[00:00:01]
ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU.
SORRY FOR KEEPING YOU WAITING A HUNDRED PERCENT MY FAULT.
UH, I KNOW THAT ALL OF YOU ARE, UM, HAD TO BATTLE, UH, TRAFFIC AND PARKING TO GET DOWNTOWN, AND, UM, AND I'M EMBARRASSED I KEPT YOU WAITING.
UM, I, UH, WE GOT A BIG DAY AHEAD OF US.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
UM, IS THAT RIGHT? YES, WE DO.
AND SO THE FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO DO IS, UH, FOR US TO TAKE SOME ROLE, UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL HERE.
UH, THE LAST TIME THIS COMMITTEE MET WAS JUNE 24TH.
[Approval of Minutes ]
HAVE MINUTES THAT NEED TO BE APPROVED.UH, AND I HAVE A FEELING COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA HAS READ THEM.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES? AYE.
[Public Comments ]
ARE GOING TO INVITE OUR SPEAKERS UP NOW, UH, FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.UM, AND WHO'S FIRST? JANE GONZALEZ.
UM, COUNCILMAN, UH, AND MR. COUNCILMAN PALAS.
I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS PAC.
I, UM, WE HAD COMPANIES VISIT US LAST MONTH.
THERE ARE LEGACY COMPANIES, YOU MIGHT'VE HEARD OF THEM ALREADY.
UH, GOLDEN STAR BOWL FROM THE WEST SIDE, AUGIE ON BROADWAY STREET.
AND HANK, WHO HAS A BIKE SHOP DOWNTOWN.
AND ALL THESE LEGACY COMPANIES ARE CRITICAL TO OUR BUSINESS IN JOB CREATION, ECONOMIC VALUE.
AND I REALLY DO NOT WANT TO SEE THEM GO BANKRUPT.
YOU KNOW, I SPOKE TO BO, AND BO WAS TELLING ME THAT THE CITY STAFF ACTUALLY, THEY FEEL LIKE THEIR FAMILY, AND SHE HAD TO LET THE STAFF GO HOME EARLY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH HOURS.
SO, THE REASON THAT I'M HERE IS THAT I WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME OPPORTUNITIES, PERHAPS, THAT WE CAN BOOST, UH, SOME OF THESE LEG LEGACY COMPANIES BY PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
AND THIS COULD BE COMING FROM THE GENERAL FUND, AND NOT ONLY A ONE-TIME DEAL, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE IT ONGOING.
CITI, Y'ALL HAVE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB, RIGHT? WE JUST GAVE OUT GRANT MONEY, BUT THAT GRANT MONEY REALLY WAS C O V I D.
THIS LEGACY COMPANIES HAVE A PROBLEM THAT IS NOT COVID V RELATED IS RELATED TO CONSTRUCTION.
AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE, ALL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE AFFECTED BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRUCTION JOBS THAT ARE COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE.
AND THE SYSTEM IS ALREADY BROKEN.
UH, AND SO I JUST REALLY WANT TO PUT SOME, SOME OF THESE DOLLARS ASIDE SO THAT WE CAN PREVENT ANY ADDITIONAL THREATS TO OUR LOCAL COMPANIES.
AND I THINK THAT WHAT THIS IS HIGHLIGHTING IS A CHALLENGE, A CULTURAL SYSTEMIC CHALLENGE THAT WE HAVE HAD FOR YEARS IN THAT WE DID A SURVEY.
AND THE SURVEY, THE WAY THE QUESTION CAME OUT AND THE WAY THE SURVEY WAS PROCESSED FOR SMALL BUSINESS, IT, IT ONLY TALKED ABOUT BUSINESS SERVICES SO THAT IT DIDN'T CREATE AN EXCITEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY TO SAY, GEE, I WANNA SAVE THAT RESTAURANT.
THAT COULD BE HAVING SOME FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. SO I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE A CULTURAL SYSTEMIC CHALLENGE IN THAT EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT WHAT THEY WANNA DO FOR SMALL BUSINESS.
EVERYBODY CARESS ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS.
BUT I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A BETTER STRATEGY, A LONGER TERM STRATEGY THAT IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SUSTAINING.
AND THE LAST THING I'M GONNA REQUEST IS THAT IF YOU CAN ASK SPAC, UH, TO LOOK AT THE CHARTER, BECAUSE EVERY TIME WE TRY TO DO SOMETHING, THE ATTORNEY TELLS US WE CAN'T DO IT.
IT TOOK US 20 MINUTES JUST FOR US TO PUT IN THE MINUTES THAT WE WANTED TO REQUEST THIS MONEY.
OTHERWISE, WE'RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE.
UM, SO MY NAME IS JEREMY ROBERTS.
I'M THE CHAIR FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION, OR THE SBA C.
[00:05:01]
I WANTED TO DO WAS REEMPHASIZE SOME OF JANE'S POINTS AND THE FACT THAT SMALL BUSINESSES ARE SUFFERING.UH, A LOT OF THE COVID RELIEF GRANTS WENT OUT THERE, VERY COVID SPECIFIC.
THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS AROUND THEM THAT DISALLOW OTHER COMPANIES WHO ARE SUFFERING, NOT BECAUSE OF COVID, BUT BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION, BECAUSE OF OTHER ISSUES THAT ALSO NEED HELP.
AND WE KNOW THOSE FUNDS DON'T GO TO HELP THEM.
SO WE'RE ASKING E W D C IS TO BRING UP AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ASPECT TO COME BACK IN OUR NEXT MEETING, TO, TO BE ABLE TO CREATE A VOTE AND HAVE A CONSENSUS FROM THE DIFFERENT COMMISSION MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT TWO THINGS.
THE FIRST ONE IS AN IMMEDIATE RELIEF FROM THE GENERAL FUNDS TO HELP SOME OF THOSE BUSINESSES THAT DON'T FALL UNDER THE GUIDELINES FOR THE COVID ARPA FUNDS.
AND THE SECOND ONE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT INTO THE ANNUAL GENERAL FUNDS AN AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT IS PART OF SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF.
IF WE DON'T HAVE SOMETHING IN THERE LIKE THAT, THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF COMPANIES THAT ARE SUFFERING.
THE BOND IS GONNA GONNA BE COMING UP.
THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION.
WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS WE'RE WORKING WITH ZY, WE'RE WORKING WITH PUBLIC WORKS TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN BE PROACTIVE AND HOW WE CAN HELP WITH THE COMMUNICATION AND HELP THESE SMALL BUSINESSES MOVING FORWARD.
BUT WE KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE BUSINESSES THAT ARE SUFFERING MOVING FORWARD.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A, AN AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THERE TO HELP THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES AS A, JUST IN CASE WE KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE BUSINESSES THAT ARE SUFFERING.
BUT IF WE PROACTIVELY PUT AN AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THERE ONGOING ANNUALLY, THIS IS GONNA RELIEVE A LOT OF STRESS.
'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT MONEY'S GONNA BE THERE AND WE KNOW THERE'S GONNA BE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, OUTSIDE OF THAT, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS JUST CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
SO, SO WHETHER IT BE, UM, RELIEF TODAY, WHETHER IT BE ONGOING RELIEF OVER THE NEXT COMING YEARS, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE ASPECT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS.
AND THEN WE ASK THE E W D D C TO WORK WITH US TO BE ABLE TO GIVE US THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO MOVE FORWARD.
BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF THE WAY THE PROCESS FLOWS IS IT NEEDS TO COME FROM THIS BODY IN ORDER FOR THE SPAC TO BE ABLE TO ACT ON IT.
SO WHAT WE WANNA DO IS BE ABLE TO WORK MORE PROACTIVELY WITH YOU GUYS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CAN WE DO TODAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH.
WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT A MONTH AFTER THAT FOR THE PROCESS TO GO THROUGH TO WHERE WE COME TO E W D C.
THEN IT COMES BACK TO US, THEN IT COMES BACK TO YOU GUYS AND IT GOES TO COUNCIL.
AND THAT TAKES ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS, AND THAT'S TIME LOST THAT COMPANIES ARE SUFFERING AND CLOSING DOWN.
ONE, BE PROACTIVE WITH THE AGENDA, BE PROACTIVE WITH THE ITEMS WE WANNA TALK ABOUT.
AND I'M, I'VE ASKED MY MEMBERS TO REACH OUT TO YOU INDIVIDUALLY TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS.
THE SECOND IS IMMEDIATE RELIEF FUNDS FOR THOSE THAT DON'T FALL UNDER THE ARPA REQUIREMENTS.
AND THE THIRD THING IS AN ONGOING BUDGET THAT ALLOWS FOR ANNUAL SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT CAN GET HELP.
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT BONDS COMING THROUGH IN A LOT OF CONSTRUCTIONS COMING THROUGH.
SO WE JUST NEED TO BE PROACTIVE RATHER THAN LOOKING FOR MONEY AFTERWARDS.
UM, MAY I PLEASE SPEAK ON HER BEHALF? NO, I'M SO SORRY.
BUT THANK YOU FOR, FOR COMING ANYWAY.
UH, IF YOU DO WANNA CHAT AFTERWARDS, I'M HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU AFTERWARDS.
SO WE'RE GONNA GET MOVING WITH, UH, WITH THE BUSINESS OF OUR, OF OUR COMMITTEE.
I KNOW THAT, UM, OH, I'M SORRY, MS. GONZALEZ, YOU WERE, YOU WERE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM FOUR AS WELL.
UH, YOU ALREADY FINISHED, YOU SAID YOUR PIECE.
SO LET'S, UH, LET'S MOVE ON THEN WITH, UH, OUR
[Briefing and Possible Action on the following items ]
BRIEFING AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS. WE ARE GOING TO, UH, CONSIDER APPLICANTS TO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TODAY.UM, AND ALEX, GOOD MORNING, BRENDA HICKS SORENSEN, OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, WILL GIVE US A, A CUP, A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BEFORE THE INTERVIEWS GET STARTED.
GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN AND E W D C MEMBERS.
I'M BRENDA HICKS, SORENSON, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.
THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE, IT'S NOT SHOWING.
THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2010 AS A NONPROFIT CORPORATION TO ASSIST THE CITY IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS.
THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS BEEN THE SAN ANTONIO MILITARY MEDICAL INNOVATION FUND AND INITIATIVE IN EARLY 2023.
THE S A E D C BOARD WILL CONSIDER AN EXPANDED WORK PLAN FOLLOWING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS.
THE SS A E D C BOARD CONSISTS OF SEVEN MEMBERS.
YOU'LL SEE HERE THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER ARE REPRESENTED AS WELL AS TWO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
[00:10:01]
THOSE MEMBERS ARE THE CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS THE CHAIR OF THE TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY COMMITTEE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY DISTRICT SIX, COUNCILWOMAN KABE, KAIA HDA.THERE ARE THREE CITIZENS AT LARGE MEMBERS APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL EVERY TWO YEARS.
THE CURRENT TERMS EXPIRED MAY 31ST OF THIS YEAR, AND ARE CURRENTLY ON HOLDOVER STATUS.
WE RECEIVED 18 APPLICATIONS, 16 OF WHICH WERE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOLLOWING THE REVIEW BY THE SUB SUBCOMMITTEE, WHICH INCLUDED COUNCILWOMAN VIA GRANT AND COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA EIGHT APPLICANTS WERE RECOMMENDED FOR CONSIDERATION TO E W D C, BUT TWO OF THOSE CANDIDATES WITHDREW FROM CONSIDERATION.
A THIRD CANDIDATE WITHDREW YESTERDAY AND BEFORE YOU TODAY WILL BE FIVE CANDIDATES FOR INTERVIEWS AND FOR CONSIDERATION, THOSE CANDIDATES WERE ASKED TO STEP OUT AND, UH, UNTIL REQUESTED FOR THEIR INTERVIEW BY THIS COMMITTEE.
SO WITH THAT, WE WOULD OPEN IT UP AND ENCOURAGE THOSE INTERVIEWS.
BEFORE WE, BEFORE WE DO BEGIN, UH, ANY OF THE INTERVIEWS, I WANT TO INVITE ANY QUESTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES ABOUT, UH, BEFORE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS OR ANY QUESTIONS OF BRENDA AS FAR AS THE APPLICATIONS.
IF NOT, THEN WE CAN JUST JUMP INTO IT.
BRING IN THE FIRST CANDIDATE, PLEASE WELCOME, UH, TO CITY HALL.
YOU'RE THE FIRST ONE, UH, WHO'S GONNA BE INTERVIEWING.
SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES, UH, TO MAKE, UH, AN OPENING STATEMENT.
INTRODUCE YOURSELVES TO US, THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FROM THE PANEL.
UM, AND THEN YOU'LL BE, UH, YOU'LL BE RELEASED.
UH, ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR DAY.
I'M, UH, THE DIRECTOR OF THE COMMERCIALIZATION OFFICE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO.
I'VE BEEN ON THIS BOARD, UH, FOR WHAT, LAST TWO YEARS.
AND, UM, AND, UH, IT'S BEEN REALLY INTERESTING PROCESS.
UH, PREVIOUS TO BEING ON THIS BOARD AND REPRESENTING, UM, INTERESTS.
I WAS, UH, I WAS ALSO ENGAGED IN THE, UM, THE WORK THAT, UH, CORY LEVINSON DID, UM, IN SETTING UP THE MILITARY MEDICINE COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM, BOTH ON THE, THE TASK FORCE AND THEN EVENTUALLY AS A, AS A REVIEWER FOR, FOR THE, UM, FOR THE APPLICATIONS.
AND, UM, AND BEFORE THAT, I WAS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, UH, UT HEALTH SAN ANTONIO.
AND I WAS INVOLVED IN THE E D C, UH, DISCUSSIONS ON THE UNIVERSITY SIDE FOR THE, FOR THEIR, THEIR INVESTMENT IN, IN THEIR, IN THEIR BUILDING WAY BACK WHEN.
SO I'VE KIND OF BEEN INVOLVED IN THE, IN THE BOARD FOR, FOR QUITE A WHILE.
AND WE'RE, UH, I'M GONNA INVITE COUNCILMAN VRAN TO, TO ASK A QUESTION.
AND YOU CURRENTLY SERVE ON THE BOARD? YES.
SO WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED, WHY DID YOU APPLY TO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BOARD, AND WHY ARE YOU SEEKING THE APPOINTMENT? I'M VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING, UH, BUSINESSES GROW HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, ESPECIALLY BUSINESSES THAT PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, UH, HIGH VALUE, YOU KNOW, TECHNICAL JOBS FOR GRADUATES OF OUR, OF OUR UNIVERSITIES AND, AND PEOPLE MOVING INTO THE AREA.
SO, GROWING THE BIOMEDICAL COMMUNITY, GROWING THE TECH COMMUNITY.
UM, THO THOSE ARE, UH, REALLY GREAT JOBS TO HAVE.
AND I WANT, YOU KNOW, JUST WANNA SEE MORE, MORE OF AN ECOSYSTEM HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
BURKE, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO, TO REAPPLY TO SERVE.
WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE ENTREPRENEURIAL AND STARTUP COMMUNITIES, AND HOW WOULD YOU BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THAT? CURRENTLY I RUN BOTH THE COMMERCIALIZATION OFFICE AT U T S A.
SO ALL THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE COMING OUT OF U T S A, OUR OFFICE, UH, MANAGES AND HELPS TO SPIN OUT INTO COMPANIES AND OR LICENSED TO EXISTING COMPANIES.
SO THAT'S A BIG PART OF, UH, WHAT WE DO.
I ALSO RUN A MENTORING SERVICE, A VENTURE MENTORING SERVICE THAT, UH, GATHERS TOGETHER, UH, PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT, UH, WANNA WORK WITH NEW COMPANIES AND, UM, PUTS A TEAM-BASED MENTORING PROGRAM TOGETHER FOR, FOR SET NEW COMPANIES AND ALLOWS THEM TO MAYBE GROW FASTER OR MAKE FEWER MISTAKES AS THEY'RE STARTING TO DEVELOP.
SO THAT'S BEEN, UH, THAT'S ABOUT TWO YEARS GOING NOW.
WE'VE BEEN RUNNING THAT AS A GROWING PROGRAM.
AND, UM, AND JUST GENERAL NETWORKING AND TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
[00:15:01]
THANK YOU DR.UM, WHAT ARE SOME INITIATIVES THAT YOU HOPE TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION? AND WHAT WILL BE YOUR FOCUS IN THAT CONTINUATION? I KNOW THE, UM, THE INVESTMENT IN THE MILITARY COMMERCIALIZATION GROUP HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT I'VE REALLY ENJOYED SEEING, AND I'VE ENJOYED SEEING COMPANIES, UH, YOU KNOW, APPLY TO THIS PROGRAM AND GROW IN THIS PROGRAM.
UM, I THINK, UH, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO GROW.
UM, SOMETHING LIKE A, A MATCHING FUND FOR A SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS, YOU KNOW, INCREASING FEDERAL DOLLARS BY HAVING SOME KIND OF A MATCHING PROGRAM WOULD BE A, A NICE THING TO EXPLORE.
JUST WAYS TO BRING IN, YOU KNOW, MORE FUNDING FOR, FOR GROWING COMPANIES, FOR SMALL COMPANIES.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT FEDERAL, FEDERAL FUNDING, IT'S, UH, NON-DILUTED FUNDING.
SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY USEFUL TO, UH, TO HAVE.
SO IF YOU CAN INCENT MORE COMPANIES TO APPLY FOR THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE JUST, YOU'RE GROWING DOLLARS IN SAN ANTONIO.
BURKE FOR, UH, REAPPLYING SAYING YOU'D LIKE TO CONTINUE TO SERVE, UH, YOU'VE BEEN ON FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, SO YOU'VE KIND OF, UH, COME TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE, THE BOARD OPERATES.
UH, HOW DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR ROLE SPECIFICALLY IS AS A MEMBER OF THAT BOARD? I THINK GIVING FEEDBACK AND IDEAS TO, TO, UH, TO THE GROUP, TO THE ACTUAL, UM, THE GROUP ON, UM, ON WHAT TO DO.
I, AS MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THERE WAS A, A NEED TO SORT OF PLAN THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THE NEXT FIVE YEARS GOING FORWARD AND THINK ABOUT STRATEGICALLY, WHAT DOES THIS BOARD NEED TO DO? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'D LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, CONTRIBUTE TO AND HELP PROVIDE IDEAS FOR.
