Title
Staff Report for a City of San Leandro City Council Resolution to Approve a Consulting Services Agreement with the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce for $50,000 to Support New and Ongoing Economic Development Services
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the attached Resolution that would approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a consulting services agreement between the City and the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce for $50,000 to support new and ongoing Economic Development services.
BACKGROUND
The City of San Leandro is continually exploring opportunities to leverage resources in the private sector to advance economic development goals and initiatives. With its membership of San Leandro businesses, the Chamber of Commerce is particularly well-positioned to assist with events and activities that require outreach to the San Leandro business community. With limited staff in the Economic Development Division (with one unfilled position) and a wide range of duties and business needs to address, the Chamber’s assistance is particularly helpful. The proposed Consulting Services Agreement provides for the performance of specific tasks that help to advance San Leandro’s economic development goals during Fiscal Year 2020-2021.
Analysis
Based on discussions between City staff and the Chamber, the parties concur on the following scope of services for the proposed Agreement. Note - Events and meetings may be virtual or via video as appropriate per current County public health department orders.
1. Workforce Development
The Chamber will create and promote programs to establish viable interest and engagement with the business community, local high school students, and job seekers to facilitate workforce development opportunities, including:
• Job Fair - April 2021. This job fair champions the initiative of local people getting local jobs within multiple industries in San Leandro.
• Student Manufacturing Day - Fall 2021. This event is utilized as a catalyst to introduce students to the maker industry as well as educational institutions. The Chamber engages and coordinates with local manufacturing companies to arrange student tours in celebration of San Leandro’s rich manufacturing history. Chabot College introduces the students to education programs available in various areas of interest. The event is marketed to the schools and the business community.
2. Business Retention & Expansion
The Chamber will coordinate and convene forums, roundtable discussions, presentations, and meet-up events to educate, inform, and connect businesses to collaborate around common interests in efforts to maintain and further develop a local business ecosystem. Events include:
• Business Roundtable - Conversations with different business sectors to get to know and understand the business owners and their respective industries. There will be six meetings throughout the year, scheduled every other month. Chamber and City staff will work together to determine the business sectors and schedule.
• National Small Business Week 2021 - The Chamber will provide the platform and planning for up to eight one-hour business education seminars on several different topics: website development, marketing, social media, QuickBooks training, resilient leadership, and more.
• San Leandro By Design - Summer 2021. This signature program is focused on bringing San Leandro economic development to its fullest potential. Programs are designed around relevant topics, bringing diverse interests and stakeholders together in the form of lectures, presentations, and walking tours of development plans, updates from economic development organizations, and inspirational storytelling regarding economically successful cities. There will be one walking tour event to showcase the vision of the San Leandro Shoreline, leading to a post-event mixer at a shoreline location.
• National Manufacturing Week - October 2021. This industry meet-up event celebrates San Leandro’s dense and impressive manufacturing sector. The Chamber will provide the platform, marketing, promotion, and support for the event, and register company tour participants on National Manufacturing Day.
3. Business Attraction
The Chamber and City will work together to update the business attraction strategy that is utilized by the City’s Economic Development Division and the Chamber of Commerce to help encourage businesses and developers to locate and invest in San Leandro. In collaboration with City staff, the Chamber will:
Part 1: Develop a marketing plan that will identify outreach targets, set goals and objectives, and establish what content to produce, how often to publish, and where to promote it. New business investors and commercial realtors will be enlisted to gather information pertaining to their attraction to San Leandro, as well as their experience in opening their business in San Leandro. The Chamber will convene forums, interviews, surveys, and more to gather feedback.
Part 2: Produce and arrange all content: printed materials, videos, interviews, infographics, etc.
Part 3: Develop the execution plan of where and how often to promote San Leandro.
Part 4: Work with the City to utilize and execute the formula created.
Previous Actions
The previous Agreement with the Chamber of Commerce was approved by City Council on September 3, 2019 (Resolution 2019-145), with a term covering Fiscal Year 2019-2020.
Legal Analysis
This Agreement was reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
Fiscal Impacts and Budget Authority
This Agreement with the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce will cost $50,000 and is included in the 2020-2021 Adopted Budget in Account 010-14-010-8513 Non-Departmental Community Investment.
ATTACHMENT(S)
Attachment(s) to Resolution
Consulting Services Agreement
PREPARED BY: Lars Halle, Development Coordinator, Community Development