The City will be launching a "Shopping in Fremont Counts!" marketing campaign in mid-June. The campaign is aimed at educating Fremont residents about the connection between making purchases in Fremont and the quality of City services they receive. The City's General Fund receives 1% of the 8.25% sales tax that is collected and uses it to pay for police, fire and maintenance services.

"Shopping in Fremont Counts!" will be a six-week promotional campaign culminating at the 20th Annual Festival of the Arts on Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27, 2003. The City of Fremont will host a booth where coupons and discounts from local businesses will be available to the public along with games and prizes to encourage shopping in Fremont.

Fremont businesses are invited to participate in two ways:

1. Provide coupons for distribution to the anticipated 300,000 attendees at the Festival of the Arts.
2. Donate a gift or gift certificate to be awarded to game winners at the City's Festival of the Arts booth, "The Price is Right in Fremont!"

For more information on how your business can participate in this program, please contact City of Fremont Marketing and Communications Coordinator Angela Tsui via email or at 510-284-4023.

According to a recent City of Milpitas Building Permit Fee Comparison Study, the City of Fremont has the lowest New Commercial/Industrial Building fees compared to the cities of Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. For a 30,000 sq. ft building valued at $1.6 million, Fremont's fees are $13,762.00, while other cities range anywhere from $21,039.00 - $25,293.00.

The City of Fremont and the Fremont Chamber of Commerce are proud to present Consul General Wang of the People's Republic of China San Francisco Office to provide an update and market analysis of economic development opportunities with China.

Since 1990, U.S. exports to China have grown almost 12% annually. Exceptional export growth opportunities are present in many industries where California is regarded a leader:

- Telecommunications equipment
- Oil and gas
- Medical equipment
- Pharmaceuticals
- Audio/visual equipment

Please join us on June 24 from 7:45 a.m.- 9:30 a.m. in the City Council Chambers, located at 3300 Capitol Avenue, Building A in Fremont to learn more about these opportunities. For more information about this free event, please contact the City of Fremont's Sue Simms via email or at 510-284-4025.

Boston Scientific, maker of medical devices with offices in Fremont, generously donated $25,000 for this year's 4th of July Parade in Warm Springs. If you would also want to help with a business sponsorship, contact Dave Clayton via email or at 510-656-9845. For general information about the parade, contact Jan Giovannini-Hill via email or at 510-656-9845.

- The City's Economic Development Manager, Derek Speck, has been officially designated an Economic Ombudsman and is available to assist property owners and developers through the entitlement and permit process. Contact Derek Speck via email or at 510-284-4024 if you need assistance.

- Be sure to check out the City's new Business Resources section on our website. We recently updated and expanded the list of agencies and contacts that offer a variety of business resources, workshops and incentives.

Interested in starting a business in Alameda County? Are you looking for general business information? The Fremont Main Library, located at 2400 Stevenson Boulevard, has a Business Library featuring an extensive collection of industry and trade directories, investment materials, statistical sources and resources for international business. In addition, knowledgeable and experienced librarians are available to help with your research, or you can call 510-505-7001 during library open hours for quick, short answers to factual questions. When the library is closed, people can still ask a question via email with the Ask a Librarian service.

Calling all Manufacturers: the Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence, also known as Manex, continues to help keep manufacturers in California by providing hands-on assistance and resources. Manex enables companies to evolve, improve and grow. As part of a nationwide network of centers, Manex offers resources in Lean Implementation, Customized Training, Immediate Access to Funding, Quality Systems, Executive Coaching, Strategic Business Growth Planning, and much more. For information about Manex and their programs and resources, visit their website or contact Chief Operating Officer Sallyanne Monti via email or at 510-249-1480 x125.

Fremont's new website, www.FocusOnFremont.com successfully launched in April. This website uses Internet-based GIS technology for business attraction and site selection, and serves as a resource tool for real estate brokers, current business owners, and prospective tenants. Property and demographic information on available sites for businesses is now available 24 hours/day, seven days a week. Be sure to log on and check it out!

What People are Saying About FocusOnFremont:
Catherine A. Minard, Vice President for Colliers International comments, "I think it's great that Fremont is being so proactive in trying to attract tenants. It is incredibly helpful to have a City that provides these services and is up-to-date on technology."

- The Mission San Jose District welcomes Nina's Fine Dining Restaurant located at 43543 Mission Boulevard. A delectable menu of Italian and American dishes will please every palate, and it's open for lunch and dinner daily. The Gift Gallery has also opened a new location at 43301 Mission Boulevard and offers a wonderful array of fine gifts to decorate your home.