UH, IS THERE A PARTICULAR AREA THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOOK INTO? UH, AN AREA THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING THAT YOU JUST HAVE AN OPINION ON? YEAH.
MY, MY MY VIEW IS GENERALLY FOCUSED IN THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE BIOMEDICAL, THE TECH, THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE, THE VALUE HIGH VALUE COMPANIES THAT CAN, SO INVESTMENT HAS BEEN AN AREA THAT'S BEEN WORKING ON AT, AT ONE LEVEL, BUT I'D LIKE TO SEE IT GO IN A DIRECTION THAT CAN OPEN UP MORE, MORE DOLLARS.
I THINK THE SS B I R SMALL BUSINESS GRANT WAS THE EXAMPLE OF THAT, JUST TO SEE, SEE MORE DOLLARS BE BROUGHT INTO SAN ANTONIO VIA SORT OF INCENTIVE MODELS.
UM, COMMERCIALIZATION IS WHY WE SET UP SAMMY, AND, UM, AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY WHAT YOU LIVE AND BREATHE EVERY DAY.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE GOT A COMMERCIALIZATION OFFICE OVER AT UT HEALTH AS WELL, AND, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOW BEST PRACTICE AT ALL MAJOR UNIVERSITIES, RIGHT? YEAH.
UH, ARE, ARE, ARE YOU SEEING IN, IN YOUR RESEARCH, IN YOUR WORK THAT, UH, WE ARE DOING BEST PRACTICES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, AND IF WE'RE NOT, UM, WILL YOU BE, UH, WILL YOU BE TEACHING US HOW TO DO BEST PRACTICES BASED ON, ON YOUR EXPERTISE? UM, I THINK THAT THERE'S A, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO GROW.
WHAT IS MISSING? YOU KNOW, WHAT IS MISSING? WE'VE, WE'VE, WE SEE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, GROWING THE ENTREPRENEURS, ENTREPRENEURS, ACTUAL PEOPLE WILLING TO, YOU KNOW, BRING AND START A COMPANY.
UM, HAVING THEM SEE THEMSELVES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO IS A, IS A GREAT AREA.
UH, I THINK THAT THE CITY CAN PLAY IN A LITTLE BIT MORE, AND IT'S A BIT OF VISIBILITY.
UM, BUT YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO BRING MY PERSPECTIVE.
THANK YOU FROM SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE.
UH, THAT CONCLUDES YOUR INTERVIEW, MA'AM.
OKAY, WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GOOD LUCK, UH, OUT THERE IN THE TRAFFIC SITUATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.
UH, WE'VE, WE'RE GIVING EACH CANDIDATE THREE MINUTES TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES, UH, TELL US WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND AND, UH, UH, MAKE AN OPENING ARGUMENT, IF YOU WILL.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA SPEND SOME TIME ASKING YOU SOME QUESTIONS AFTER THAT.
UM, AND SO THE FLOOR IS YOURS, SIR.
I, UH, UH, CAME TO SAN ANTONIO TWO YEARS AGO, UH, FROM BOSTON.
AND, UH, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE PERSON THAT WAS JUST HERE, DR.
CHRIS BURKE, WHO'S THE HEAD OF INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION.
AND, UH, THAT'S MY INTEREST AS WELL.
I, I WAS REFERRED HERE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN, UH, JULIE GNU WARDEN WHO'S, UH, UM, AT UT AUSTIN.
AND SHE'S SUPPORTING LIFE SCIENCE COMPANIES, WHICH HAS BEEN MY BACKGROUND.
UH, I'M INTERESTED IN THIS SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, UM, BECAUSE I WANT TO EXPAND WHAT I'M DOING
[00:20:01]
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SAN ANTONIO.AND I CAN EXPLAIN THAT IN A MINUTE.
UM, I AM PERMANENTLY RESIDING HERE NOW AND, UH, UM, ENJOYING THE CITY.
UM, AND, UH, I WANTED TO GIVE YOU JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW, AND I'M GONNA LEAVE THIS WITH, UH, WITH YOU, UM, TO REVIEW.
SO, MY CAREER BEGAN, UH, FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL.
I JOINED THE NAVY AND WAS TRAINED AS A NAVY CORPSMAN, THAT'S EQUIVALENT OF A MEDIC.
I SERVED MY THREE YEAR ENLISTMENT WITH THE MARINE CORPS, UH, INCLUDING A TOUR IN VIETNAM.
UH, UH, FOLLOWING MILITARY SERVICE, I ENTERED COLLEGE AT EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY AND LATER GRADUATED, UH, WENT TO GRADUATE SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, BOTH IN MY HOME STATE.
UM, MY FIRST INDUSTRIAL POSITION WAS WITH CORNING MEDICAL DIVISION OF CORNING GLASSWORKS, UH, WHERE I SERVED AS A CLINICAL CHEMIST.
SO I'M FROM THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THE PEOPLE YOU'RE GONNA BE SEEING THIS MORNING.
I BELIEVE I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED MY TIME WITH CORNING AND DIAGNOSTIC MEDICINE, FOLLOWING AN INITIAL TENURE IN, IN A LAB.
I, UH, WORKED AS A TECHNICAL SERVICE TRAINER FOR THE DIVISION TRAINING SALES REPS IN CLINICAL DIAGNOSTICS.
UM, AT ONE POINT I WAS OFFERED A POSITION IN DALLAS BY, ACCORDING TO SET UP THE SOUTHWEST SALES REGION.
AND I JUMPED ON A PLANE AND WENT TO DALLAS.
FIRST TIME I WAS IN TEXAS, I LIKED THE WEATHER, NO SHOVELING SNOW.
SO, UH, I STAYED THERE, UH, FOR A YEAR.
AND, UH, THEN MOVED ON, UM, AND JOINED TWO FRIENDS AT CORNING.
AND WE STARTED A COMPANY CALLED INFUSE AID.
THAT WAS THE FIRST STARTUP I'VE DONE.
UM, AND, UH, I'VE DONE SIX SO FAR.
UM, THE, UM, UH, PUMP, THE PRODUCT WE MADE WAS AN IMPLANTABLE PUMP FOR DRUG DELIVERY, THIS, UH, MEDICAL APPLICATION.
AND, UH, OUR COMPANY WAS SOLD TO PFIZER, AND I JOINED PFIZER AND STAYED WITH PFIZER FOR THE DURATION OF MY TENURE, OR FOR THE DURATION UNTIL I RETIRED.
UM, UH, AFTER PFIZER I STARTED SEVERAL STARTUPS.
AND, UM, UH, I'D LIKE TO EXPAND THAT HERE.
UM, IN PARTICULAR, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE SCIENCE OUTSIDE OF ACADEMIA, UH, SPECIFICALLY LOGISTICS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, NOW, CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURING, AND DISTRIBUTION.
MR. JOHNSON, YOU, YOU, YOU RAN OUT THE CLOCK.
WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT YOUR, YOUR BIO UP HERE, BUT WE, I DO WANNA GIVE MY COLLEAGUES AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO YES.
UM, SO YOU ANSWERED IT A LITTLE, BUT IF YOU COULD GO IN DEPTH, UM, KIND OF ABOUT SPECIFICALLY YOU APPLIED 'CAUSE YOU WANNA BRING LIFE SCIENCE, UH, AND THAT ASPECT.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT LIFE SCIENCE AND, AND HOW THAT WOULD, HOW THAT WOULD WORK HERE IN SAN ANTONIO? YEAH.
UH, WE ARE DOING THAT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
HOWEVER, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE TO WORK IN THAT.
IT'S MOSTLY FOR STUDENTS THAT ARE THINKING THEY WANNA START A BUSINESS, AND THEN THAT'S WHEN WE GET INVOLVED AND WORK WITH THEM.
HOWEVER, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO WITHOUT A DEGREE, AND I THINK IT'S LACKING HERE.
UM, IN, UH, MASSACHUSETTS, WE HAD A, A COLLEGE, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, AND WE HAD CO-OP STUDENTS AND CO-OP STUDENTS WENT TO COLLEGE PART-TIME AND WORKED IN A COMPANY PART-TIME.
AND, UH, I THINK DOING THAT KIND OF THING IS HELPFUL.
WE HAD A CO-OP STUDENT, UH, THAT JOINED OUR COMPANY, UH, WENT AND, UH, GOT HIS DEGREE IN ENGINEERING, THEN WAS HIRED BY OUR COMPANY AND SPENT HIS
BUT, UH, ANYWAY, I THINK YOU NEED TO DO MORE OF THAT.
WE NEED TO DO MORE OF THAT HERE.
I EVEN ASK, UH, CHRIS, MY BOSS, IF WE COULD TALK TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO, BECAUSE YOU NEED MORE PEOPLE.
WHAT DO YOU SAY? YOU NEED MORE FEET ON THE GROUND HERE, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS KIND OF THING.
AND LOGISTICS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
I DIDN'T KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL ALL THE NEWS OF THE PAST YEAR ABOUT HOW JUST TRYING TO MOVE THINGS AROUND THAT'S REAL TRUE IN, IN LIFE SCIENCES AS WELL.
AND THAT'S, THOSE ASPECTS ARE FORGOTTEN.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT A SCIENTIST IN A LAB OR ANYTHING.
YOU'RE JUST GETTING THINGS DONE.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN DOING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILMAN.
MR. JOHNSTON, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOUR EXPERIENCE IS WITH THE, IN ENTREPRENEURIAL AND STARTUP COMMUNITIES AND HOW YOU WOULD BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THEM? SURE.
UM, I STARTED, UH, I JOINED, STARTED
[00:25:01]
STARTUPS,AND, UH, I WAS HELPED BY SOME PEOPLE THAT HAD ALREADY DONE THAT.
AND, UM, IT'S, UH, AT FIRST IT'S A CHALLENGE.
UM, BUT, UH, AS THINGS GO ON, IT'LL BE THE MOST INTERESTING AND EXCITING TIME IN YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU LOOK BACK.
AND, UH, I THINK THAT IT'S VERY HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE EARLY ON, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, NOT TO BE AFRAID OF IT.
UM, UH, WE, UH, WE CALL SOMETHING THE VALLEY OF DEATH.
THAT'S FROM THE TIME YOU START YOUR COMPANY, YOU'VE GOT A GREAT IDEA AND YOU'RE GOING AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY.
FINANCING IS A CHALLENGE, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS.
AND, AND IN SAN ANTONIO, THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO GET FINANCING.
ALAMO ANGELS IS ONE, YOU KNOW, AND SO PEOPLE JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW TO ACCESS THAT.
AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S KEY.
THE, UH, OTHER THING THAT HAPPENS IS, UH, YOU NEED TO MANUFACTURE THIS AND YOU NEED SPACE.
AND THERE'S SPACE AVAILABLE IN SAN ANTONIO.
A LOT OF SPACE ACTUALLY AVAILABLE FOR THIS KIND OF THING, FOR THE KIND OF, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT HEAVY CONSTRUCTION, BUT, YOU KNOW, FOR THE TYPE OF PRODUCTS WE MAKE THAT'S, UH, UM, IMPORTANT.
AND SO, UH, AND DISTRIBUTION, OF COURSE, THAT GOES BEYOND SAN ANTONIO AND BEYOND TEXAS, BUT GETTING, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE PRODUCTS OUT THERE.
SO THAT'S THE THING THAT IS INTERESTING FOR ME, AND THAT'S WHY I'D LIKE TO DO MORE OF IT.
SO THANK YOU, MR. JONES, IF I CAN HELP YOU.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
YOU'VE SOMEWHAT ADDRESSED THIS QUESTION IN SOME OF YOUR RESPONSES, UM, BUT TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY, IF YOU'VE MISSED ANYTHING, UM, WHAT WILL BE YOUR FOCUS DURING YOUR TERM ON THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION? I'D LIKE TO EXPAND WHAT I THINK IS HAPPENING, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING, SO INITIALLY, I'VE GOTTA GET DOWN THE LEARNING CURVE REAL FAST, BUT ONCE I DO, AND LEARN HOW TO DRIVE AROUND HERE, BY THE WAY.
BUT
I, I TALK TO PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, JUST CASUALLY IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, UH, IN RESTAURANTS.
A GUY CAME TO PUT SHADES IN OUR HOUSE 'CAUSE WE NEED SHADES.
'CAUSE THE SUN
AND I SAID, WELL, LET ME TELL YOU, AND HERE'S A FEW THINGS.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S GONNA DO IT OR NOT, BUT, UH, UH, THERE'S THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF.
AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING TO TALK WITH US AND WANTING TO SERVE.
UM, HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS PREVIOUSLY SERVED ON AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD OR COMMITTEE OR SOMETHING? I HAVE NOT.
AL I'VE JUST TRIED TO GET BUSINESSES GOING AND, AND RUNNING MM-HMM.
UH, YOU ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO SAN ANTONIO, SO, UM, OUTSIDE OF LIFE SCIENCES WHERE YOU, YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE OR EXPERTISE, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO LOOK FOR IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SAN ANTONIO? YEAH, AS I ALLUDED TO, I THINK THAT, UH, YOU NEED TO GET MORE BOOTS ON THE GROUND HERE.
YOU KNOW, THE, UH, WHEN I, UH, ASK ABOUT HOW DO WE DO THIS, THAT, OR THE OTHER THING, UM, IT'S, THERE'S TOO MANY ITERATIONS BEFORE YOU GET TO AN ANSWER, YOU KNOW? AND SO I THINK THAT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT THERE'S A WAY, THERE'S A PLACE TO GO IF YOU WANTED TO GET A BUSINESS GOING AND, UH, NEED HELP.
FOR EXAMPLE, I WAS GOING TO, I'M A MENTOR AT U T SS A AND, UH, I, UM, WANTED TO, UH, I ASKED, I SAID, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT SOME PEOPLE THAT I THINK WOULD LIKE TO DO IT.
AND THAT'S WHEN I FOUND OUT YOU CAN'T, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A DEGREE TO DO THE KIND OF THINGS THAT WE WERE DOING, BUT YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED PEOPLE TO HELP GET THAT GOING.
AND, UH, UH, I WOULD BE INCLINED TO DO MORE OF THAT.
I WOULD HOLD SEMINARS IN HIGH SCHOOLS, LITERALLY, UM, TO GET PEOPLE THINK ABOUT IT, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, WE HAD SOMETHING CALLED JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT.
WE SOLD FIRST AID KITS, I THINK
AND, UH, UH, THAT WAS A FUN LITTLE BUSINESS.
AND YOU GOT TO PAY, YOU HAD TO PAY BILLS, AND YOU HAD TO DO CERTAIN THINGS.
UH, LIKE IN A SMALL COMPANY, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE START THAT EARLIER AND GET GOING.
AND, UH, UM, AS I SAY, LET'S ROLL, LET'S DO IT.
[00:30:01]
UH, I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.AND, UM, THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DRIVE DOWNTOWN.
OUR NEXT CANDIDATE IS ERICA MO.
SO WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU, OKAY.
MY NAME IS ERICA MO AND I'D LIKE TO THANK THE S A E D C BOARD FOR ALLOWING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR REAPPOINTMENT.
I'M A WIFE, A MOTHER OF TWO WONDERFUL DAUGHTERS, AN ATTORNEY.
I'VE HAD A LAW PRACTICE WITH MY HUSBAND, UM, SINCE 2005.
AND LAST YEAR I WAS APPOINTED AS A JUDGE FOR THE BEAR COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH COURT.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S ALWAYS BROUGHT ME A GREAT DEAL OF JOY.
AND THAT SEED WAS PLANTED BY MY GRANDPARENTS WHO RAISED ME HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
THEY WERE CIVIC LEADERS, UM, AND THEY HAD SERVANT HEARTS.
AND, UM, THEY INSPIRED ME, UM, TO DO THE SAME WITH MY CHILDREN.
UM, WE'RE IN NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE WHERE, UM, WE ARE ABLE TO SERVICE OVER 20 DIFFERENT, UH, NONPROFITS AROUND TOWN.
ONE OF MY FAVORITES IS REESE ACROSS AMERICA, WHICH I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO CHAIR WITHIN NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS.
IT'S BEEN VERY SPECIAL FOR MY FAMILY BECAUSE WE GET TO GO TO MY GRANDPARENTS' GRAVE SITE AND LAY THE REEFS ON THEIR, ON THEIR GRAVES, WHICH HAS BEEN REALLY SPECIAL.
UM, UH, I'M ALSO INVOLVED WITH THE P T A, UM, A BOARD MEMBER FOR THE MISS TRISTEN FOUNDATION.
IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH MISS TRISTAN, THEY ARE A DROWNING PREVENTION NONPROFIT.
UM, THEY JUST PARTNERED WITH PRE-K FOR SA TO TEACH EVERY CHILD IN THAT PROGRAM, WATER SAFETY AND HOW TO SWIM, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING BECAUSE IT REALLY, TRULY SAVES LIVES.
AND I'M ALSO ON THE BEXAR COUNTY CHILD WELFARE BOARD.
UH, LAST YEAR I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF GETTING TO KNOW THE SS A E D C AND THE BOARD MEMBERS, AND THE IMPORTANT IMPACT THIS ORGANIZATION HAS ON OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, I WAS FORTUNATELY ABLE TO ATTEND THIS YEAR'S HEALTH CELL HEALTH CELL EVENT, AND LEARNED ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE ADVANCEMENTS IN THE MEDICAL SECTOR, WHICH I KNOW S A E D C IS FOCUSED ON INVESTING IN.
UM, THE IMPORT, THE OPPORTUNITIES WE'RE CURRENTLY EXPLORING IN THESE MEDICAL FIELDS CAN PROVIDE TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY.
I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND IN MY WORK WITH CHILD SAFE AND THE BEXAR COUNTY CHILD WELFARE BOARD, JUST HOW EMPLOYMENT OR LACK THEREOF CAN RADICALLY CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF SOMEONE'S LIFE.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE REVIEWED A STUDY THAT SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A DIRECT CORRELATION BETWEEN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD ABUSE REPORTS WITH EVICTIONS.
SO WHEN A FAMILY IS GOING THROUGH THE EMOTIONAL STRAIN AND THE TRAUMA OF AN EVICTION, THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER STRESSORS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT.
AND OFTENTIMES, JOB LOSS OR UNEMPLOYMENT IS THE CATALYST FOR THAT, UH, EVICTION.
UM, SIMILARLY IN MENTAL HEALTH COURT, WE SEE HOW UNEMPLOYMENT AND JOB LOSS CAN LEAD TO MENTAL BREAKDOWNS AND SADLY, EVEN SUICIDE.
