2022 Impact Report
Moving the East Bay Forward
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From the Executive Director
The past few years have been characterized by significant disruptions and events unfolding at warp speed, raising fundamental questions about our economy and society while also surfacing creative new ideas and solutions to how we address our most urgent challenges. Despite current economic warning signs, our region remains well-positioned to forge new solutions to emerging and longstanding challenges. While some have proclaimed – and not without good reason – that our region and state are unfriendly to business, it is still home to more world-class companies and industries than anywhere else with an ethos to match. Companies and industry sectors in our region – from advanced manufacturing to life sciences to clean tech – continue to attract new investments that drive business and consumer trends, influencing our culture and the global economy.
Join East Bay EDA in 2023 as we work to build upon and sustain our accomplishments and mobilize our region’s business, civic, community, and elected leaders to create a regional economy that works for everyone.
Stephen Baiter
Stephen Baiter
Executive Director, East Bay EDA
East Bay by the Numbers
East Bay Economy
The East Bay is home to the 57th largest economy in the world. At $262 Billion, it is roughly equivalent in size to New Zealand.
Venture Capital
As of October 2022, the East Bay has raised $6.7B in Venture Capital and is on track to see more funding than DC, Austin, and San Diego.
East Bay Jobs
Between November 2021 and 2022, the total number of jobs located in the East Bay increased by 3%, for a total of 1,197,600.
Job Postings
With 38,300 job postings located in the East Bay as of November 2022, the region has seen its highest job numbers since March 2020.
East Bay Forward
Launched in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, East Bay Forward is a regional economic assessment and guide to best position the East Bay for a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable economic recovery.
BUSINESS CLIMATE
The Alameda County Small Business Recovery Grant Program was authorized by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors when it appropriated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for a small business grant program in response to and recovery from the public health emergency and negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In conjunction with a companion measure passed by the Board to provide $1 million in ARPA funds to businesses operating in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, the total grant funding pool was $11 million. The application deadline closed in October 2022.
LAND USE & INFRASTRUCTURE
In addition to quarterly meetings of our Land Use & Infrastructure Committee, we highlighted Industrial Land Use Trends for our speaker series in May, featured the Hyundai hydrogen fuel cell truck at the East Bay Innovation Block Party in June, toured GoMentum Station in September, and featured a discussion panel on East Bay Real Estate Trends for our Annual Membership Meeting in October. To learn more about transportation initiatives around the region, please visit our members: Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) and Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA).
EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
We participated as a stakeholder on the Workforce Training for the Zero-Emission Medium and Heavy-Duty Movement Economy initiative, working to connect our region’s robust goods movement infrastructure with ZEV technology. We partnered with the Alameda County Workforce Development Board and the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County on key events and initiatives across the region. On the education side, Cal State East Bay was named the 2022 Legacy Awardee for the 10th Annual East Bay Innovation Awards for their longstanding role as an East Bay trailblazer.
COMMUNITY HEALTH & WELL-BEING
We kicked off 2022 with a focus on East Bay housing in our joint presentation featuring an insightful conversation with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. Our community momentum continued with the inaugural East Bay Innovation Block Party, which brought small businesses, artists, elected officials, and innovative companies and organizations under one roof to celebrate the year’s nominees and finalists. We continued this theme at the 2022 East Bay Innovation Awards through a partnership with Pilot City, whose young alumni and members brought a lot of energy and inspiration to the event.
Celebrating 10 Years of East Bay Innovation
On August 4, 2022, more than 400 people gathered at the Fox Theater in downtown Oakland for the 2022 East Bay Innovation Awards, a 10-year mark for our signature event showcasing innovative business and civic entrepreneurs and leaders of dynamic businesses and organizations in our region.
The 2022 East Bay Innovation Awards
The 2022 East Bay Innovation Awardees
Oakland, California – On August 4, 2022, more than 400 people gathered at the Fox Theater in downtown Oakland for the 2022 East Bay Innovation Awards, an event recognizing business and civic entrepreneurs and leaders of dynamic businesses and organizations here in our...