- In Downtown Fremont, The Original Pancake House recently opened at 39222 Fremont Boulevard next to Fremont Bank, and breakfast is served! Also in Downtown, Starbucks celebrated the opening of another new location: The Benton (apartments and retail center), near the BART Station at 39370 Civic Drive across from the Kaiser Hospital.

Capitol Avenue in Downtown may someday have a new look as the Fremont City Council and staff work to renovate the downtown area into a vibrant retail shopping, dining and gathering place. After a lively City Council Retail Work Session in January, where a panel of retail experts confirmed Fremont's "Main Street" vision for Capitol Avenue/Downtown, the City Council toured several exciting downtown shopping locations to find a good retail model for Fremont. The City will soon be partnering with a developer to begin the process of creating a new retail center for Fremont. For more information, contact Retail Development Manager Leigh Boyd via email or at 510-284-4027.

Besides prime locations and strong demographics, what do retailers look for? They look for an available labor market that can staff businesses. Fremont is the fourth largest city in the Bay Area and provides good access to a highly educated labor pool. Come to Fremont and take advantage of our many business resources and make the next retail success story your own!

The Centerville Farmer's Market opened its 2003 season in the newly completed Bill Ball Plaza on May 31. The Plaza is a recently completed project of the City's Redevelopment Agency. Stroll among the fresh produce, flowers, and plants available at the Farmer's Market, and enjoy their new location on the Centerville Bill Ball Plaza, next to the Centerville Depot. The Farmer's Market will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., May 31 through November 8. For more information, contact Redevelopment Project Manager Jennifer Andersen via email or at 510-494-4648.

Design of a new Bay Street in Irvington -- one with more on-street parking, landscaping and pedestrian features such as benches and trash receptacles -- is underway. Four property owners/business owners on Bay Street are heading up the effort, which is being funded by the Redevelopment Agency and a Transportation for Livable Community grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The project will also establish new development rights to encourage investment in the property and businesses on the street.

The Redevelopment Agency was awarded the planning grant earlier this year and will be leading the City's participation in the project. For more information or to attend the planning workshops, contact Redevelopment Project Manager Jake Lavin via email or at 510-494-4428.

Meyer, Mohaddes Associates, (MMA), a transportation-engineering firm, completed a final draft of the Niles District Parking Study revised in March 2003. MMA developed a computer-based, parking model of the Niles District, utilizing parking counts and existing conditions land use information. The parking model produced raw data, which assisted staff in developing:

(a) Potential revisions to the off-street parking requirements for the district;
(b) The number of additional off-street parking spaces that the former Union Pacific property would need to accommodate; and
(c) Modifications to the Niles Parking District.

The City Council reviewed preliminary recommendations for revised parking policies at its hearing on March 25. The revised parking policies propose changes to the off-street parking requirements for certain commercial uses and makes recommendations for modifying the current parking assessment district. The City Council directed staff to work with property owners, businesses and residents to develop policies that would be returned to the City Council for formal consideration. This community work is expected to commence this summer.

To obtain a copy of the staff report and attachments, click here. Additionally, community workshops on the project are expected to begin in Summer 2003. For more information, contact Redevelopment Agency Director Craig Whittom via email or at 510-494-4775.

According to the widely respected UCLA Anderson School Forecast, the loss of jobs in the Bay Area will have hit bottom this summer, and the number of jobs will slowly rise, promising a slow but steady recovery. In the East Bay, the increase in the number of jobs has already begun. The entire forecast for the East Bay and Silicon Valley is available from the Economic Development Alliance for Business website.

- Venture capital hasn't dried up! According to the MoneyTree Survey, the following ten firms in Fremont received venture capital funding in the fourth quarter of 2002 totaling over $80 million: BayPackets, CoWave Networks, Everdream, GoDigital Networks, Inkra Networks, Nanogram Devices, NextWeb, Sygate Technologies, Talkway Communications, and WaveSplitter Technologies.

- Congratulations to Fremont's Lexar Media, Inc., who in April 2003, earned the number three position on the Forbes List of 25 Fastest Growing Tech Companies.

- Attention all biotech companies: Hire an intern! Sign up now if you would like to hire an intern this summer through Ohlone College's Biotechnology Summer Institute. Internships are for three weeks (July 21 through August 8, 2003) and are unpaid. The interns are high school students or recent graduates who have completed an intensive four-week summer class at Ohlone College. For more information contact Ohlone College's Yvette Niccolls via email or at 510-659-7372.