AND SO WE CAN, SINCE WE CAN SEE THE DIRECT LINK BETWEEN STABLE EMPLOYMENT AND REDUCTIONS IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, CHILD ABUSE AND MENTAL ILLNESS, I FEEL THAT THIS ORGANIZATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CREATE THE BIGGEST IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY AND HELP OUR CITY'S MOST VULNERABLE.
IT WOULD BE AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO CONTINUE SERVING WITH THE S A E D C.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR CONSIDERATION.
SO YOU ARE SO BUSY, AND I REMEMBER, I THINK YOU CAME LAST YEAR TO TALK TO US.
SO WHY ARE YOU SEEKING MARIA APPOINTMENT THIS YEAR? UM, WELL, AS I WAS STATING, I REALLY FEEL LIKE THIS PARTICULAR ORGANIZATION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REALLY AFFECT CHANGE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO IT'S SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF BECAUSE I KNOW, AS I SAID, I SAW IT WITH, UM, IN THE CHILD WELFARE BOARD, UM, AS WELL AS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH COURT SYSTEM.
I SEE HOW EMPLOYMENT TRULY IMPACTS SOMEONE'S LIFE IN A NEGATIVE OR A POSITIVE WAY.
THANK YOU, MS. MO, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN APPLYING AGAIN TO SERVE AND FOR YOUR SERVICE THUS FAR.
WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL AND STARTUP COMMUNITIES, AND HOW COULD YOU BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THEM? OKAY.
WELL, I HAVE STARTED MY OWN LAW PRACTICE, AND MY HUSBAND AND I ARE ACTUALLY, UH, STARTING A NEW SIDE BUSINESS, UM,
[00:35:01]
DOING, UM, LOAN DOCUMENT PREP.SO WE'VE HAD A SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE FOR 17 PLUS YEARS NOW.
UM, WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE PITFALLS OF, UH, HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO START A BUSINESS BEING IN THE RED.
I KNOW THAT THE PERCENTAGES OF FIRST TIME BUSINESS OWNERS ARE BEING SUCCESSFUL, ARE VERY SMALL.
AND SO, UM, KNOWING HOW TO OVERCOME THOSE HURDLES MYSELF, I THINK I COULD BE, UH, BENEFICIAL IN HELPING NEW BUSINESS OWNERS.
THANK YOU MS. MO, FOR YOUR INTEREST IN CONTINUING TO SERVE ON THIS COMMITTEE.
UM, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION? AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO CONTINUE AS YOUR FOCUS? UH, MY FOCUS WOULD BE EMPLOYMENT.
UM, AND I ALSO THINK THAT I CAN CONTRIBUTE, UM, WITH AN LEGAL EXPERTISE.
I NOTICED IN THE LAST MEETING THERE WERE SOME ISSUES ABOUT SOME LAWS THAT WERE COMING UP THAT WERE, UM, POTENTIALLY CREATING, UH, ROADBLOCKS, UH, FOR THE CORPORATION.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, LOOK INTO AND REVIEW.
I ACTUALLY ENJOY LOOKING AT BORING, UH,
SO IT'S, IT'S, THAT'S IN MY WHEELHOUSE.
HOW ARE YOU, MS. MO? AND I KNOW ONE ANOTHER, SHE'S RESIDENT OF DISTRICT NINE.
I KNOW THAT THERE WERE MEETINGS THAT WERE HELD BEFORE YOU WERE ACTUALLY APPOINTED, SO IT MAY HAVE BEEN LIMITING IN HOW MUCH YOU MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE.
YOU DID TALK ABOUT ONE, UH, EVENT OR CONFERENCE OR ACTIVITY THAT YOU DID GET INVOLVED IN.
COULD YOU TELL ME AGAIN ABOUT THAT? THE HEALTH CELL EVENT? YES.
THAT WAS DOWN, UM, AT THE HYATT HERE.
IT WAS, UH, AN EVENT THAT HAD HOSTED, UM, ROUGHLY EIGHT DIFFERENT, UH, MEDICAL ADVANCEMENT COMPANIES, UH, THAT WERE RANGING IN, UH, NEW TECHNOLOGIES FROM, UH, M R I BREAKTHROUGHS, UH, TO BREAST CANCER, UH, UM, DETECTION BREAKTHROUGHS.
UH, THEY, IT WAS SET UP SOMEWHAT LIKE A TED TALK AND A REPRESENTATIVE OF EACH ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES WOULD COME UP AND DISCUSS THE ADVANCEMENTS THAT THEY WERE, THAT THEY WERE, UH, MAKING IN THOSE COMPANIES.
GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THEY'VE DONE AND WHERE THEY'RE HEADED.
SO IT WAS REALLY FASCINATING TO HEAR ALL OF THOSE.
AND SOME OF THOSE WERE IN THE, UH, MEETING THAT WE HAD, UH, RECENTLY.
UM, SO IT WAS GOOD TO HAVE THAT BACKGROUND FROM THE HOUSE SELL EVENT.
YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENCOMPASSES A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK, UH, FROM, YOU KNOW, THE RATHER LIMITED EXPERIENCE YOU MAY HAVE HAD, UH, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ROLE OF THE ECONOMIC WORKFORCE DEVELOP? I MEAN, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS, UH, IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE CITY'S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT? WELL, I KNOW THAT THEY'RE FOCUSED ON INVESTMENT, INVESTMENT AND, UH, IN THE MEDICAL SECTOR IN PARTICULAR.
UM, AND I KNOW WITH THAT INVESTMENT, YOU CAN BRING IN OTHER, OTHER BUSINESSES, AND THOSE BUSINESSES WILL PROVIDE JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT NEED IT THE MOST.
ERICA, YOU'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR HOW MANY YEARS NOW?
WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE THIRD TIME YOU INTERVIEW FOR THIS ONE POSITION?
UM, I, WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO DO BETTER AT THE E D C? UM, AND QUESTION NUMBER TWO, IS IT WHAT YOU EXPECTED IT WOULD BE WHEN YOU FIRST, UH, WHEN YOU FIRST JOINED US? WELL, I TRULY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT IF I'M BEING PERFECTLY HONEST.
I WASN'T QUITE SURE HOW IT WAS GONNA BE RUN.
UM, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR.
UM, ANYTHING YOU COULD DO DIFFERENTLY? UM, THE ONLY SUGGESTION I MIGHT HAVE IS MAYBE, UH, WE COULD MEET MORE OFTEN, AND THAT WAS ONLY JUST BECAUSE I WAS, I STARTED IN OCTOBER AND I HAD ONLY HAD THE ONE MEETING, SO.
I WOULD BE OPEN TO MEETING MORE OFTEN IF IT'S NECESSARY, IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU ARE OPEN TO.
UM, THAT CONCLUDES THE INTERVIEW.
OUR NEXT, UH, OUR NEXT CANDIDATE IS JOSE BARILLA.
I'M AN ATTORNEY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
UH, FIRST OFF, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU
[00:40:01]
FOR, UH, CONSIDERING MY APPLICATION, UM, I GUESS ABOUT MYSELF.UH, I AM A, I'M AN ATTORNEY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
I'M A FIRST GENERATION AMERICAN.
MY PARENTS WERE IMMIGRANTS FROM HONDURAS.
I, UM, WAS THE FIRST IN MY FAMILY TO FINISH HIGH SCHOOL.
WENT TO HARVARD UNIVERSITY, THEN PENN FOR LAW SCHOOL.
GRADUATED, UH, IN 2022 YEARS AGO.
BEGAN MY CAREER IN TEXAS, WORKING FOR A SAN FRANCISCO BASED LAW FIRM THAT FOCUSED ON VENTURE CAPITAL AND PRIVATE EQUITY.
UH, ENDED UP MOVING TO DC WORKING FOR A NEW YORK BASED LAW FIRM, ALSO FOCUSING ON SIMILAR EVERYTHING FROM CORPORATE FORMATION TO, UH, ACQUISITIONS AND IPOS.
AND, UM, UH, ENDED UP, UH, GOING IN-HOUSE WORKING FOR A MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION WHERE I, UH, HELPED OUT ON THEIR COMMITTEE MOVING THEIR HEADQUARTERS.
UH, THEY WERE MOVING FROM ARKANSAS, CONSIDERED SEVERAL STATES.
ENDED UP MOVING TO PLANO, TEXAS, UH, WORKED AT A COUPLE OTHER, UM, CORPORATIONS.
AND THEN, UH, MOVED HERE TO SAN ANTONIO.
AND THREE YEARS AGO BEGAN MY OWN LAW FIRM WHERE, UH, I FOCUS ON, UH, VENTURE CAPITAL.
UM, I STARTED OFF JUST BY MYSELF.
UH, RIGHT NOW I HAVE NINE TEAM MEMBERS.
OUR CLIENTS INCLUDE, UH, VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDS, ANGEL INVESTORS, AS WELL AS ENTREPRENEURS AND STARTUP COMPANIES.
UM, I ALSO TEACH HEALTH LAW AT N Y U.
AND I USED TO TEACH GAMING LAW AT UNLV'S LAW SCHOOL IN LAS VEGAS.
UH, ABOUT MY FAMILY, I'M, I'M MARRIED.
I HAVE FOUR KIDS, AGES SEVEN TO ONE.
I HAVE A DOG THAT'S 11 YEARS OLD.
UM, AND WHY, WHY AM I HERE? UH, BASICALLY I WANNA, I WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
UH, I WANT TO HELP SAN ANTONIO BECOME A PLACE WITH AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES AS POSSIBLE, UM, FOR, FOR EVERYONE THAT LIVES HERE AND, AND FOR MY CHILDREN THAT, THAT ARE GROWING UP HERE.
AND IT'S, IT'S A PLACE THAT I, I LOVE RAISING THEM IN.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I, I AM TRYING TO GIVE BACK.
NOW, I AM A MENTOR AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY'S ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM, AS WELL AS U T S A HEALTH SCIENCE CENTERS, UH, MENTOR SERVICE.
UM, I ALSO DO A LOT OF WORK WITH, UH, VELOCITY TX IN THEIR EFFORTS, UH, IN BIOTECH.
AND, UH, I AM ALSO A MEMBER OF ALAMO ANGELS, THE ANGEL INVESTING, UH, NETWORK FOR, UM, UH, FOR SAN ANTONIO.
AND, UM, YEAH, SO THANK, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR CONSIDERING ME.
SO, UH, WHY ARE YOU SEEKING APPOINTMENT AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BRING TO THE SS A E E D C? YEAH, SO, UM, WELL, WHY I'M DOING IT.
UH, THE BASIC REASON IS I WANT TO HELP MAKE SAN ANTONIO, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMY IS, IS AS GOOD AS IT CAN BE TO MAKE IT A DESTINATION, UH, FOR MORE COMPANIES AND THE THOSE THAT ARE, UH, HAVING BUSINESSES HERE TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN GROW AND, AND REACH THEIR POTENTIAL.
UM, I, I THINK I DO HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE THAT CAN HELP.
UH, SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, I, I WORK WITH A LOT OF ENTREPRENEURS.
MY JOB IS WORKING WITH COMPANIES FROM, YOU KNOW, THE INITIAL FORMATION STAGES, HELP GUIDE THEM, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH LEGAL HELP.
BUT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S ALSO SOME, SOME BUSINESS HELP BECAUSE I GET A LOT OF EXPERIENCE.
I SEE A LOT OF CLIENTS AND ALL THE WAY TO, UH, HOPEFULLY THEY GROW BIG ENOUGH SO THAT THEY GET ACQUIRED, UM, OR THEY GO I P O.
AND SO A LOT OF MY EXPERIENCES KIND OF HELPING COMPANIES THROUGH EVERY STAGE OF, OF THEIR GROWTH.
AND, UH, I THINK THAT, UH, THAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE CAN HELP ME IN, UH, WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HAS YOU, YOU KNOW, UH, DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO HELP THE ECONOMY IN SAN ANTONIO.
AND, UH, THANK YOU MR. BAILO, FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
UH, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, AND WHAT WILL BE YOUR FOCUS DURING YOUR TERM? UH, SO WHAT I HOPE TO CONTRIBUTE IS TO GET KIND OF THE, I HAVE THE PERSPECTIVE FROM KIND OF GROWTH COMPANIES, FROM ENTREPRENEURS, PEOPLE WHO, UM, START FROM NOTHING AND TRY TO GROW A COMPANY AND, AND SERVING CUSTOMERS.
AND, AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE FACING, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY COME TO ME BECAUSE THEY'RE FACING LEGAL ISSUES.
SO WHAT I CAN CONTRIBUTE TO IS KIND OF SAY, HEY, HERE'S THE STRUGGLES THAT PEOPLE HAVE FROM THE, FROM THE LEGAL SIDE OF THINGS.
HERE'S THINGS THAT THE CITY CAN DO TO, TO TAKE OUT OBSTACLES AND ROADBLOCKS THAT ARE IN THE WAYS WHEN IT, IT IS REALLY HARD STARTING A COMPANY.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY'RE PUTTING ALL THEIR, THEIR LIFE DREAMS AND, AND SAVINGS AND EFFORTS TO DO THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, MY JOB IS TO HELP THEM, UH, TO DO THAT.
AND THEN AS PART OF, YOU KNOW, MY TERM IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, I WOULD, UM, YOU KNOW, WANNA OFFER MY PERSPECTIVE.
AND THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE FACING.
ALSO, WHAT I SEE, UM, TRYING TO, I'M, I THINK I'M THE ONLY LAW FIRM IN SAN ANTONIO THAT FOCUSES ON JUST, UH, VENTURE CAPITAL.
[00:45:01]
SAN ANTONIO NEEDS KIND OF MORE CONNECTIONS, UM, OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, UH, WITH THETHEY HAVE PLENTY OF PORTFOLIO COMPANIES IN DALLAS, HOUSTON, AUSTIN.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN SAN ANTONIO.
SO, UM, I, I WANT TO HELP KIND OF BE THAT BRIDGE AND, AND, AND HELP, YOU KNOW, DO WHAT I CAN TO, TO, TO RECTIFY THAT, THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE IN THE REST OF THE STATE, THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, WHEN THEY THINK OF TEXAS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMIC, THE, THE ECONOMY OF TEXAS.
THEY NEED TO THINK MORE ABOUT SAN ANTONIO.
I SKIPPED COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA.
NOT ON PURPOSE, BUT, UH, GO AHEAD, MA'AM.
UM,
HOW COULD YOU BE A BETTER ADVOCATE FOR THEM? UM, SO WHAT WOULD BE, YEAH, WOULD BE A BETTER ADVOCATE WOULD BE, UM, HELPING THEM.
AND PART OF THE REASON I, I'D LOVE TO HELP WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS HELP, UH, CONNECT THEM WITH MORE RESOURCES.
I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN SAN ANTONIO.
UH, WE HAVE THE MILITARY RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
WE KIND OF HAVE ALL THE, THE PIECES AND, UM, AND, AND THERE'S PEOPLE THAT ARE TRYING TO CONNECT THINGS.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE MORE OF A TEAM EFFORT, UH, BEING MORE INCLUSIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
'CAUSE THE THING WITH ENTREPRENEURS IS, I, I GREW UP WHERE I, I DIDN'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD BE A LAWYER, IF I KNEW OF, UH, EVERYTHING THAT I KNOW NOW ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS I COULD BE DOING.
UH, LIKE WHEN I WENT TO HARVARD, UH, I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT INVESTMENT BANKING, YOU KNOW, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE AT HARVARD GO TO THAT, THAT AREA.
AND, UM, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT.
AND I THINK THAT, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S LARGE PORTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT, YOU KNOW, AREN'T INCLUDED IN SOME OF THESE EFFORTS.
AND, AND THE THING IS, WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IT CAN INCLUDE EVERYONE.
THERE'S PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE HAVE A SMALL IDEA, AND IN THEIR CORNER OF THE WORLD, THEY'RE JUST, THEY JUST, THEIR DREAMS ARE SMALLER.
AND WHAT I LIKE TO DO IS, YOU KNOW, HELP SHOW THEM AND SAY, HEY, THE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GOOD IDEA FOR YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR AREA.
WELL, THIS ACTUALLY COULD WORK THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, AND MAYBE YOU SHOULD THINK BIGGER, AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO.
AND, AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE KIND OF NEED TO DO TO HELP.
I MEAN, THAT JUST HELPS NOT ONLY INDIVIDUALS IN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, BUT IT HELPS THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
YOU'VE REALLY OUTLINED, UH, A LOT OF EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING OF, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WITH, UH, HELPING BUSINESSES, SUPPORTING THEM, FINANCING, UM, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO I, I HAVE TO WONDER, HOW DO YOU SEPARATE YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FROM SERVING ON AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD? WELL, SO AS AN ATTORNEY, MY JOB IS CONSTANTLY LIKE SEPARATING MY PERSONAL BELIEFS, MY PERSONAL GOALS FROM THOSE OF MY CLIENTS.
SO FOR ME, IT'S KIND OF THE SAME THING WHERE, YOU KNOW, I, I'M ALWAYS AS AN ATTORNEY, KIND OF, PEOPLE POINT ME IN THE DIRECTION, TELL ME WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY WANT TO ACHIEVE.
AND THEN MY JOB IS TO ACHIEVE THAT, REGARDLESS OF WHAT I PERSONALLY THINK.
AND SO FOR ME, IT, IT, IT ALIGNS WITH WHAT I WANT TO DO.
I MEAN, I JUST, I THINK THAT'S WHY, UH, I WOULD BE VALUABLE TO THE BOARD, BECAUSE WHAT I DO IS ESSENTIALLY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, JUST ON A MORE INDIVIDUAL BASIS.
SO I THINK THERE ISN'T, IN THIS CASE, THERE ISN'T REALLY A CONFLICT.
IT'S, IT'S REALLY KIND OF, WE JUST, THE INTERESTS ARE ALIGNED, BUT AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, PERSONAL GAIN, UH, THAT PART OF MY JOB IS ALWAYS TO KEEP THAT SEPARATE, UH, FROM, FROM WHAT I DO.
SO I'M ALWAYS TRYING TO SHARE MY KNOWLEDGE, SHARE EXPERIENCE WITH CLIENTS ON A PAID BASIS.
BUT THEN, UH, FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, BOARD, IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE AN UN UNPAID BASIS.
BUT IT'S REALLY THE SAME THING.
