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[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                    HONORING FRESNO BUSINESS COUNCIL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 
Fresno Business Council upon the celebration of their 15th anniversary. 
A celebration dinner will be held on Wednesday November 12, 2008 to 
honor this milestone.
  In the early 1990s, the Greater Fresno area experienced a dramatic 
increase in crime rates and a severe economic downturn. As a result of 
the regional crisis, the morale of the entire community suffered 
tremendously. In response, a small group of business leaders formed an 
organization to address the critical issues that afflicted the region. 
In its beginning stages, the Fresno Business Council developed subject 
matter committees to address various issues such as job growth, crime 
and education. These specific committees were designed to obtain the 
research necessary to develop comprehensive action plans. A civic 
infrastructure was built and a network of partnerships, that crossed 
boundaries, was developed in support of transformational change. One of 
the first projects of the Fresno Business Council was the establishment 
of the Central Valley Business Incubator. This project, a partnership 
between California State University, Fresno and the Fresno Business 
Council, has created over one thousand jobs to date.
  In 2000 ``The Economic Future of the San Joaquin Valley'' was issued. 
This report offered the Central Valley two choices; maintain the status 
quo by continuing the low cost path or shift to an added value economy 
and increase the prosperity and quality of life for everyone in the 
community. Following the recommendations of the report, a group of 
people came together to develop a plan, this established the 
Collaborative Regional Initiative, CRI. CRI was a joint venture between 
California State University, Fresno and the Fresno Business Council. 
There were 5 initiatives that came out of this; insuring a state of the 
art technology infrastructure, increasing the number of knowledgeable 
workers, improving the quality of life through land use and 
transportation decisions, achieving high quality performance in the 
human services and education systems and the creation of an innovative 
culture. An essential element of the CRI was a commitment to a new 
contract for civic behavior; this contract became the ``Community 
Values of the Fresno Region''. In the end, CRI launched 26 projects 
that are completed, still in an implementation stage or have been 
absorbed by other organizations.
  Fresno City Mayor Alan Autry asked his economic advisors to evaluate 
the city budget. They found that if more jobs were not created law 
enforcement would eventually consume the entire general fund. From this 
evaluation, the Regional Job Initiative, RJI, was launched in 2004. The 
RJI set a goal of 30,000 net new jobs in just 5 years. Those involved 
with RJI quickly realized that they would have to have strong education 
institutions and effective workforce preparation organizations to 
achieve sustainable success. Together with the networks created by CRI, 
the Fresno Business Council and representatives from other 
organizations they developed the ``Choosing our Future Report'', a plan 
to address critical issues inside Fresno Unified School District and 
the surrounding neighborhoods. The implementation of this plan began in 
2005 and those involved have pledged at least a 3 year commitment.
  The Fresno Business Council has been an essential organization of 
constant adaptation and with its members picking up many of the 
operation functions. It has proven to be a catalyst for 
transformational change, a merger of formerly disconnected 
organizations and a steward leader willing to take responsibility for 
helping to solve critical and systematic problems.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate the Fresno 
Business Council on 15 years as an outstanding organization. I invite 
my colleagues to join me in wishing the Fresno Business Council many 
years of continued success.

                          ____________________
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