Meet the 2022 East Bay Innovation Awards Finalists & Legacy Awardee
Oakland, California – The 10th annual East Bay Innovation Awards returns in person to the historic Fox Theater in Oakland on Thursday, August 4, 2022. Often referred to as the “Academy Awards of the East Bay,” the East Bay Innovation Awards is the premiere program of...
The 2022 East Bay Innovation Awards Nominees
Oakland, California – The East Bay Innovation Awards continues to highlight the ground-breaking companies and organizations contributing to the East Bay’s legacy of innovation. This year, nearly 200 nominations were submitted in 10 competitive award categories,...
A Community Block Party
The inaugural East Bay Innovation Block Party took place on June 16 as a precursor to the 2022 Innovation Awards. Over 500 community members joined us at the Bridge Yard in Oakland to celebrate our 2022 nominees and finalists with food, small business exhibitors, music, local artists and more.
The East Bay Innovation BLOCK PARTY
Resilient East Bay
We are dedicated to supporting small to mid-sized businesses. Through a partnership with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, East Bay EDA is leading and implementing a project known as Resilient East Bay.
FIREBRAND – RESILIENt FOOD MANUFACTURING
In April 2022, East Bay EDA held its first in-person event of the year with the launch of Resilient East Bay at Firebrand in Alameda. This event was exclusive to East Bay EDA members and invitees and was presented in partnership with the City of Alameda and the Alameda Chamber and Economic Alliance. The event offered a first look at the artisan bakery’s newest manufacturing facilities at Alameda Point. Our program included a welcome from Supervisor Keith Carson and Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft. The highlight of the program was hearing from CEO Matt Kreutz, who has remained resilient for over a decade after founding Firebrand with just four employees in a West Oakland warehouse.
BERKELEY LAB – SUPPORTING EAST BAY INNOVATION
In July 2022, more than 20 regional business leaders and other stakeholders involved with East Bay EDA’s Resilient East Bay project visited Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and were welcomed by Berkeley Lab Director Mike Witherell. After providing an overview of the Lab’s operations, the group heard from Todd Pray, Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer of the Strategic Partnerships Office (SPO). SPO focuses on building connections between external partners with research happening at the Lab, which currently has teams working on some of the most pressing issues of our times, including water quality and supply, converting forest biomass to carbon-negative products and biofuels, and more.
GOMENTUM STATION – Leading the AVT charge
On Friday, September 23, 2022, the generous team at the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) offered a group of East Bay EDA members and partners the opportunity to visit GoMentum Station and seeing it in action! GoMentum is built on a public-private partnership model for entities to prototype and test new technologies as they are being developed. In addition to featuring more than 20 miles of roadway, the site has many unique assets that make it an ideal testing ground for the latest in AI and autonomous vehicle technology: two 1400-foot tunnels, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks; railroad crossings; potholes; a smart signal lab; and a mini-city that can support multi-modal testing.
ENOVIX – Powering the future in fremont
In December 2022, East Bay EDA hosted an invitation-only tour of Enovix’s Fab 1 manufacturing facility in partnership with the City of Fremont. This curated, exclusive experience offered East Bay EDA members and leadership an inside look at the technology that is helping to power everything from electric vehicles to consumer electronics. Our tour was welcomed by Harrold Rust, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, who provided an overview of the company’s history and explained their signature 3D cell architecture which increases energy density and maintains high cycle life. After the presentation we got to see the unique processes and production that the now publicly-traded company is developing for markets.
Sponsors & Partners
East Bay EDA sponsorship provides visibility and engagement around events and initiatives that include the East Bay Innovation Awards, Resilient East Bay, East Bay Forward, the East Bay EDA Speaker Series and more.
Our Membership
We are a cross-sector, public-private partnership that promotes strategic economic development throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Our 150+ membership includes business, academic & research institutions, and nonprofits.
2022 Membership Overview
- Business 36%
- Nonprofit 25%
- City or Town 19%
- Public Agency or Institution 14%
- Special District 6%
Connect with Us
As a regional voice and networking resource for the East Bay, we strive to provide timely information through our newsletters and social media channels. Follow us on social media for the latest news and information on the East Bay economy and Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.