IT'S, HERE'S, HERE'S MY, HERE'S MY EXPERIENCE, HERE'S MY EXPERTISE.
AND, AND, AND THE GOAL IS GONNA BE THE GOAL.
UH, YOU KNOW, I, I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH FIDUCIARY DUTIES OF A BOARD.
SO THE, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP THE MISSION OF THE BOARD, UH, REGARDLESS OF, OF WHAT IT MAY DO FOR, TO ME PERSONALLY.
SO, LIKE ME, UH, YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO GET INTO MED SCHOOL AND HAD TO GO TO LAW SCHOOL.
UH, I'M SORRY FOR, FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR BAD FORTUNE.
UH, BUT WELCOME TO, UH, WELCOME TO CITY HALL.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING WITH ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT TRINITY.
THAT, THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.
UM, FIRST OFF, JUST SAY, I, I AM STILL PAYING MY LOANS.
I WAS SURPRISED TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING
UM, BUT, UH, WITH, I SAID AT TRINITY.
UM, I THINK, UH, I, I'VE WORKED WITH SEVERAL COMPANIES.
[00:50:01]
UH, IT'S KIND OF THE MENTOR PROGRAM.UH, THE WAY IT WORKS IS, UH, WE'LL, WE HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS.
UH, I WAS, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ASSIGNED TO, UH, I THINK ABOUT TWO COMPANIES AT A TIME, AND THEN YOU HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS WITH THEM.
AND, UM, AND THEN BASICALLY YOU JUST, THEY GO OVER, WE HAVE AN AGENDA GOING OVER, WHAT IS IT? WHAT'S THEIR CHALLENGES? WHERE ARE THEY TRYING TO GO TO? UH, WE, WE DISCUSSED, YOU KNOW, USING KIND OF WHAT, WHAT MY, MY EXPERTISE.
UH, USUALLY THERE'S A, UH, THERE'S A MATCHMAKING.
SO IT'S, I'M USUALLY MATCHED WITH COMPANIES THAT ARE NEEDING SOME LEGAL HELP, UH, OR WHERE MY EXPERTISE WOULD, WOULD HELP OUT.
AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE REGULAR MEETINGS WHERE WE DISCUSS, OKAY, WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOUR CHALLENGES AND HOW CAN WE GET OVER THEM? AND, AND THEN WE HAVE FOLLOW UP IN EVERY FOLLOW UP MEETING, WE KIND OF GO OVER LIKE, OKAY, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE SINCE THEN? 'CAUSE PART OF IT IS, IT'S, THERE'S A, THERE'S A COACHING, UH, ASPECT TO IT WHERE IT'S NOT JUST, UH, PASSIVENESS TO IT OF, HERE'S SOME ADVICE.
IT'S MORE LIKE, HERE'S SOME ADVICE.
AND THEN THE NEXT MEETING, OKAY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S, HERE'S THE ACTION ITEMS BASED ON THAT ADVICE, AND WHAT IS THE RESULT OF THESE ACTION ITEMS? UM, SO THAT THESE COMPANIES ARE PROGRESSING STEP BY STEP.
UM, BUT, UH, BUT YEAH, THAT, THAT'S KINDA WHY I DO IT.
AND, AND WITH TRINITY, UH, THAT ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM, ALL OF THE COMPANIES ARE, UM, EITHER ALUMNI, UH, OR CURRENT STUDENTS, OR OTHER KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH TRINITY UNIVERSITY.
UH, THAT CONCLUDES THE INTERVIEW, SIR.
UH, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE.
UM, WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES TO, UH, DELIVER AN OPENING STATEMENT.
INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, AND THEN, WE'LL, MY COLLEAGUES WILL ASK SOME QUESTIONS, AND I'LL BRING, I'LL BRING IN THE REAR, IT SAID TWO MINUTES ONLINE, SO I HAVE TWO MINUTES PREPARED.
I'M AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NECAR WARD.
MY AREA OF RESEARCH INCLUDES MENTAL HEALTH, THE STIGMA ATTACHED TO MENTAL ILLNESS AND HEALTH INEQUALITY.
UH, I'M THANKFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO POTENTIALLY SERVE ON THE BOARD OF THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
MY INTEREST IN THIS POSITION IS SIMPLE.
I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE UNIQUE BACKGROUND THAT WILL PROVIDE A MORE ROUNDED VIEW OF HOW THE S A E D C CAN BEST SERVE THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO.
MY EXPERTISE IS IN INEQUALITY, SPECIFICALLY THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LEAD TO INEQUALITY.
THERE ARE MANY, INCLUDING EDUCATION, JOB PLACEMENT, RACE, ETHNICITY, AND GENDER.
BUT ULTIMATELY, THE PREDICTOR THAT IS MOST SALIENT IS ECONOMIC SEGREGATION.
SAN ANTONIO IS THE MOST ECONOMICALLY SEGREGATED CITY IN AMERICA AND HAS BEEN FOR MANY DECADES.
WE ARE THE EPICENTER FOR ISSUES LIKE FOOD INSECURITY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WITH ECONOMIC SEGREGATION, THE FUNDAMENTAL COST.
AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, OUR CITY MADE NATIONAL NEWS WITH AERIAL DRONE SHOTS OF FOOTBALL, FIELDS OF HUNGRY, DESPERATE SAN ANTONIANS AT THE FOOD BREAK, I KNOW I WAS THERE HELPING MY GRANDMOTHER GET FOOD.
UH, THE ELIMINATION OF ECONOMIC SE SEGREGATION IS AN IMPERATIVE, BUT SAN ANTONIO IS IN THE RIGHT POSITION TO BE A LEADER IN A PROBLEM THAT, ALTHOUGH THE WORST HERE HARMS MANY PLACES IN AMERICA, OUR CITY IS GROWING, WE HAD CONSISTENTLY OVER 30,000 NEW RESIDENTS EACH YEAR FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS.
IF WE ACTIVELY CONSIDER THE ELIMINATION OF ECONOMIC SEGREGATION IN OUR POLICY THAT HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THIS GROWTH, WE CAN EFFECTIVELY DECREASE ITS IMPACT.
WE HAVE TO ACTIVELY PURSUE DESEGREGATION ISSUES LIKE STRUCTURE OF DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ZONE INVESTMENTS, AND SMALL BUSINESS INITIATIVES.
IF I'M GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE ON THE S A D S A E D C, I WILL ZEALOUSLY ADVOCATE FROM A POSITION THAT SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND HOW OUR CITY CAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL BY UNDERSTANDING SEGREGATION IN TWO WAYS, HOW IT WILL AFFECT THE POLICIES THAT WE PURSUE, AND HOW POLICIES THAT WE PURSUE CAN AFFECT ECONOMIC SEGREGATION.
SO, UH, WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE THE CORPORATION PLAYING IN SPURRING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SAN ANTONIO? UM, CAN YOU BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC ON ANY PARTICULAR POLICIES OR, OR HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT, OH, THAT'S THE QUESTION.
WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE THE, THE CORPORATION PLAYING THIS CORPORATION PLAYING? WELL, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS GROWING IN A VERY, UM, UH, IT'S GROWING ALMOST EXPONENTIALLY AT THIS POINT WITH SO MANY, UM, LARGE INVESTMENTS COMING IN.
THE CORPORATION HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO DIRECT ANY INCOMING INVESTMENTS, BUSINESSES, EVEN WHERE WE PUT, UH, HOW WE CAN PLACE, UH, INVESTMENT ZONES TO BETTER SERVE
[00:55:01]
THE COUNTRY, UH, OUR, OUR CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.SO THIS, UH, THE, THE S A D C HAS A, UH, A LARGE ROLE IN DIRECTING WHERE, UH, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IS PLACED WITHIN THE CITY.
DO YOU BY ANY CHANCE WORK WITH DR.
VARGAS AT INDIANA? AT INDIANA, UH, UNIVERSITY, YEAH.
IN INDIANA UNIVERSITY WITH DEPARTMENT, UH, I'M AFFILIATED WITH, UH, SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOME OF THE HEALTH AREAS.
IS SHE IN COMMUNICATIONS? IT'S EDWARD VARGAS, BUT IT'S OKAY.
EDWARD, I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION, BUT I'LL ASK THE QUESTION FOR THIS ONE.
UM, IT WAS KIND OF RELEVANT, BUT IT, IT WAS ABOUT YOUR INTRO, BUT WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH ENTREPRENEURIAL AND STARTUP COMMUNITIES, AND HOW WOULD YOU BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THEM? SO MY EXPERIENCE IS IN WORKING IN THE RESEARCH SIDE, UM, PRODUCING RESEARCH THAT LOOKED AT THE CONSEQUENCES OF, OF INEQUALITY ON HEALTH, HEALTH AND HEALTH OUTCOMES.
UM, I HAVE WORKED WITH, UM, UH, PRODUCED OTHER RESEARCH, UH, EXCUSE ME, IPEN ON THESE QUESTIONS.
UM, WHILE IN INDIANA, I WAS ON SEVERAL BOARDS OF COMMISSIONS, INCLUDING ON, UH, LATINO WELLBEING.
AND, UH, RIGHT NOW I'M ON, UM, UH, COMMISSION ON, ON, UH, EXCUSE ME, UM, EXCUSE ME, UH, UM, ETHICS AND REVIEW BOARD.
UH, BUT REALLY MY INTERESTS, MY AREA OF EXPERTISE IS IN THE RESEARCH SIDE OF THIS, UH, UNDERSTANDING THE, UH, THE CORRELATES OF, OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN SERVING ON, UH, THE S A E D C.
WHAT IS, UH, WHAT CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, AND WHAT WILL BE YOUR FOCUS DURING YOUR TERM? UH, SO AGAIN, MY FOCUS WILL BE ON ECONOMIC SEGREGATION AS A FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE HERE.
UH, MY BACKGROUND IS IN STATISTICAL AND RESEARCH ANALYSIS, AND SO I HAVE, UH, SIGNIFICANT, UM, METHODOLOGICAL EXPERTISE THAT COULD HELP ANALYZE AND UNDERSTAND DATA THAT IS PRESENTED.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE WAY THAT DATA IS, IS BROUGHT OUT.
IT CAN BE USED IN, IN MANY WAYS THAT CAN PRESENT A, UH, PRESENT A SCENARIO WHERE IT LOOKS BETTER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO READ DATA.
AND SO MY AREAS IN UNDERSTANDING HOW TO INTERPRET AND UNDERSTAND, UH, THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AROUND, UH, INEQUALITY, UM, AND SO BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED CAN PROVIDE A BETTER, UH, INPUT ON ANYTHING THAT IS THAT, UH, THE, UH, S A D C E IS LOOKING AT.
I JUST WANT TO KIND OF GET A CLEARER VISION IN MY OWN MIND.
DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE, UH, AS, UH, AN ANALYST ON HOW THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOES IN SAN ANTONIO TO HELP THE BOARD OR THE CITY UNDERSTAND ABOUT ITS IMPACT, UH, ON, ON THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT BE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC HEALTH, THINGS OF THAT NATURE? WELL, PART OF THE ANALYST POSITION, ABSOLUTELY.
SO I DO SEE MYSELF IN THAT ROLE.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE IN A DECISION MAKING POSITION WHERE YOU HAVE THOSE PARTICULAR SKILLS.
I DON'T THINK IT SERVES THE PUBLIC WELL WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN A POSITION AND THEY ARE SIMPLY TAKING THE OPINIONS OVER SOMEONE ELSE WITHOUT ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT.
SO ABSOLUTELY, I DO BELIEVE THAT HAVING THAT ANALYST POSITION.
UM, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, I THINK THAT MY, MY, UH, POSITION IS GOING TO BE TRYING TO FOCUS IN ON THAT, THAT ECONOMIC SEGREGATION AND UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE PARTICULAR POLICIES.
I AM NOT CERTAIN THAT, WELL, I TAKE THAT BACK THERE.
I'VE SEEN, I, I KNOW, UH, I, I AM FAMILIAR WITH MANY OF THE PROGRAMS AND THINGS THAT WE HAVE PUSHED THROUGH, AND THERE HAVE BEEN TALK ABOUT HOW THESE THINGS MIGHT AFFECT THESE OVERALL PROBLEMS, BUT PEOPLE ARE NOT NECESSARILY ADVOCATING OR UNDERSTANDING IF THEY ARE.
AND SO MY, UH, UM, POSITION IS TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT IT IS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, UM, NOT JUST ADVOCATE, BUT AT LEAST MAKE SURE THAT THE OTHERS IN THE BORDER ARE VERY AWARE OF THE IMPACT OF THESE THINGS.
UH, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT COMING FROM THIS POSITION THAT PEOPLE MAY BE LOOKING AT ME LIKE, OH, HE'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN OR TRYING TO, TO PUSH AGAINST ANY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
FORTUNATELY, IF WE FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE, A LOT OF THESE POLICIES THAT LOOK FOR DESEGREGATION ARE ACTUALLY NOT ZERO SUM GAMES.
THEY CAN BE USED IN A WAY THAT CAN AFFECT EVERYBODY.
AND SO, UH, AGAIN, MY, MY POSITION IS TO, TO BRING A KNOWLEDGE BASE, EVIDENCE-BASED BACKGROUND INTO EXACTLY WHAT CAN BE DONE TO BETTER SERVE
[01:00:01]
THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.SO, UM, I, I GOT TO READ YOUR RESUME AND, UH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE VERY, VERY ACCOMPLISHED AND I'M HAPPY TO MEET YOU.
I'M SAD THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE GET TO MEET.
I, YOU SEEM LIKE A REALLY INTERESTING GUY TO, UH, TO TALK TO.
I, UM, I, I DO WANNA MAKE SURE YOU, YOU, HAVE YOU MONITORED ANY OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS OF, OR SEEN ANY OF THE WORK THAT THE E D C HAS DONE, UH, WITH THE DEALS THAT, THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER? AND, UH, AND IF SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK, UM, IF THERE'S ROOM FOR OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT THERE? WELL, UM, ONE OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS, A LOT, A COUPLE OF THE LAST PREVIOUS MEETINGS WE WERE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE THE, UM, UM, I THINK ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WAS ON THE MIND WAS THE WORK, EXCUSE ME, THE, UH, WHAT IS IT CALLED? THE, UH, READY TO WORK PROGRAM HAS BEEN A HUGE EMPHASIS.
I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT'S THIS MEETING, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WAS A HUGE EMPHASIS, 'CAUSE IT'S COMING OUT OF, OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
I DID NOT SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE TRYING TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SOCIOECONOMIC DISADVANTAGES, WHICH, WHICH AFFECT THOSE PROGRAMS. AND SO, LOOKING AT ANY OF THESE, THESE PROGRAMS, I DON'T SEE PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THOSE SOCIOECONOMIC DEFENSE COULD AFFECT ANY OF THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE, WE ARE ADVOCATING FOR.
OUR INTERVIEWS FOR THE DAY, UM, OUR CANDIDATES, UM, THANK YOU.
TODAY, WE, UH, I'M SORRY, OUR CANDIDATES ARE INVITED TO STAY OR NOT TODAY.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO BREAK INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CANDIDATES AND, UH, AND COME OUT OF IT, HOPEFULLY WITH A VOTE.
UH, BUT I, I DID WANT TO, UM, TO DO ONE THING AND I, AND I HOPE THAT Y'ALL WILL, WILL INDULGE ME.
WE, UM, WE DID HAVE ONE PERSON WHO WAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, AND SHE WAS KEPT UP BY CONSTRUCTION.
UH, AND, UH, I, I DON'T WANT TO DENY YOU YOUR, YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK YOUR PIECE.
UM, AND SO, JULISSA CARDELLO, DO YOU MIND APPROACHING AND DO YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, MA'AM?
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS, I, I DID HAVE A TOPIC THAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, BUT BECAUSE I, I WAS UP LAST NIGHT WATCHING THE BUDGET PRESENTATION, GOING THROUGH WHAT WAS DONE.
I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED WITH WHAT I SAW.
AND REALLY, I, I REALLY JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW YOUR WORK'S NOT DONE YET.
AND YOU'RE, YOU NOW HAVE AN SBA THAT IS WORKING NONSTOP TO REQUEST RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU, WHICH WE CANNOT DO EFFECTIVELY BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT REQUESTING THEM.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW IS THAT, UM, YOU HAVE A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT NEED A LOT OF HELP, AND NOT HAVING A LINE ITEM THAT IS CONSTANTLY INVESTING, RETAINING, GROWING THEM IS, IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE TO YOU.
IF IT'S NOT, IF YOU GUYS AREN'T TALKING ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT GONNA GO ANY FURTHER INSTEAD ON ARRIVAL.
I KNOW WE HAD A LOT OF COMPANIES AT OUR ASPECT SHOW UP AND BASICALLY TALK ABOUT HOW THE CONSTRUCTION WAS IMPACTING THEIR BUSINESSES.
AND ONE OF THE ITEMS WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THE, UM, PROVIDING THEM RELIEF FOR UTILITIES.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE TOPICS THAT YOU GUYS HAD.
AND WE WERE SAYING DO THAT AND DO MORE THAN THAT.
PROVIDE THEM ASSISTANCE BECAUSE YOU'RE SHUTTING THEM DOWN, GIVING THEM SEVEN DAY NOTICE THAT YOUR BUSINESS IS GONNA SHUT DOWN IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
THAT IS WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING TO THEM.
AND REALLY, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW YOUR WORK'S NOT DONE.
WE NEED YOU TO KEEP FIGHTING BECAUSE WE NEED ASSISTANCE.
SO, UM, WE ARE GOING TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION NOW.
THE, UH, THE TIME IS 1116 ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 12TH, THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE IS RESE RECESSING INTO A SESSION TO DELIBERATE THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION BOARD MEMBERS.
PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1, WE'LL BE CONSULTING WITH OUR ATTORNEY AND DISCUSSING PERSONNEL MATTERS.
UH, SO WE ARE, WE'RE GONNA GO INTO ANOTHER ROOM, RIGHT? OKAY.
ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, UH, WE ARE RETURNING TO OUR OPEN MEETING.
UM, COUNCILMAN COURAGE IS, UH, IS GETTING A CUP OF COFFEE.
THE TIME NOW IS 1130 ON, UH, FRIDAY, AUGUST 12TH.
AND THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE WILL NOW RECONVENE AN OPEN SESSION.
UM, AND WE TOOK NO OFFICIAL ACTION DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE ARE GOING TO, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION FROM MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCILMAN ROCHA GARCIA.
