Marin Economic Forum Names Jim Cordeiro Chief Executive Officer
Brings Biotech, Entrepreneurial Background to New Post
Novato—June 7, 2016—The Marin Economic Forum (www.marineconomicforum.org) today announced the appointment of Jim Cordeiro as chief executive officer of the organization which provides data and information to help businesses and supports local governments economic development efforts for sustainable growth.
Before joining Marin Economic Forum (MEF), Cordeiro co-founded Oceana Technologies and worked as a leading scientist at Nodality, Affymetrix, and other biotechnology and academic organizations.
“Jim brings a diverse set of skills to us,” said Haden Ongaro, MEF board president and executive vice president of Newmark Cornish & Carey. “While unemployment remains low in the county, we face continuing challenges about how to attract new businesses and how to retain those who have already chosen Marin. Business development is driven by a constant need for data and trend analysis, particularly for businesses looking to expand or to relocate here. Jim’s background in the biotech industry and his entrepreneurial background are perfectly aligned with the Forum’s needs.”
Founded in 2012, MEF enables Marin’s economic stakeholders to collaborate to improve the County’s economic vitality, focusing on targeted industries while enhancing social equity and protecting the environment.
“Marin County is an important part of a regional and global economy,” Cordeiro said. “Our companies, particularly in the bio-sciences, have enormous influence beyond our area. As a result, our economy is also impacted by developments and pressures from many different directions. It is important that the businesses in our community have MEF, which collects, analyzes and disseminates information that affects their business and also collaborates with the communities in which their employees reside.”
MEF works with private sector companies, chambers of commerce, county and municipal governments, educational institutions and organizations supporting workforce employment and consumer groups. Industries targeted by MEF include agriculture, bio/life sciences, tourism and manufacturing.
“Over the years, MEF has developed a well-deserved reputation for the rigorous nature of its economic research and for its collaboration with Marin businesses and municipalities,” he said. “My experience in the sciences and technology fit nicely with the growth segments of Marin economy. We are constantly working to improve our ability to deliver timely data and information to businesses and local governments as they strive to support sustainable economic development.”
Cordeiro, a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, replaces Steve Lockett, who relocated to North Carolina.
About Marin Economic Forum
The Marin Economic Forum (www.marineconomicforum.org) is a nonprofit organization created as a public-private partnership in 2012. The founding sponsors are: Autodesk, Bank of America, City of Novato, County of Marin, Kaiser Permanente and Marin General Hospital. Additional information is available at (415) 483-9332.
Steve Kinsey, who has served on the Marin County Board of Supervisors for nearly two decades, confirmed Sunday that he will not run for another term.
“I’m ready to let the world know I will not be seeking re-election,” Kinsey said in a phone interview.
Speculation mounted in recent weeks that he might not run, in part because he did little or no fundraising for the June election. Over the weekend, Kinsey privately alerted supporters of his plans.
The average asking rent in Marin was $2,583 in the third quarter of this year, compared with $2,329 in the third quarter of 2014, according to Novato-based data service Real Answers.
The average asking rent in Marin was $2,583 in the third quarter of this year, compared with $2,329 in the third quarter of 2014, according to Novato-based data service Real Answers.
The North Bay’s relatively cheap commercial real estate market—especially in relation to what’s available in San Francisco and Silicon Valley—has boosters talking boom.
But amid a generally cheery post-recession outlook across Marin and Sonoma counties, there are warning signs. Traffic is worsening on Highway 101, air quality is still great in Sonoma County but not every day, there’s scant affordable housing for working people in Marin and Sonoma counties, and there’s built-in pressure on two key North Bay resources: Water and open space.
The 2015 Fall Economic Bulletin reports are available. Right-click the link and choose “Save As” to download to your device, or click to view the reports.
Sausalito Chamber of Commerce CEO Oonagh Kavanagh said tourism is valuable to the local economy, and the city can balance the needs of residents and business owners.
“There is no point in beginning hostile to each other,” Kavanagh said. “We have an extremely high proportion of independent family-run organizations here.”
“Why are there so many ‘for lease’ signs? There are two reasons,” said Robert Eyler, chief economist of the Marin Economic Forum.
“One is that the types of properties that are available are not necessarily a fit for your classic office space business looking for commercial property. You can’t look at the leasing market and say, ‘If it’s totally hot, why are we not at zero vacancy?’” said Eyler, who is also a professor of economics at Sonoma State University.
In keeping with Marin Economic Forum’s (MEF) goal to create partnerships and initiatives that stimulate job and business growth for entrepreneurial businesses within Marin County, MEF has formed a working partnership with the Marin HR Forum. The goal of this partnership is to facilitate conversations between business leaders and HR professionals to better understand the issues of today and tomorrow and find creative solutions to human resources challenges that face Marin County employers.
A man’s face appears dead center in a black-and-white video. Seeming to make eye contact with the viewer, he says, “The Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership shares my view of hope and the need for change in this world.”
This 40-second video of Peter Rodgers, the San Rafael nonprofit’s marketing director, appears on his LinkedIn profile. If he chooses, he can include it in his email signature or his resume. It was created by YouPlus.biz, a company helmed by two Fairfax residents whose offerings were demonstrated at the Marinnovation event in San Rafael Tuesday.
Thirty Marin-based innovative businesses strutted their stuff in booths and demonstrations, and representatives of Edutopia, the website of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, gave speeches at the event. Marinnovation highlights Marin technologies, ventures and services with the hope of fostering entrepreneurship.
“When a piece of commercial real estate sells, a lot depends on who goes into the property,” said Robert Eyler, chief economist for the Marin Economic Forum and a professor of economics at Sonoma State.
“If there are currently businesses in the building, it depends on how much they are paying and how much longer there is in the lease,” Eyler said.
“If it’s vacant and the new landlords have the ability to market to somebody who can come in and fill it, that can be a boost to the local economy right away,” Eyler said.
