The City of Turlock has been one of the top investors of Opportunity Stanislaus since the program’s inception in 2016. It aims to help entrepreneurs start businesses, attract companies to the county, help businesses grow and ultimately help local economies thrive.
Opportunity Stanislaus CEO David White gave a report to the Turlock City Council earlier this month on the impact the program has had on the county, particularly in Turlock, over the past year.
In terms of economic development, which is overseed by Amber Potter, the program has worked with 32 companies, conducting wage and resource analyses for business looking to move into Turlock or exploring expansion. For example, Opportunity Stanislaus provided an economic impact analysis for food waste mitigation company, Divert, and connected them with feedstock suppliers ahead of their decision to plan for a new facility in town. Additionally, they worked alongside Valley Milk to assist the company in its desired expansion of their milk processing facility.
White also highlighted the program’s work to develop talent for local companies. According to his report, the talent development sector — headed by Amber Edwards — helped 24 Turlock companies find employees. These companies include Foster Farms, Associated Feed, P&F Metals, Aesthetic Labs, Turlock Unified School District, Winton Ireland Insurance, Rubios Restaurants, Alpha Poultry, U.S Cold Storage and more.
One resource that White hopes to see more people take advantage of is the VOLT Institute, which is a maintenance mechanic program teaching advanced manufacturing skills based in Modesto. The institute graduates 200 people annually. According to White, graduates of the VOLT Institute have had success finding work at local companies like Blue Diamond, Sensient, Dairy Farmers of America, Hilmar Cheese and more. In 2022, seven students from Turlock received training from the program.
“These individuals are coming in usually making minimum wage and coming out at least making $20,000 more per annum,” said White. “This is the kind of impact this training center is having.”
For Turlock’s small businesses, White stated that the Valley Sierra Small Business Development Center (SBDC) helped connect 132 entrepreneurs and small business owners with resources. Valley Sierra SBDC is operated by Opportunity Stanislaus and has hosted nearly 20 workshops in Turlock since they opened an office in town in February 2022. Workshops are free to the public and focus on all aspects of running a business, including loans, bookkeeping, taxes and marketing.
For the local economy as a whole, Opportunity Stanislaus has also created a CEO Roundtable, which advocates for businesses by taking stances in legislation surrounding things like water. The group, which White serves on, partners with New California Coalition, a statewide organization working with the state chamber and other agencies to improve the California business climate, something that he feels is greatly needed.
“I’m very excited to be here, very excited to be a part of Turlock and work with you,” White told the council and those in attendance. “You have a wonderful community, a wonderful downtown, lots of great things happening, and the best is yet to come.”
To learn more about any of the programs and resources at Opportunity Stanislaus, head to www.OpportunityStanislaus.com.