I MOVE THAT WE SEND FORTH A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THE REAPPOINTMENT TO THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF CORPORATION FOR TERM TO EXPIRE MAY 31ST, 2023, OF DR.
[01:05:01]
AND ERICA MOE.AND FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO THE SS A E D C FOR A TERM TO EXPIRE ON MAY 31ST, 2023 OF JOSE PADILLA.
SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
UH, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE.
WE ARE NOW GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR BRIEFING ON THE RELEASE OF THE SOLICITATION FOR SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES.
UM, ANNA BRADSHAW, MORNING CHAIR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, I AM HERE TO PRESENT A, A BRIEF PRES SOLICITATION BRIEFING ON THE RELEASE OF, OF FIRST R F P RELATED TO THE ARPA SMALL BUSINESS FUNDING.
SO, AS A MATTER OF BACKGROUND, UM, SO AGAIN, UM, THE CITY RECEIVED ALMOST $327 MILLION IN ARBA FUNDING.
OF THAT 30.95 MILLION WAS ALLOCATED FOR SMALL BUSINESS.
UM, ON JUNE 23RD, COUNCIL APPROVED THE, UH, SMALL BUSINESS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THAT FUNDING.
AND, UM, SO TODAY WE ARE BRINGING FORWARD THE NEXT PIECE OF THAT, MOVING THE PROCESS FORWARD, UM, WHICH WILL PUT US ON TRACK TO COMMIT THE FUNDS BY THE END OF DECEMBER, 2024, AND SPEND THEM BY THE END OF DECEMBER, 2026.
SO, AS A REMINDER, HERE ARE THE ALLOCATIONS MADE WITHIN THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WITH THE LARGEST PORTION GOING TOWARDS ACCESS TO CAPITAL, BUT ALSO OTHER SMALLER MEANINGFUL INVESTMENTS IN THE FOUR OTHER AREAS.
SO, AS AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, AGAIN, WE TOOK A TWO PHASED APPROACH WITH THE FIRST PHASE BEING THE RELEASE OF THE COVID IMPACT GRANTS.
SO THAT IS CURRENTLY ON PRO IN PROGRESS.
UM, IT'S BEEN A REALLY SURPRISINGLY SMOOTH ROLLOUT OF ALL OF THAT.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT LIFTFUND AND OUR B D O PARTNERS TO DO THE OUTREACH.
AND SO WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY TO MEETING THOSE TIMELINE GOALS TO GET THAT, THAT FUNDING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT AS WE MOVE INTO PHASE TWO, UM, WE, WE FOUND TWO DISCREET PORTIONS WITHIN THERE.
AND THIS FIRST PHASE IS THAT, UH, PART ONE, WHICH IS ALMOST $7.8 MILLION, UM, AND THE SOLICITATION WE'RE RELEASING.
AND THEN AS WE GO INTO NEXT YEAR, WE WOULD LOOK TO ACTIVATE THE REMAINING $5.5 MILLION, UM, FOR THOSE PLACEMAKING ELEMENTS LISTED THERE.
AND SO THE COMPONENTS OF THIS FIRST SOLICITATION ARE LISTED ON THIS SLIDE, UM, BEING THE WEB PRESENCE PROGRAM, PROVIDING THAT ASSISTANCE, UM, FOR THOSE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO, WHO NEED TO ESTABLISH OR, OR, UM, AMPLIFY THEIR SMALL BUSINESS PRESENCE ON THE WEB, UM, THE BACK OFFICE SUPPORT PROGRAM, THE GROWTH FUND, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ECOSYSTEM, AS WELL AS THE ONGOING EFFORTS ON THE BY LOCAL, UM, PROGRAM.
AND SO, A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ON THESE NEXT FEW SLIDES ON THOSE SOLICITATION COMPONENTS.
AGAIN, THE WEB PRESENCE PROGRAM REALLY CAME ABOUT FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, THE NEED OF A LOT OF BUSINESSES TO, TO PIVOT DURING THE PANDEMIC, UM, AND, AND PEOPLE LOOKING TO CONSUME GOODS DIFFERENTLY.
AND SO HOW CAN WE HELP THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES WHO PERHAPS HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, THE ACCESS, OR THE KNOW-HOW TO ESTABLISH THAT WEB PRESENCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THESE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, THEY WEAR MANY HATS.
AND SO THIS IS JUST A, AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE SOME TARGETED ASSISTANCE IN THAT AREA.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY SEEKING TO FIND A PARTNER OR PARTNERS WHO WOULD PROVIDE THOSE CONSULTATIVE SERVICES, UM, TO, TO UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT TOOL BEST APPLIES, BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY TOOLS AVAILABLE.
AND FINDING THE BEST ONE IS, IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE, BUT THEN ALSO HELP THEM BUILD IT AND POTENTIALLY MAINTAIN IT GOING FORWARD SO THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING A BURDEN ON THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES ONCE THEY HAVE THIS NEW TOOL IN PLACE.
UM, BACK OFFICE SUPPORT, UM, PROGRAM REALLY CAME ABOUT AGAIN FROM THE, THE, UH, THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED THROUGH ROLLOUT OF THE GRANTS.
SO AGAIN, THE BUSINESS OWNERS, THEY MAY BE EXCELLENT AT PROVIDING A GOOD OR SERVICE, BUT IT'S THAT REALLY BACK OFFICE ACUMEN THAT, UM, IS, IS NEEDED IN A LOT OF AREAS.
AND SO THIS PROGRAM WOULD OFFER SUPPORT IN POTENTIALLY BOOKKEEPING, ACCOUNTING, PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, FINANCIAL REPORTING, AND SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY.
OBVIOUSLY, SUPPLY CHAIN IS AN ONGOING PROGRAM, AND SO WE WOULD LOOK TO IDENTIFY A PARTNER OR PARTNERS TO PROVIDE THIS TYPE OF SUPPORT TO BUSINESSES.
UM, GROWTH FUND IS A REAL OPPORTUNITY THAT WE SEE WITH THIS FUNDING TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO CAPITAL.
SO AGAIN, THROUGH THE GRANTS PROGRAM, WE ARE TARGETING THAT CAPITAL TOWARD THE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE BEEN HARDEST HIT BY THE PANDEMIC.
BUT WE KNOW THERE'S A, A WHOLE OTHER SECTOR OF BUSINESSES WHO ARE LOOKING TO GROW FROM THE PANDEMIC.
PERHAPS THEY WERE ESTABLISHED AND MOVING INTO A GROWTH PHASE, OR THEY WERE THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT TOOK THE LEAP TO OPEN DURING THE PANDEMIC.
SO WE WANNA PROVIDE THAT ACCESS TO THE CAPITAL, UM, THROUGH DIFFERENT OPTIONS INCLUDING GAP FINANCING, UM, BUT ESTABLISH, YOU KNOW, CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS WITH, WITH THE BANKING INDUSTRY AND PROVIDE THOSE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL OPTIONS.
[01:10:02]
THEN WITH OUR, BY LOCAL, UM, IMPLEMENTATION AND, AND OPERATIONS, AGAIN, WE COMPLETED THE STUDY, UM, THIS SUMMER WITH THE CONSULTANTS, AND THEY PROVIDED A LITANY OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND IN OPPORTUNITIES WITH THIS PROGRAM.SO WE'D BE SEEKING SOMEONE TO CARRY THAT WORK FORWARD, UM, SOMEONE WHO COULD WORK WITH OUR, OUR PLACE-BASED BDOS TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT SO THAT WE CAN REALLY GENERATE THAT INTERNAL DEMAND FOR THE AMAZING GOODS AND SERVICES THAT ARE PRODUCED HERE, UM, TO COMPLEMENT THE, THEIR EXISTING BUSINESS.
AND THEN THE, THE LAST COMPONENT WOULD BE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE, THE PILLARS FROM THE ECOSYSTEM REPORT.
UM, AND SO THIS WOULD REALLY SEEK TO ADDRESS THE, THE BUCKETS IDENTIFIED HERE AND ADDRESS THOSE, THOSE BARRIERS, THOSE LONG-TERM BARRIERS THAT HAVE, UM, BEEN CHALLENGES FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
AND THEN WERE PARTICULARLY HIGHLIGHTED DURING THE PANDEMIC.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF OUTCOME MEASURES THAT WE HAVE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS, BUT UNLIKE MANY SOLICITATIONS THAT WE ISSUE, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR IDEAS FROM THE BDOS WHO DO THE WORK, AND THEN DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF OUR ECOSYSTEM TO SAY, HERE'S HOW WE CAN SOLVE A PIECE OF THIS MOVING FORWARD.
NOT ONLY TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY, BUT REALLY HELPING BUILDING MORE RESILIENT SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMY HERE IN THE CITY.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR, FOR THEIR BEST AND BRIGHTEST IDEAS TO SEE HOW WE CAN ADDRESS THESE ISSUES IN TERMS OF EVALUATION CRITERIA.
SO YOU'LL SEE THE BREAKOUT HERE, UM, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE POINTS GOING TO EXPERIENCE BACKGROUND QUALIFICATIONS AND THEIR PROPOSED PLAN.
UM, WE ARE ALSO ASKING THAT THEY SUBMIT DETAILED BUDGETS AND BUDGET NARRATIVES TO NOT ONLY DESCRIBE HOW THEY WOULD USE THE FUNDING IN THE IMMEDIATE, BUT LOOK TO LEVERAGE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES.
WE KNOW THERE'S LOTS OF FEDERAL MONEY OUT THERE.
UM, WE HAVE A, A ROBUST PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY HERE.
AND SO HOW CAN WE TAKE OUR INVESTMENTS AND LEVERAGE OTHER FUNDING TO MULTIPLY THAT IMPACT? SO THAT'S A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF, OF THAT BUDGET.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO APPLY OUR C BETA PROGRAM WITH BOTH POINTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES, AS WELL AS OUR VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM.
UM, YOU'LL SEE THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE LISTED HERE, UM, COMPRISED OF FROM THE CITY, UM, ALEX LOPEZ, BRENDA, MYSELF, UM, AND BRIAN DILLARD FROM CHIEF INNOVATION OR CHIEF INNOVATION OFFICER.
AGAIN, WANTING TO LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND VALUE HIS, HIS INPUT AND, AND THE INNOVATION CENTERED IDEAS THAT HE BRINGS FORWARD.
UM, BUT ALSO SOME ADDITIONAL MEMBERS.
UM, JEREMY ROBERTS, CHAIR OF SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION WHO SPOKE EARLIER TODAY, AS WELL AS, UH, DR.
LUIS MARTINEZ FROM TRINITY CENTER FOR IN, UM, INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE A, A VERY DIVERSE PANEL IN TERMS OF PROCESS.
WE ARE SEEKING TO ISSUE THIS R F P NEXT THURSDAY WITH A PRE-SUBMIT CONFERENCE HELD TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH, THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT BEING OCTOBER.
SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT A LONGER A SOLICITATION PERIOD, BUT AGAIN, WE WANNA PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE ORGANIZATIONS TO PUT FORTH THEIR PROPOSALS AND, AND I WILL ADD THAT THEY CAN, ANY ENTITY CAN SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR ANY OF THOSE COMPONENTS LISTED.
UM, AND THEN WE WOULD LOOK TO EVALUATE THOSE PROPOSALS TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR, BRING BACK, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS AND BRIEF THIS COMMITTEE, UM, IN JANUARY WITH BRINGING THOSE CONTRACT AWARDS TO CITY COUNCIL IN FEBRUARY.
SO WE ARE LOOKING TO MOVE VERY QUICKLY WITH THIS FUNDING TO ACTIVATE IT BECAUSE WE KNOW THE NEEDS ARE THERE.
UM, AND IT WILL LINE UP PROPER OR LINE UP WELL WITH CLOSING OUT THE GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE THAT ONGOING ASSISTANCE GOING FORWARD.
UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
I KNOW THAT IT'S, THIS IS A HEAVY LIFT FOR YOU AND THE ENTIRE TEAM, UM, AND YOU'RE DOING IT GRACEFULLY.
YOU MAKE IT LOOK EASY, BUT I KNOW IT'S NOT.
UM, COUNCILWOMAN BRAN, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? UH, YES.
SO I, UM, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT THE PROGRAM PLAN IS, THAT FINANCIAL EDUCATION IS PART OF THAT PROCESS.
UM, AND I DID LIKE THAT YOU STRESSED THAT WE WERE GONNA TRY AND HAVE THEM WORK WITH THEIR, UH, LOCAL BANKS, UM, IN, IN THE FUTURE AS THEY NEED TO MOVE.
UM, THE OTHER IS, UM, WHAT ABOUT THE DO DOES, WILL WE LOOK FOR A PLAN THAT INCLUDES THIS, THE STRATEGIZING FOR SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES, LOGISTICS, TRANSPORTATION, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, HOW TO GET THE MATERIAL LOGISTICS BECAME HUGE AFTER THIS PANDEMIC.
SO YES, WE, WE SEE THOSE AS BEING COMPONENTS OF THAT BACK OFFICE PROGRAM.
IS, IS WALKING THROUGH THAT, UM, THOSE PIECES AS WELL AS THE FINANCIAL, UH, AND DURING THE SUBMITTAL CONFERENCE, ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE THEM KIND OF EXAMPLES FOR THE APPLICANTS OF
[01:15:01]
WHAT THEY NEED TO PROVIDE IN THE R F P TO GET THAT AS MANY POINTS AS THEY CAN FOR THE EXPERIENCE, BACKGROUND AND QUALIFICATIONS SECTION? YES.AND, AND THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENT IS, IS A PRETTY LONG DOCUMENT.
WE WANTED TO STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN GIVING THEM ENOUGH GUIDANCE TO SUBMIT THEIR PROPOSALS AND SUBMIT STRONG PROPOSALS, BUT ALSO NOT BEING SO PRESCRIPTIVE THAT PERHAPS WE LIMIT SOME OF THE INNOVATIVE IDEAS.
SO, UM, THROUGH THE DOCUMENT AND THE PRE-SUBMIT SUBMITTAL, WE, WE CAN ADDRESS THOSE QUESTIONS BECAUSE IT, AND PART OF THIS IS GOING HAND IN HAND IS WE ALL IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR HAVE CORRIDORS THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE REVITALIZED OR, UM, CONTINUE.
AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHO THE APPLICANTS ARE, ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE DISTRICT'S MOST IN NEED.
'CAUSE YOU COULD HAVE SOMEONE WITH THAT 30 POINTS OF, UM, BACKGROUND AND, AND EXPERIENCE, BUT THEIR EXPERIENCE ISN'T NECESSARILY WHERE, WHERE OUR NEEDS ARE.
AND I'LL ADD THAT THE CORRIDOR PROGRAMS, THOSE ARE ACTUALLY IN THE SECOND SOLICITATION OR APPLICATION PROCESS WE'LL DO, UM, EARLY NEXT YEAR.
AND SO YES, WE WILL, WE, THERE'LL BE A LOT, THIS ONE WILL HAVE OUTREACH THAT ONE WILL HAVE EVEN MORE OUTREACH AND KIND OF GAINING THAT UNDERSTANDING ON IDENTIFYING THE CORRIDORS AND, AND THOSE PLACEMAKING ELEMENTS.
AND, UM, I'LL START OFF WITH, WITH THE EASY QUESTION ON A, ON THE ECOSYSTEM REPORT IMPLEMENTATION.
WE DISCUSSED BUDGET YESTERDAY.
UM, AND AS I RECALL FROM THE LAST MEETING, WE WERE ALL IN FAVOR OF, UM, INCREASING SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE ECOSYSTEM TO BE DONE THROUGH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, NOT NECESSARILY AS PART OF ARPA FUND.
AND FOR INSTANCE, MY JUSTIFICATION WAS THAT I THINK THAT THE E D D SHOULD BE DOING THIS AS A PART OF THEIR PLAN, RIGHT? TO HELP SUSTAIN OUR BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, SBOS, ET CETERA.
UM, DOES THAT REQUEST HAVE TO COME DIRECTLY FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS FROM THE DAIS WHEN THE BUDGET FOR E D D IS PRESENTED ON AUGUST 31ST? YEAH, I'LL GO AHEAD AND TAKE THAT QUESTION.
AND, UM, I, I, WE, WE HEARD THAT, UM, WE HEARD THAT CONVERSATION AND I THINK IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF ALL OF THE PRIORITIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED, UM, WE SAW THE OPPORTUNITY TO STILL LEVERAGE THIS ARPA FUNDING FIRST AND SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, LIKE, LIKE THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED YESTERDAY, THERE ISN'T A DIRECT RECOMMENDATION FOR ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR, UM, IN THAT CAPACITY.
WHAT I WILL SHARE IS THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS ACTUALLY COORDINATING, UM, SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP WITH THIS COMMITTEE PREVIOUSLY.
AND THAT'S HOW, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING, HOW THIS INVESTMENT OF ARPA RESOURCES CAN BE LEVERAGED WITH, UM, BANKS AND CDFIS AND OTHER FUNDERS IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE LOOKING TO, UM, ALSO SUPPORT THIS TYPE OF WORK THAT WE'RE BASICALLY SEEDING WITH THESE RESOURCES RIGHT NOW.
'CAUSE I KNOW THERE WAS SOME CONCERN FROM THE SPAC MEMBERS ABOUT WHETHER THIS OR NOT IT WAS GONNA BE A GUARANTEE IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT IT UP YESTERDAY WAS I FELT LIKE WE HAD, UM, MAJORITY OF SUPPORT FROM HERE FOR IT TO BE A RECURRING LINE ITEM, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING.
AND SO I FIGURED THAT I'D ASK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW.
BUT SPEAKING OF THE SPAC, WILL, INCLUDING A MEMBER OF SPAC AND THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE CREATE POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.
AND I KNOW THAT MEMBERS OF THE SPAC SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE ON SS B D O BOARDS, ET CETERA.
UM, AND I, I BELIEVE IN THE GREAT WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE BEING BUILT, I JUST DON'T WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE IT WOULD BE A POINT OF FAVORITISM IF SOMEBODY WHO SITS ON AN SS B D OR AN S B D O BOARD SITS ON THE R F P EVALUATION COMMITTEE.
SO I'M JUST, UM, WONDERING, CITY COUNCIL HAS SEEN THIS BEFORE AND I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE DISASTROUS TO HAVE IT COME BEFORE THE FULL COUNCIL AND SOMEBODY POINT THAT OUT.
