jobs were not created, law enforcement would eventually consume the entire general fund. The report recommended the creation of a job creation strategy. Building off the network of the CRI, the Regional Jobs Initiative (RJI) was launched in 2004 with the goal of 30,000 net new jobs in five years. The plan uses a cluster based strategy to focus resources behind our most promising industries leading to a transformed approach to economic and community development and a diversified economy. This effort involves people from every sector and, while it started in the core metropolitan area, the industry clusters include people from across the San Joaquin Region and smaller communities are using the report to launch their own efforts.

Those involved in the RJI soon realized that without strong education institutions and effective workforce preparation organizations, the RJI could not achieve sustainable success. Again, building upon the networks created by the CRI, the Business Council and representatives from other organizations worked together to craft the Choosing Our Future Report, a plan to address critical issues inside Fresno Unified School District and the neighborhoods and systems that surround it. The implementation of this plan began in 2005 and those involved have pledged at least a three year commitment.

The story of the Business Council is basically one of adaptation. The organization is largely virtual, with members picking up many of the operations functions. It has been a catalyst for transformational change, a convener of formerly disconnected organizations, and a steward leader willing to take responsibility for helping to solve critical and systemic problems. The future will be written based upon the hard work of today and given the shifts in thinking and acting in the community, the future looks bright.