WE'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN, FOR INSTANCE, EVEN RECENTLY IN THE LAST YEAR IN AN ON ANOTHER BOARD.
SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND THAT A LITTLE MORE? SURE.
COUNCILWOMAN AND, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE VETTED, UM, VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANTED TO AVOID EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST MM-HMM.
UM, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THEY HAVE, HAVE COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH US ON.
SO THE, THE CITY ETHICS GUIDELINES ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FOR THOSE ON NONPROFIT BOARDS.
UM, AND SO IF THERE ARE ANY INSTANCES THAT ANY, ANY MEMBER OF THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE IS ON THAT, THEY WOULD HAVE TO RECUSE THEMSELVES FROM SCORING THAT PARTICULAR PROPOSAL.
UM, BUT THEY, AND THEY CANNOT BE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT PROPOSAL ON THE ENTITY, WHICH THE BOARD THEY SERVE, BUT IT DOES NOT PRECLUDE THEM FROM SCORING THE OTHER ONES.
SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THIS IS A VERY CLEAN AND TRANSPARENT PROCESS.
AND THEN, BECAUSE THE RFPS INCLUDE SOME FEDERAL FUNDING, THERE'S STIPULATIONS
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TO HOW THE FUNDS CAN BE USED.UM, DOES THIS AFFECT THE LOCAL PREFERENCE POINTS OR SUB BETA OR VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS POINTS THAT ARE TYPICALLY, UH, INCLUDED IN THE SCORING MATRIX OF THOSE OTHER RFPS? SO, UM, WE RECEIVED ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT JUST LAST, EARLY LAST WEEK ON, UM, THEY'VE, UM, RELAXED SOME OF THE GUIDELINES WITH ARPA IN TERMS OF APPLYING OUR LOCAL PREFERENCE PROGRAMS, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE, UH, RECOMMENDING TO INCLUDE S BETA AND, AND VS B, UM, SHOULD THE, THE COUNCIL, SO THERE'S A PROVISION WITHIN THE LOCAL PREFERENCE ORDINANCE THAT SAYS IT CANNOT APPLY TO PROGRAMS WITH FEDERAL FUNDING, BUT SHOULD COUNCIL WISH TO APPLY THAT PROGRAM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD, UM, ELECT TO DO.
AND CURRENTLY IN THE SCORING MATRIX AND, AND THERE'S OTHER CITIES LIKE DENVER AND CHICAGO AND, AND, UM, AUSTIN AND, AND SAN JOSE, UH, WITH SIMILAR PROPOSALS LIKE THE ONES THAT YOU ALL HAD SHARED IN PREVIOUS E W D C MEETINGS, ARE THEY ALSO INCLUDING THESE TYPE OF PREFERENCE POINTS OR CONSIDERATIONS? SO AGAIN, THE CHANGE JUST CAME LAST WEEK.
SO WE WOULD NEED TO GO BACK AND REVERIFY IF THEY WERE GOING TO, TO CHANGE THEIR SOLICITATIONS, BUT WE, WE UPDATED SINCE WE COULD APPLY THEM, WE DECIDED WE, WE WOULD WANNA SEEK TO APPLY THEM JUST BECAUSE THOSE ARE, UM, IMPORTANT PARTS OF OUR PROGRAMMING.
AND THEN, UM, IF THE CONTRACTS ARE SCHEDULED TO BE AWARDED BY FEBRUARY, UH, AND DISTRIBUTED BY SEPTEMBER, HOW SOON CAN WE EXPECT PROGRESS OR QUARTERLY REPORTS AND HAVE WE CONSIDERED SOME PERFORMANCE MEASURES? AND, UM, WE HAD AN OUTLINE IN THE E W D C FROM MAY 24TH, LIKE NUMBER OF JOBS CREATED, RETAIN PERFORMANCE, UH, INDICATORS.
UM, WOULD WE STILL BE ALLOWED TO, TO, UH, I GUESS INPUT, UM, OR, OR GIVE SOME ADDITIONAL INPUT ON PERFORMANCE METRICS? SO I THINK WHEN WE BRING BACK THE, THE POST SOLICITATION ITEM IN JANUARY, WE COULD PROBABLY PROVIDE A LOT MORE DETAIL ON, ON THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES BASED ON THE PROPOSALS WE RECEIVED.
BUT WE WANT ALL OF THAT, UM, FULLY VETTED THROUGH THE PROPOSAL SO THAT WE CAN BE TRACKING IT ALONG THE WAY AND PROVIDING REGULAR REPORTS.
AND THEN YOU'LL TALK ABOUT BRIEFINGS AT THAT POINT, OR HOW OFTEN WE'RE EXPECTED.
ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, CHAIR.
ROCHA ASKED MANY GREAT QUESTIONS.
UH, CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH HOW THAT WILL FUNCTION? FOR EXAMPLE, IF I'M A SMALL TA OWNER, WHAT WILL THAT LOOK LIKE AND HOW WILL WE BE MEASURING, UM, SUCCESS? SO, SO WITH THAT PROGRAM, WE'RE, WE'RE AGAIN, LOOKING FOR A PARTNER TO PRESENT US WITH AN IDEA.
UM, I, I THINK GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE WOULD WANT THE COMPONENTS TO BE, AGAIN, PROVIDING THAT CONSULTATIVE SERVICE.
SO IF YOU ARE THAT
AND THEY COULD SAY, OKAY, THE BEST TOOL FOR YOU IS, UH, GOOGLE MY BUSINESS.
BECAUSE THE FIRST THING PEOPLE DO BEFORE THEY GO OUT TO EAT SOMEWHERE IS THEY LOOK TO SEE WHAT THEIR HOURS ARE.
SO YOU NEED TO HAVE THAT PRESENCE.
WHEREAS IF THEY GO TO SOMEONE WHO PERHAPS IS A, A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER, THEY'RE MEETING WITH THAT PERSON SAYING, WELL, YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN INSTAGRAM WEBSITE.
BECAUSE THE FIRST THING PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY'RE RESEARCHING PHOTOGRAPHERS MM-HMM.
AND SO THAT'S A LOT OF TIMES HOSTED ON INSTAGRAM.
SO DOING THAT CONSULTATIVE SERVICE, THEN AGAIN, BUILDING IT OUT, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, WRITING THE COPY, DOING PHOTOGRAPHY, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
AND THEN SAYING, OKAY, HERE'S WHAT WE CAN EXPECT.
THIS IS A NUMBER OF IMPRESSIONS OR VIEWS, CLICK THROUGH RATES, TYPE THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND THEN CIRCLING BACK AGAIN TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IN WHATEVER PERIOD OF TIME, IT'S TIME TO UPDATE.
DID YOU UPDATE YOUR MENU? OKAY, THIS IS HOW WE CAN UPDATE THAT ON THERE.
OR HERE'S HOW YOU CAN DO THAT YOURSELF THROUGH WHATEVER TOOL IT IS YOU'RE USING.
SO BEING CONSULTATIVE, UM, PROVIDING UPDATES AND, AND AGAIN, PROVIDING, PROVIDING THAT TRAINING TO THEM TO HOW THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE EVENTUALLY DO IT THEMSELVES.
I JUST WANT TO KIND OF REVIEW THIS QUICKLY AND MAKE SURE I HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF, OF KIND OF EVERYTHING WE'VE GONE OVER HERE.
BUT, UH, GOING BACK TO, UM, WHERE WE HAD THE SMALL BUSINESS IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, WE SAID ACCESS TO CAPITAL IS $20 MILLION.
AND THEN, UM, IN THE IMPLEMENTATION RIGHT NOW, WE'VE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED OR BEGUN GIVING OUT PART OF THE $17 MILLION OR PEOPLE ARE APPLYING FOR THAT BUSINESS, APPLYING FOR THAT BASED ON THEIR, THEIR COVID NEEDS.
AND THEN, UM, THE OTHER $3 MILLION IS THROUGH THE GROWTH PLAN? CORRECT.
AND, AND THAT'S MORE FOR ANY BUSINESS LEGACY BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY BASED ON COVID, IT COULD JUST BE BASED ON GENERAL GROWTH NEEDS FOR THEIR BUSINESS.
SO THERE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO STILL BE SOME DEMONSTRATION OF A, A COVID IMPACT JUST BECAUSE THESE ARE THOSE ARPA DOLLARS.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S LOTS OF RESEARCH THAT SUGGESTS THAT RE UH, LENDING RATES HAVE GONE DOWN DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.
OBVIOUSLY INTEREST RATES ARE CURRENTLY GOING UP, SO WE WOULD NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD JUSTIFY
[01:25:01]
WHEN WE'RE REPORTING BACK TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT THERE'S BEEN THAT COVID IMPACT.BUT YEAH, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO HAVE THOSE DIRECT REVENUE LOSSES.
WE COULD LOOK AT OTHER CRITERIA TO SEE WHO WOULD QUALIFY FOR THE GROWTH FUND.
SO, UH, THESE, UM, BOTH GRANTS, SO AGAIN, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE PROPOSALS TO, TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE BEST WAY IS TO APPLY THESE FUNDS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, I THINK WANNA BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE OTHER DOLLARS TOO.
SO PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, OUR FUNDING COULD BE USED FOR GRANTS, BUT THEN IF THEY'RE LEVERAGING OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, THOSE COULD BE LOW OR NO INTEREST LOANS, DEPENDING ON WHAT WORKS BEST.
UM, BUT WE WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FOR THE PROPOSALS TO SHOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO APPLY THESE FUNDS TO GENERATE THAT, THAT GROWTH IN, IN OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
THE 17 MILLION THOUGH IS GRANTS.
THAT'S GRANTS 17 MILLION IS A HUNDRED PERCENT GRANTS.
SO YOU'RE SAYING WITH THE GROWTH FUND, WHICH IS $3 MILLION, 3 MILLION, AND WE ARE GOING TO GO OUT WITH AN R F P FOR AN AGENCY OR MORE THAN ONE WHO WILL DISSEMINATE THAT MONEY FOR US? YES, SIR.
YOU'RE SAYING THAT IF THEY OFFER THESE IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER KINDS OF LOANS, LIKE A BANK LOAN THAT WOULD GO WITH IT, THEN, UH, IT MAY NOT BE ALL A GRANT, IT MAY END UP BEING A COM A COMBINED LOAN OR SOMETHING.
I THINK THERE ARE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE NEEDS OR DIFFERENT FINANCIAL TOOLS THAT WORK BEST.
YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A GAP FINANCING SITUATION, PERHAPS IT'S A LOAN PRODUCT THAT COULD BE USED OR, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT WE WANNA SPUR GROWTH BY, BY LEVERAGING OTHER FUNDS IN HERE AND FIGURING OUT, WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE BEST MECHANISM TO DO THAT.
UH, YOU GAVE A, A PRETTY GOOD DESCRIPTION OF FOUR OUT OF THE FIVE SOLICITATION COMPONENTS, BUT YOU GAVE NO DESCRIPTION ABOUT THE ECOSYSTEM REPORT IMPLEMENTATION.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE, HOW THAT'S GONNA WORK? SURE.
SO THE, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PILLARS, AGAIN, THE, THE REPORT WAS PRODUCED, UM, BACK IN 2020, UM, AND WITH THE, WELL THE REPORT WAS PRESENTED TO, TO THE COMMITTEE IN 2021, AND IT IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES IN OUR SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, CENTERING AROUND THOSE, THOSE FOUR AREAS, THE ACCESS TO CAPITAL, THE ACCESS AND NETWORK, THE SUSTAINABILITY RESILIENCY, AND THE ECOSYSTEM COORDINATION.
AND SO GIVEN THOSE CHALLENGES, WE, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE OUR PARTNERS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY HOW THEY WOULD ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES.
SO AGAIN, WITH ACCESS TO CAPITAL, UM, IF YOU'LL RECALL A WHILE BACK, I SHOWED A MAP THAT SHOWED THE GAPS IN BANK AND C D F I LENDING.
SO PERHAPS THERE'S A, A PARTNER OR GROUP OF PARTNERS WHO SAY WE WANNA TARGET C D F I LENDING ON THE NEAR WEST SIDE WHERE IT'S PARTICULARLY LOW.
AND SO THEY PRESENT A PROPOSAL IN SAYING HOW THEY WOULD ADDRESS THAT.
AND SO WE COULD LOOK TO, TO FUND THAT PROPOSAL.
BUT THEN IN THE, UM, ACCESS AND NETWORKS, UM, THERE COULD BE ANOTHER GROUP OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT SAY WE WANNA REALLY ADDRESS CONNECTIVITY OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO NETWORK AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER, PERHAPS A MENTORING TYPE OF PROGRAM.
AND WE COULD LOOK TO FUND THOSE TYPE OF, OF OPPORTUNITIES.
SO, UM, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE, WE'RE IN, IN THE SOLICITATION, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, BUT WE'RE REALLY RELYING ON THAT REPORT TO HELP GUIDE THE WORK.
AND, AND WE'VE WORKED A LOT WITH THE ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS THAT WE'RE AWARE OF.
AND I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE THEY CAN TELL US, HERE'S HOW WE CAN ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS AS OPPOSED TO SAYING WE CITY WOULD LIKE X, Y, AND Z AND GETTING IT.
SO IT'S, IT'S SEEKING TO BE COLLABORATIVE TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES.
I'VE JUST MISSED IT IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
SO I, I THINK IF YOU'RE GONNA PRESENT THIS TO COUNCIL, THAT YOU OUGHT TO GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE THAT EXPLANATION.
UM, OKAY, NOW WE HAVE THE PILLARS AS DEVELOPED, UH, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPING THEM FURTHER.
UH, I THINK THAT'S, UH, SLIDE 10 AND IT TALKS ABOUT ACCESS TO FLEXIBLE CAPITAL, SUSTAINABILITY, ET CETERA, ECOSYSTEM COORDINATION, ACCESS TO NETWORKS.
SO ARE WE SAYING THAT THESE FOUR IDENTIFIED PILLARS ARE GOING TO BE, UH, FURTHER DEVELOPED WITH PUBLIC INPUT OR, UM, INPUT FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS? UH, AND AS THEY ARE DEVELOPED, WHERE'S THE FUNDING GONNA COME FROM FOR THOSE PILLARS? IF YOU COULD REPEAT YOUR QUESTION, I'M NOT SURE I AM.
WELL, YEAH, IT SAYS YOU WANT TO IMPLEMENT PILLARS, YOU MENTIONED FOUR OF 'EM ON 10, UH, INCREASED OPPORTUNITY, IDENTIFY, ADDRESS, CREATING LONG-TERM.
ARE YOU JUST SAYING THESE ARE GUIDELINES OR THESE ADDITIONAL, UH, FEATURES TO BE DEVELOPED GOING FORWARD THAT, THAT WILL NEED SOME KIND OF FUNDING? SO AGAIN, THE, THE PILLARS WHERE THE FRAMEWORK WHERE THE CHALLENGES WERE IDENTIFIED, AND SO WE HAVE THE,
[01:30:01]
THE $3 MILLION ALLOCATED AND WE WANT TO, TO START TO ADDRESS THEM.NOW, WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE ABLE TO ADDRESS THEM ALL, OR AS WE LOOK AT THE DATA WHEN WE COLLECT IT AND SEE THERE ARE ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL OBVIOUSLY NEED TO SEE WHERE THAT GOES.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE, WE KNOW THE PROBLEM.
WE HAVE AN IDEA FOR HOW WE CAN POTENTIALLY ADDRESS IT.
WE HAVE METRICS, UM, THAT WE WANT AND DESIRED OUTCOMES THAT WE WANNA ACHIEVE WITH IT.
SO I THINK WE, THIS IS, THIS IS WANTING TO ACTIVATE THOSE DOLLARS TO START TO ADDRESS THEM.
AND THEN IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL NEEDS, AND THAT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WE WILL CERTAINLY WORK WITH, WITH SPAC AND WITH THE COMMITTEE TO, TO BRING FORWARD THOSE.
SO THAT'S FROM UNDER THE ECOSYSTEM? YES.
UM, YOU HAVE FIVE SOLICITATIONS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WEB PRESENCE, BACK OFFICE GROWTH FUND, ECOSYSTEMS, BUYING LOCAL, ET CETERA.
ARE ALL OF THOSE GOING OUT FOR BIDS THROUGH RFPS? UH, AND IS THAT ONE TEAM THAT YOU MENTIONED, THE ONE TEAM THAT'S GONNA EVALUATE ALL OF THOSE RFPS? YES.
SO WE ARE SENDING THIS OUT AS A SINGLE SOLICITATION.
SO, UM, SORT OF A, A MASS SELECTION TYPE OR CONSOLIDATED FUNDING TYPE PROCESS WHERE WE, UM, THE, THE R F P COMPRISES ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS AND RESPONDENTS CAN RESPOND TO ONE OR ALL OF THEM IF THEY LIKE.
SO THE, THE BENEFIT OF DOING THAT IS THEY ONLY NEED TO SUBMIT THEIR EXPERIENCE, UM, BACKGROUND AND QUALIFICATIONS ONE TIME, AND THEN THEY WOULD SUBMIT A PROPOSED PLAN.
SO WE'RE SEEKING TO STREAMLINE THAT, UM, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY REDUCE THE, THE, THE BURDEN ON THE EVALUATION COMMITTEE.
BUT, BUT IT COULD BE BROKEN DOWN IF ONE, ONE GROUP WAS, UH, AN EXPERT AT BACK OFFICE, UH, EVEN THOUGH OTHERS MIGHT SAY WE CAN DO BACK OFFICE MM-HMM.
IT COULD BE ONE OR MULTIPLE FOR EACH COMPONENT.
I THINK THAT ANSWERS ALL MY QUESTIONS.
OH, I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UM, MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
UH, WE GOT A BRIEFING ON SMALL BUSINESS UTILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR UTILITIES.
UH, WHO WANTS TO COME ON FIRST? SO Y'ALL ARE ACTUALLY GONNA GET A CHANCE TO MEET ONE OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS ON THE TEAM.
CAITLIN COWARD IS GONNA DO A BRIEF INTRODUCTION, AND THEN WE'VE GOT SOME REPRESENTATIVES FROM SASS AND C P SS, THEY'RE GONNA BE JOINING US.
WELCOME, CAITLIN, SHOW'S YOURS.
FIRST WE'LL START WITH SOME BACKGROUND.
UM, IN MARCH, 2020, SERVICE, UH, DISCONNECTIONS WE'RE SUSPENDED, UH, BY C P S AND SAWS IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC IN SUMMER OF 2021, BOTH UTILITY COMPANIES, UM, ANNOUNCED PLANS TO RESUME SERVICE DISCONNECTIONS IN THE FALL.
IN OCTOBER, UH, 2021, THOSE DISCONNECTIONS RESUMED.
AND, UH, OVER THE HOLIDAYS THERE WAS A TEMPORARY PAUSE, AND THEN THEY RESUMED AGAIN IN JANUARY OF 2022.
UM, THE, THE ITEM FOR THE GRANTS, UH, WENT TO COUNCIL, UM, JUNE 23RD, 2022.
AT THAT TIME, THEY ASKED FOR A BRIEFING TO E W D C ABOUT UTILITY PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS.
I DO HAVE AN UPDATE, UM, FROM THAT DISCUSSION, UH, ON JUNE 23RD.
UH, UTILITY PAYMENTS ARE AN ELIGIBLE EXPENSE, UM, IN THE GRANT FUNDING.
AND, UM, IT CAN ACTUALLY GO ALL THE WAY BACK IN ARREARS TO MARCH 3RD, 2020, AND, UH, CAN BE PAID ALL THE WAY THROUGH 2024.
THE, THAT PARTICULAR, THAT'S THE ONLY EXCEPTION THAT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2020.
UM, THE OTHER EXPENSES, UM, WOULD BE BACK TO MARCH, 2021.
UM, SO MOVING ON TO, UH, INTRODUCE OUR FIRST SPEAKER.
WE HAVE MEGAN PETRONELLA, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE WITH SAS.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY.
I'M GONNA START BY COVERING THE OPTIONS THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE TO OUR COMMERCIAL ACCOUNT HOLDERS, UM, IN TERMS OF RESOLVING DELINQUENCY.
AND THEN I'LL FOLLOW UP BY EXPLAINING HOW WE INFORM OUR CUSTOMERS OF THESE OPTIONS.
AND THEN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW MANY OF THOSE CUSTOMERS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THOSE.
PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A TOOL FOR MANAGING DELINQUENCY WITH UNPRECEDENTED BALANCES DUE TO C OVID 19 TO, TO THE PANDEMIC.
WE WANTED TO BUILD ON THAT TOOL FOR OUR CUSTOMERS BY EXTENDING THE TIME ALLOWABLE FOR REPAYMENT, AS WELL AS PROVIDING OPTIONS TO ENROLL WITHOUT THE NEED TO CONTACT SAWS.
AS SUCH, AS OF 2020 CUSTOMERS, ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS CAN SELF-ENROLL IN THREE DIFFERENT PLANS ONLINE AND THROUGH OUR TELEPHONY MENU.
IF MORE TIME IS NEEDED TO PAY, THEY CAN REQUEST UP TO AN
[01:35:01]
18 MONTH ARRANGEMENT THROUGH OUR FRONTLINE AGENTS BY WALKING INTO A SERVICE CENTER OR GIVING US A CALL.IF THEY NEED US MORE TIME TO PAY.
UM, THEY CAN SUBMIT A REQUEST FOR REVIEW BY A SUPERVISOR.
AND THESE ARE APPROVED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.
OUR BIGGEST MESSAGE IN 2020 AND REMAINS TODAY IS REMINDING OUR CUSTOMERS THAT OUR GOAL IS TO KEEP THIS WATER SERVICE ON, AND THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE THAT WAS THEN AND STILL IS A PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT.
SO, AS SUCH, WE'VE PUSHED MESSAGING SURROUNDING PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS THROUGH ALL OF OUR AVAILABLE CHANNELS.
THIS INCLUDED PLACING MESSAGING DIRECTLY ON THE BILL AS SHOWN IN THE SLIDE, UM, ADDING ALERTS TO THEIR ONLINE ACCOUNT, TAILORED SPECIFICALLY TO WHERE THEY WERE IN THE DELINQUENCY PROCESS.
AND FINALLY, INCLUDING GENERAL INFORMATION ON HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THESE PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS ON OUR MAIN WEBPAGE.
WE ADDITIONALLY COMMUNICATED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVE REFERENCED PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS AND MOST OF OUR DIALS.
FINALLY, CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS WERE TRAINED TO ENCOURAGE AND EXPLAIN PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT OPTIONS TO CUSTOMERS IN NEED.
ALL OF OUR MESSAGING HAS BEEN PROVIDED IN BOTH ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
THE DATA PRESENTED ON THIS SLIDE REPRESENTS, UM, ALL COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OUR MULTIFAMILY OR APARTMENTS OR, UH, MULTI-UNIT, UH, CUSTOMERS.
WE DON'T HAVE THE DATA AT THIS TIME TO DISTINGUISH A SMALL BUSINESS FROM A LARGE BUSINESS AS OF THE STATE IS ALSO REPRESENTED AS OF AUGUST 2ND.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, 14% OF OUR DELINQUENT COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN A PAYMENT PLAN.
BUT THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE 994 CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE, UH, THAT WERE ENROLLED AND HAVE SINCE SATISFIED THEIR PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT TERMS SINCE MARCH OF 2020.
STILL, YOU CAN SEE A MAJORITY OF OUR COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS ARE NOT CONCURRENTLY ENROLLED IN A PAYMENT PLAN AND ARE AT RISK FOR DISCONNECTION.
WE WANNA AVOID THIS DISCONNECTION, AND WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR CUSTOMERS AS THEY PROGRESS THROUGH THE DELINQUENCY PROCESS.
WHEN CUSTOMERS REACH THE 45 DAY MARK AND THE DELINQUENCY PROCESS, THEY'LL RECEIVE A LETTER OR NOTICE IN THE MAIL.
IF PAYMENT IS NOT RECEIVED, THEY'RE THEN SCHEDULED FOR DISCONNECTION WITHIN SEVEN DAYS.
AND AT THAT TIME, WE GIVE NO ADDITIONAL NOTICE THROUGH A TELEPHONE CALL, GENERALLY SPEAKING.
UM, AND ACROSS THIS ACCOUNT CLASS, AND THIS IS TRUE OF OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS AS WELL, 65% OF CUSTOMERS WILL RESOLVE THEIR DELINQUENCY IN THAT TIME PERIOD AND AVOID THE DISCONNECTION SPECIFICALLY FOR BUSINESSES.
WE'LL MAKE AN ADDITIONAL NOTICE, UM, IF WATER SERVICE IS INTEGRAL TO THEIR BUSINESS, UH, BY KNOCKING ON THE DOOR TRYING TO MAKE CONTACT AND LETTING THEM KNOW THAT DISCONNECTION IS IMMINENT.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE COVID IMPACT GRANTS MADE AVAILABLE BY THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WILL FURTHER ASSIST THESE CUSTOMERS IN RESOLVING THEIR DELINQUENCIES.
AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO GETTING THE WORD OUT.
WE'VE ALREADY COMPLETED SEVERAL OUTREACH EFFORTS, INCLUDING ADDING MESSAGING ON OUR WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES.
WE'VE ALSO CALLED DELINQUENT COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, MAKING THEM AWARE OF THE GRANT AND WHERE TO APPLY.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE CITY ON THESE EFFORTS IN ANY WAY THAT WE CAN.
WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
I I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS PRESENTATION.
UM, I, I THINK, AND, UM, I HAVE A FEELING MY COLLEAGUES WILL AGREE THAT ALL TOO OFTEN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SUPPORTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, WE FORGET TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE ARE ALSO, UH, UH, MANY OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE GOT IN PLACE, EVEN, YOU KNOW, THE ONES OVER AT, UH, SAWS AND C P S ARE SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT.
UM, AND I I'M GLAD THAT WE WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION TODAY.
WHY IS IT, UM, THAT IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET, UH, DATA TO DISTINGUISH SMALL BUSINESSES FROM LARGE BUSINESSES AND HAVE, UH, HAS THE E D D STAFF FIGURED OUT A WAY TO DO THAT, AND IF THEY HAVE, MAYBE, MAYBE WE GET YOU GUYS THAT DATA, BUT YEAH, WE'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE ON THAT COLLABORATION.
I THINK IT'S BECAUSE AS PART OF THE MOVE-IN PROCESS, IT'S NOT PART OF THE DATA THAT WE COLLECT.
SO THE ONLY POINTS THAT WE HAVE BEYOND, YOU KNOW, A CUSTOMER NAME AND SERVICE ADDRESS WOULD BE THINGS LIKE THE, THE SIZE OF THE METER AND THEIR VOLUME.
BUT THOSE AREN'T THINGS THAT ARE NECESSARILY A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE IN TERMS OF DISTINGUISHING, UM, A BUSINESS IN TERMS OF REVENUE.
UM, AND THINGS THAT USE WATER.
BUT IN, UH, BUSINESSES, UM, THAT MAY HAVE A SMALL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, BUT STILL HIGH REVENUE OR OPERATING OUT OF A SMALLER BUILDING WATER USE AND METER SIZE AREN'T GONNA GIVE US THAT INFORMATION.
UM, WE HAVE RECENTLY BEGAN TO COLLECT THINGS LIKE NS CODE THAT GIVES US AN IDEA OF WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS, BUT AGAIN, STILL NOT ON SIZE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY IF THAT BUS, IF THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE, WE COULD TAKE IT.
WE RUN INTO SOMEWHAT OF A SIMILAR CHALLENGE AT TIMES BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE DON'T HAVE A BUSINESS REGISTRY PER SE.
UM, SO WHILE THAT'S GOOD BECAUSE IT, IT DOESN'T CREATE ANY BARRIERS FOR BUSINESSES TO REALLY LAUNCH, UM, WE DON'T ALWAYS HAVE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
WE'VE TRIED TO PULL THIS THROUGH CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S, THAT'S A, AN ACTUAL ESTABLISHMENT.
UM, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS NECESSARILY GIVE US THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT WE'D LIKE TO HAVE.
[01:40:01]
UM, AS, AS WE GET INFORMATION AND WE TRY TO KEEP THOSE UPDATED, BUT REALLY SOLID, RELIABLE SIZE OF SMALL BUSINESSES.IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THE, THE VENDORS, THE PEOPLE WHO DO BUSINESS WITH US THAT WE HAVE A, A VERY SOLID, UM, UNDERSTANDING OF MM-HMM.
SO I, I KNOW THAT THERE'S, WHENEVER YOU SET UP A NEW, I DON'T KNOW, A NEW L L C RIGHT, WHICH IS USUALLY THE FLAVOR OF ENTITY THAT SMALL BUSINESSES LIKE TO GET, YOU HAVE TO FILL OUT A DOCUMENT CALLED AN SSSS FOUR FORM.
WHICH IS WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU FILL OUT TO GET YOUR TAX ID NUMBER.
AND THERE YOU DESIGNATE HOW MANY EMPLOYEES YOU'VE GOT, UH, AND INTEND TO HAVE.
UM, AND I'M WONDERING WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S EASILY PULLED DOWN AT THE I R S OFFICE 'CAUSE THEY HOLD THAT INFO.
WE HAVEN'T GONE THE I R S ROUTE.
WE'VE, WE HAVE PURCHASED LISTS IN THE PAST, LIKE DUN AND BRADSTREET LISTS.
UM, WE'VE DONE THAT ROUTINELY JUST TO TRY TO BUILD SOME SORT OF DATA SET.
I, I, I THINK I'M HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING WHY, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT THERE ISN'T AN EASIER WAY OF CAPTURING THIS INFORMATION.
I, I, YOU KNOW, AT AND T SEEMS TO KNOW EXACTLY WHEN TO MARKET TO MY SMALL BUSINESS, UH, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, UH, INSURANCE COMPANIES KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO HIT, YOU KNOW, HIT SMALL BUSINESSES VERSUS LARGE BUSINESSES.
AND SO I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'VE FIGURED OUT A WAY TO DO THIS IN, IN A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT WAY THAN WE HAVE.
UM, AND MAYBE IT'S JUST A MATTER OF, OF PURCHASING LISTS, BUT A, A ANYWAY, BUT MUCH DIFFERENT CONVERSATION THAN TODAY.
BUT, UM, COUNCILMAN BRAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS TOPIC? ARE, ARE WE GONNA HAVE C P SS PRESENT ALSO? HEAR FROM THEM FIRST? YEAH, I, OKAY.
UH, WE GOT SOMEBODY FROM C P S ENERGY.
NOW
BUT WHILE WE'RE WAITING, UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT I DON'T KNOW, MY NAME IS KJ FEDERER.
I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AT C P S ENERGY.
AND WE ARE SO EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY TO CHAT WITH YOU ABOUT OUR SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE TEAM CALLED ENERGY TO BUSINESS, AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS E TWO B.
UM, HERE'S OUR SHORT AGENDA FOR YOU TODAY.
WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THE SUPPORT INITIATIVES THAT WE OFFERED SMALL BUSINESSES DURING THE PANDEMIC.
WE'LL SHARE OUR COMMUNICATION EFFORTS THAT WE'VE DONE, UM, AROUND OUR C OVID 19 IMPACT GRANTS.
AND THEN WE'LL TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTS AS WELL.
SO, LAUNCHED IN 2019 AS AN OUTREACH TEAM TO HELP CONNECT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES WITH THEIR ENERGY EFFICIENCY GRANTS.
THE E TWO B TEAM QUICKLY BECAME A FULL SERVICE CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM DURING THE PANDEMIC, FOCUSING SOLELY ON CONNECTING OUR CUSTOMERS WITH THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM IN THE COMMUNITY.
THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS LAUNCHED OUR CORE CALLS, AND I'M SURE SOME OF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THOSE.
THAT'S WHERE WE CALLED ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND DID WELLNESS CHECKS AND TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THE RESOURCES THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
AND THEN WHEN IT WAS APPROPRIATE, WE TALKED ABOUT PAYMENT PLANS, BUT WE NEVER LED WITH THAT.
AND IN SOME OF OUR CONVERSATIONS WE NEVER EVEN TALKED ABOUT PAYMENT PLANS WITH THOSE CUSTOMERS.
WE ALSO GOT REALLY CREATIVE WITH OUR OUTREACH.
SO WE FILMED AN INFOMERCIAL WITH THE U T S A SMALL BUSINESS CENTER.
WE ALSO, UM, PARTICIPATED IN WEBINARS AND FACEBOOK LIVE EVENTS AND TRYING REALLY TO CONNECT WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESS CUSTOMERS IN WAYS AND IN, UM, TIMEFRAMES THAT WERE CONVENIENT FOR THEM.
ONCE IT BECAME SAFE FOR US TO DO SO, WE TURNED BACK INTO BEING OUR FULL IN-PERSON CONTACT TEAM.
SO WE STARTED CONNECTING WITH OUR CUSTOMERS AGAIN AND DOING SITE VISITS, TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, DISCUSSING PAYMENT PLANS, AND THEN ALSO TALKING ABOUT OUR ENERGY SAVINGS REBATES.
SO THIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR FOCUS OF OUR E TWO B TEAM, UM, IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE TALK TO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR SMALL BUSINESS CUSTOMERS ABOUT THESE EXCITING GRANTS.
WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT IT'S A GAME CHANGER FOR THEM.
SO THAT THINGS THAT WE IMMEDIATELY DID WERE TO UPDATE OUR WEBSITE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE GRANT INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE.
AND THEN ALSO WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED A LETTER AND EMAIL CAMPAIGN SO THAT WE CAN SHARE THE INFORMATION WITH THEM IN THAT MANNER, BUT WE DON'T JUST SOLELY RELY ON THAT.
WE, UM, HOST FAIRES, WE STARTED DOING THAT AT THE END OF LAST YEAR AND IT'S SIMILAR TO OUR, UM, RESIDENTIAL FAIRS, BUT THESE ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON SMALL BUSINESSES AND WE INVITE OUR PARTNERS.
SO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS THERE, LIFT FUND, SAGE, ANY NONPROFIT THAT'S, UM, AVAILABLE TO, WITH A RESOURCE TO HELP A SMALL BUSINESS IS INVITED TO THESE FAIRS.
AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT THEM IS WE DON'T JUST HOLD THEM DOWNTOWN AT OUR HEADQUARTERS.
[01:45:01]
THE CITY MEETING OUR SMALL BUSINESS CUSTOMERS AND NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE IT'S CONVENIENT FOR THEM SO THEY CAN COME IN AND PARTICIPATE.WE ALSO HAVE TEAM MEMBERS ON SITE WHO ARE THERE TO HELP SET UP PAYMENT PLANS IF A CUSTOMER WANTS TO TALK WITH US ABOUT A PAYMENT PLAN AT THAT EVENT, AND THEN SHARE ALL OF OUR, UM, ENERGY ASSISTANCE REBATES INFORMATION AS WELL.
SO THIS SLIDE IS JUST A GENERAL, UM, ACCOUNT OVERVIEW.
WE HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION IN THAT OUR SYSTEM DOESN'T ENABLE US TO READILY IDENTIFY A SMALL BUSINESS, BUT WE USUALLY GO BY, UM, THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY THAT THEY USE.
I THINK AS WE GO THROUGH OUR, UM, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, WE'LL BE ABLE TO COLLECT THAT INFORMATION IN THE FUTURE.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT EITHER.
SO THE CHART ON THE LEFT SHOWS THE NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS THAT WERE PAST DUE AS OF JUNE 30TH.
ALSO THE NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS THAT WERE ON A PAYMENT PLAN.
AND WE SAW THAT ABOUT 8% OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES WERE CURRENTLY SET UP ON A PAYMENT PLAN.
THE CHART ON THE RIGHT SHOWS YOU THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT THAT REPRESENTS, AND THAT REPRESENTS A LITTLE OVER $6 MILLION.
BUT WHAT WE ALSO, UM, SHARE WITH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR CUSTOMERS THAT WE WANNA SHARE WITH YOU, JUST LIKE SS DOES, NO CUSTOMER HAS TO BE DISCONNECTED DUE TO NON-PAYMENT.
IF THEY WILL SET UP A PAYMENT PLAN WITH US, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THEIR LIGHTS ON.
AND SPEAKING OF OUR PAYMENT PLANS, IF ANY CUSTOMER SETS UP A PAYMENT PLAN WITH US, WE'LL ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE WAIVE ANY ASSOCIATED LATE FEES ON THEIR ACCOUNTS.
AND THESE ARE THE PAYMENT PLANS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
SO OUR FIRST ONE THAT IS VERY POPULAR, WE LAUNCHED IT TO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES IN 2020, IS OUR BUDGET PAYMENT PLAN.
AND IT LETS THEM TAKE THE AVERAGE BILL AND SPREAD IT OUT OVER A YEAR.
AND THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO SMALL BUSINESSES 'CAUSE THEY CAN STICK TO A PREDETERMINED BUDGET EVERY SINGLE MONTH.
WE ALSO HAVE INSTALLMENT PLANS.
SO WE LET OUR SMALL BUSINESS CUSTOMERS HAVE UP TO 48 MONTHS TO PAY BACK ANY ACCOUNT THAT'S PAST DUE AND THEY MAKE THAT SMALL PAYMENT ON TOP OF THEIR CURRENT MONTHLY USAGE.
AND THEN ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, WE'LL TALK WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND IF THEY STILL NEED ADDITIONAL TIME TO PAY, THEN WE'LL WORK WITH THEM THROUGH THAT.
I ALSO WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THE OUTREACH THAT WE'RE DOING.
OUR TEAM WORKS DILIGENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONNECT WITH EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER AND SHARE THAT MESSAGE OF NO NEED TO BE DISCONNECTED BEFORE ACCOUNT IS ACTUALLY DISCONNECTED.
SO WE DO PHONE CALLS, WE DO LETTERS, AND WE ACTUALLY DO IN-PERSON SITE VISITS AND TALK TO CUSTOMERS ABOUT THEIR PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS.
'CAUSE WE WANT OUR CUSTOMERS TO KNOW THAT THEY HAVE OPTIONS AND THAT THEY HAVE RESOURCES AND THAT WE'RE HERE TO HELP THEM.
AND ON THIS LAST SLIDE, I JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR SMALL BUSINESS TEAM, SEVERAL OF WHICH ARE HERE TODAY IN THE AUDIENCE.
UM, THIS IS THE CONTACT INFORMATION AND YOU CAN SHARE THIS WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS OR WE'D BE HAPPY TO STICK AROUND AFTERWARDS AND GIVE YOU SOME COLLATERAL MATERIAL TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO GET AHOLD OF THEM.
AND WITH THAT, I GUESS WE'RE BOTH AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
PARDON? YEAH, I HAVE ONE MORE SLIDE.
AND THEN WE CAN TAKE QUESTIONS.
ALRIGHT, SO, UM, TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW WE'RE GETTING THIS OUT THROUGH THE GRANTS EFFORTS, UM, IT, THIS, UH, LINKS TO THE PAYMENT PROGRAM FOR BOTH ORGANIZATIONS ARE ON THE GRANT'S WEBSITE.
UM, THERE ARE ALSO AUTO EMAILS THAT ARE GOING TO APPLICANTS AS THEY START THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
UH, THEY RECEIVE AN EMAIL AND THAT, UH, INFORMATION IS LISTED THERE.
UM, ALSO TOO, ONCE THEY SUBMIT THEIR APPLICATION, THEY'RE ALSO GONNA RECEIVE AN AUTO EMAIL.
UM, AND THOSE LINKS ARE ON THAT EMAIL.
UM, AND ALSO OUR, UH, B D O PARTNERS ARE HELPING SPREAD THE WORD NOT ONLY ABOUT, UH, THE PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS THROUGH, UH, SAWS AND C P S, BUT ALL, ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO SMALL BUSINESSES AS A PART OF THEIR OUTREACH.
AND THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
SO TO BOTH SAS AND C P S, THE PAYMENT PLAN, DO THEY HAVE TO BE, UM, PASSED DUE TO BECOME PART OF A PAYMENT PLAN? SO FOR US, WE HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
IF THEY ARE PAST DUE, THEY CAN HAVE UP TO 48 MONTHS TO PAY THAT PAST DUE AMOUNT OFF.
BUT WE HAVE THAT BUDGET PAYMENT PLAN THAT I MENTIONED AND THAT ENABLES THEM TO TAKE THEIR FULL YEAR WORTH OF USAGE.
SO WE, WE GO WITH THE YEAR BEFORE, SPREAD IT OUT INTO 12 MONTHS.
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE ENERGY THEY USE, THEY'RE GONNA PAY THAT SAME AMOUNT.
THEN WHEN WE SET IT UP FOR THE NEXT YEAR, WE TAKE THE LAST YEAR'S USAGE AND DO THE SAME THING FOR THEM.
SO A COUPLE DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
AND THEN JUST BASED ON SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS AND THIS A HUNDRED DEGREE WEATHER, ARE Y'ALL TAKING INTO CONSIDERATIONS THE VERY HOT SUMMERS WE HAVE AND THE, THE, UM, THE WINTERS? OR DOES IT KIND OF EVEN OUT BECAUSE, UH, THEY'RE NOT USING AS MUCH IN THE WINTER? SO WITH THE BUDGET PAYMENT PLAN, UM, IT'S ONE AMOUNT FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR AND IT'S BASED ON THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S USAGE.
SO THE NEXT YEAR, THEIR BUDGET PAYMENT PLAN MIGHT GO UP A LITTLE BIT BASED ON THIS CURRENT YEAR'S USAGE, BUT IT'S SPREAD OUT OVER THE FULL 12 MONTH PERIOD.
SO THEY DON'T REALLY FEEL THE CHANGE AS MUCH AS THEY WOULD IF THEY WEREN'T SET UP ON A BUDGET PLAN.
[01:50:01]
OKAY.AND KJ DON'T GO TOO FAR 'CAUSE I, I WON'T, I'LL HANG OUT
UM, WE WILL SEE SOMETIMES IF THERE'S A BIG SPIKE DUE TO A LEAK OR SOMETHING THAT WE WANT THEM TO TAKE ACTION RIGHT AWAY.
SO, UM, IF EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT PAST DUE, THEY CAN REQUEST A PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT TO DEAL WITH THAT HIGH BILL.
AND THEN DO YOUR SECOND QUESTION.
WE DON'T TYPICALLY SEE THE SAME SPIKE ON OUR COMMERCIAL ACCOUNT HOLDERS, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE CHARGED ON AN AVERAGE ANNUAL CONSUMPTION FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT LAST SLIDE ABOUT HOW WE'RE CONNECTING IT ALL, BUT I DID WANNA ASK BOTH OF Y'ALL, DO YOU FEEL, UM, THIS CITY CAN DO A LITTLE MORE IN HELPING PROMOTE, I KNOW WE HAD OUR EVENT ON THE SOUTH SIDE AND WE TRIED TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE OUT.
UH, DO WE NEED TO DO DOOR HANGERS? DO WE NEED TO INCORPORATE, UH, AT E E W D C AND, UM, OTHER COMMITTEES MORE? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU FEELING OR ARE WE GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT THERE THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE THERE TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES? UM, I, I THINK JUST CON CONTINUED COMMUNICATION WOULD BE GREAT.
UM, WE, WE MOBILIZED VERY QUICKLY AFTER SPEAKING WITH KAITLYN IN TERMS OF WHAT, WHAT NEEDED TO BE COMMUNICATED AND ACTED IN ALL THE CHANNELS THAT WE HAD AVAILABLE.
UM, DOOR HANGERS WOULD BE GREAT.
I DID HEAR FROM KAITLYN THOUGH THAT I THINK THEY'RE AT THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS, AT LEAST FOR THIS PARTICULAR GRANT THAT, THAT I THINK WILL COVER THE AVAILABLE FUNDING.
BUT AGAIN, CONTINUED COMMUNICATION.
UM, I I'M PRETTY MUCH IN AGREEMENT.
I FEEL LIKE WE WORK WITH ALL OF YOUR OFFICES VERY CLOSELY.
UM, WE HAVE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO GET THE WORD OUT TO CONNECT WITH YOU, FOR YOU TO CONNECT WITH US, UM, FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR EVENTS.
WE'RE ALSO AT CITY EVENTS AND WITH OUR OTHER PARTNERS, SO WE KNOW ALSO THAT THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
SO AS OPPORTUNITIES ARISE, WE'D BE HAPPY TO, YOU KNOW, DO MORE.
AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DEFINITELY, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE GONNA HIT OUR C O IMPACT GRANTS FOR SURE.
BUT I THINK THERE'S OTHER BUSINESSES THAT MAYBE THIS SUMMER HIT THEM.
AND I'M THINKING OF MY NAIL SALON IN PARTICULAR BECAUSE, UH, THAT LANDLORD HAD TO PUT IN TWO NEW UNITS AND NEXT TIME I GO I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT HER LANDLORD KNOWS THAT THERE'S PROGRAMS OUT HERE TO HELP.
YEAH, WE'D BE HAPPY TO MEET WITH THEM.
AND THANK Y'ALL FOR THE TWO PRESENTATIONS.
I NOTICED ON THE SAS PRESENTATION, Y'ALL INCLUDE THE OUTREACH STRATEGY.
I APPRECIATE, UM, THE MAILERS AND THE ROBO DIALER CAMPAIGN AND ALL THAT.
UH, I'D ENCOURAGE IF YOU AREN'T ALREADY DOING THIS, UM, PUTTING UP FLYERS WHERE OUR SMALL BUSINESS IS FREQUENT, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, SMALL BUSINESS SUPPLY STORES AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF.
UM, MY, MY QUESTIONS FOR BOTH SAS AND C P SS, DID YOU, EACH OF Y'ALL HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF HOW MANY DISCONNECTIONS, UM, HAVE TAKEN PLACE WITH SMALL BUSINESSES, UH, DISTRICT BY DISTRICT OR ZIP CODE? AND DO Y'ALL HAVE DATA ON HOW MANY, UM, COMMERCIAL, UH, BUSINESSES, UM, ARE AT RISK OF DISCONNECTION? SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT DATA WITH US TODAY, BUT WE'D BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE IT FOR YOU.
AND DOES SAS HAVE THE SAME INFORMATION? I HAVE THE DATA, BUT NOT NECESSARILY AGAIN, THE SMALLER, LARGE BUSINESS BREAKOUT.
SO WE RESUMED DISCONNECTIONS IN OCTOBER OF 2021.
SO SINCE THEN, UH, WE HAVE COMPLETED JUST OVER A THOUSAND.
UM, THAT'S ABOUT 34% OF WHAT WERE GENERATED.
SO AGAIN, WE, WE MAKE NOTICE THAT WE ARE, THAT DISCONNECTION IS PLANNED AND ABOUT 65% END UP CANCELING DUE TO RESOLVING THAT DELINQUENCY AND 34% COMPLETE.
UH, WE WILL, UH, GET THAT CANCELED.
UM, AND THAT EQUATED TO ABOUT A THOUSAND.
AND IF Y'ALL HAVE THAT INFORMATION, I'D LIKE TO RECEIVE THAT SO THAT WAY OUR TEAM CAN ALSO DO OUR PART WITHOUT REACHING, CONNECTING THEM TO SERVICES.
UM, AND THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS.
THIS REALLY, UH, IS DIRECTED TO BOTH UTILITIES BECAUSE YOU'RE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION.
UH, AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO, TO SEE IS HOW MANY, UH, UTILITIES, I MEAN, HOW MANY CUSTOMERS ARE BEHIND IN PAYMENTS BUT ARE STILL DRAWING RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S WATER FROM SAWS OR ELECTRICITY FROM C P S ENERGY.
UH, I'M WONDERING, UH, ARE, ARE YOU LOOKING AT THAT AND SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, THEY HAVEN'T DRAWN WATER IN THREE MONTHS, OR THEY HAVEN'T DRAWN ELECTRICITY IN THREE MONTHS.
UH, SO ARE WE PRESUMING THAT THEY'VE GONE OUT OF BUSINESS OR HAVE WE SENT SOMEONE OUT THERE TO SEE, ARE THEY STILL IN BUSINESS? UH, AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THE, UM, THE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE BEHIND IN THEIR BILLS HAVE BEEN RESOLVED.
EITHER THEY'VE PAID IT OFF AND CAUGHT UP, UH, OR THEY'VE BEEN FORGIVEN OR THEY'VE BEEN WRITTEN OFF.
'CAUSE THEY, THEY KNEW THE BUSINESS WAS
[01:55:01]
CLOSED AND, AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE MUCH OF A CHANCE OF CONNECTING.UM, AND I, I LIKE THE IDEA OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN DISCONNECTED AND WHAT'S BEEN RECONNECTED AND, UH, HOW MANY OF THOSE THAT WERE DISCONNECTED, YOU KNOW, AREN'T RECONNECTED, WHICH IS TELLING US THOSE BUSINESSES ARE OUT OF BUSINESS.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, FOR US TO KNOW THAT.
AND ALSO, I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF, UH, BOTH UTILITIES HAVE WORKED TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY BUSINESSES THAT BOTH UTILITIES, UH, ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH, UH, SO THAT MAYBE, UH, SBA C OR THE CITY CAN BE MORE INVOLVED.
UH, OR, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SETTING UP THE ECOSYSTEM WITH, UH, ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE CITY THAT MAY HELP BUSINESSES THAT THEY CAN DO OUTREACH AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS BUSINESS ISN'T PAYING THEIR WATER.
THEY'RE NOT PAYING THEIR ELECTRIC, THEY'RE CLOSED, OR, OR THEY'RE STRUGGLING.
UH, AND MAYBE WE THEN CAN REFER THEM FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, UH, THROUGH OUR, OUR C O UH, $17 MILLION RELIEF PROGRAM, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO IF, IF THE TWO UTILITIES COULD SHARE THEIR INFORMATION ABOUT BUSINESSES THAT THEY SHARE IN COMMON THAT ARE, THAT ARE SUFFERING OR THEY'RE CLOSED, IT MIGHT EXPEDITE THE PROCESS INSTEAD OF EVERYBODY DOING THINGS SEPARATE.
NOW, I KNOW THERE'S ALWAYS THE QUESTION OF, OF PRIVACY, SO TO SPEAK, BUT THIS IS ALL PUBLIC INFORMATION BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL PUBLIC UTILITIES.
AND SO I DON'T THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE A BARRIER TO WORKING TOGETHER TO PROVIDING THIS KIND OF INFORMATION ONE ANOTHER AND TO THE CITY SO THAT WE CAN BETTER SUPPORT THESE BUSINESSES.
SO THOSE ARE, ARE MY QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS.
AND IF, IF WE COULD GET THAT INFORMATION FED BACK TO US SOMEHOW, I'D APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, COUNCILMAN, I, I KNOW THAT MY COLLEAGUE HAD ONE MORE QUESTION.
UM, FOR BOTH STALLS AND C P S, HAVE YOU ALL NOTICED ANY TRENDS WITH SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES THAT ARE, UM, AT RISK OR DELINQUENT WITH THEIR UTILITIES? UH, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT ON Y'ALL NOW, UM, I THINK THAT'D BE HELPFUL FOR TARGETED EFFORTS, UM, TO GETTING THESE SMALL BUSINESSES CONNECTED TO RESOURCES.
UM, SO ONE, ONE QUESTION FOR C P S.
WE, WE HEARD FROM SAS ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, STRUGGLES WITH TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS A SMALL BUSINESS, WHO'S NOT.
HAVE YOU ALL SOLVED FOR THAT? MM-HMM.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE GO BY USAGE, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S THE WAY WE'RE WHAT, WHAT WE ACCOUNT FOR AS A SMALL BUSINESS RIGHT NOW.
UM, I MENTIONED EARLIER OUR SYSTEM, OUR SYSTEMS AS YOU KNOW, ARE MORE THAN 20 YEARS OLD.
SO WE HAVE VERY LIMITED FIELDS THAT WE CAN USE TO TRACK THINGS, BUT THAT'LL BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE PUT INTO OUR REQUEST FOR OUR NEW SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN KEEP TRACK OF THAT SORT OF INFORMATION.
SO, UH, TWO THINGS AND I'M, I'M LOOKING FOR, UH, CONSENSUS UP HERE TO SEE IF Y'ALL AGREE WITH ME.
UM, I, I THINK THAT THIS WOULD BE, THIS PRESENTATION THAT WE JUST RECEIVED WOULD BE VERY VALUABLE TO OUR APPOINTEES ON THE SBA C UM, SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND.
UH, HAS THAT BEEN DELIVERED TO YOU YET, JEREMY? SO, UM, MY REQUEST WOULD BE THAT THAT SBAC RECEIVE THIS, REPRESENT THAT THIS, UH, THIS PRESENTATION.
ANY OBJECTIONS FROM MY COLLEAGUES? NO.
WELL, I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT.
YES, NO, WE HAVE, UH, NOT GIVEN THIS PRESENTATION TO SPAC YET, BUT WE COULD PUT THAT ON A FUTURE AGENDA.
UH, AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS, UM, WHICH, WHICH BRINGS MAYBE A LARGER QUESTION THAT WE CAN ALL TALK ABOUT OFFLINE AT SOME POINT, BUT, UM, JUST LISTENING TO SOME OF THE SBA CONVERSATIONS THAT ON TOP OF THIS ASSIGNMENT, WHICH IS PLEASE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT OUR UTILITIES ARE DOING A GOOD ENOUGH JOB TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS CITY ATTORNEY MYSELF AND, AND THE REST OF YOU MAYBE WE TALK ABOUT OTHER ASSIGNMENTS THAT WE GIVE TO THE SPAC.
WE, WE, WE'VE ALL, I THINK WE'VE ALL BEEN HEARING THAT THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT THEY'RE CHOMPING AT THE BIT TO WORK ON.
AND, UM, I THINK THEY, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, UH, THAT PERMISSION FROM US TO, TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON THAT.
AND SO, UNLESS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, UH, COUNCILWOMAN VIGON, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA ADD? NO, I WAS JUST ALEX AND CITY ATTORNEY, IF YOU COULD GET US WHAT, WHAT WE CAN REQUEST FROM THE SPAC MM-HMM.
UM, AND PARAMETERS ALSO, WE'LL PULL THE, THE AUTHORIZING RESOLUTION THAT INCLUDES THE CHARGE THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNSEL WHEN, WHEN YOU, WHEN IT WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED, AND SEND THAT OUT TO THE COMMITTEE.
AND THEN IF, IF, UM, IF THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE COULD JUST LET US KNOW IF WE NEED TO DO THAT, IF THAT IS, UH, SOMETHING WE NEED TO MOTION HERE AT A
[02:00:01]
COMMITTEE MEETING AND WHEN WE NEED TO AGENDIZE IT TO, TO, UH, TO SEND IT FORWARD.I APPRECIATE ALL THE ATTENDEES WHO CAME OUT HERE AND BRAVED TO THE PARKING SITUATION DOWNTOWN.