Leadership Stockton Class takes lesson in economy

MAY 2009 - Stockton’s economy is influenced by many factors. During the annual Economy Session, the Leadership Stockton class got a glimpse of a few of those factors, and learned about the bright future that lay ahead for Stockton.

The day began at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport with a great breakfast from Tommy Joyce and the Top Flight Cafe. After breakfast and a brief overview of the day it was time to start the information filled day.

The first presenter of the day, Katie Patterson with the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation (SJFB), was no stranger to Leadership Stockton as she has spoken on Agriculture and its impact on the economy to the class the last few years. Katie spoke from the viewpoint of the nearly 6,000 member families of the SJFB and the larger challenges facing the industry, describing the mission and many programs the SJFB offers to assist its members. She addressed current issues and recent successes, and provided a glimpse of what lies ahead. After the overview of the Farm Bureau, Katie then shed some light on the current state of water in our County, most notably the issues surrounding the peripheral canal. The class asked many questions and had a very insightful discussion. We look forward to continuing and expanding our relationship with the Farm Bureau in the future.

Following Agriculture on the agenda, was Tourism in Stockton by none other than former Leadership Stockton Program Coordinator and LS Class of 2004 grad, Wes Rhea, Director of the Stockton Conference and Visitors Bureau. Wes spoke of all the new and exciting things Stockton is doing to attract tourists and more importantly tourist dollars.

Next on the agenda was Connie Rill and Ed Wanket, Enterprise Zone Specialists from the San Joaquin County Economic Development Association, who spoke about the Enterprise Zone. Connie and Ed discussed the recent expansion of the zone and the benefits to both community and businesses. They had great info for all.

After lunch the class heard from Michael Duffy from Financial Center Credit Union, LS Class of ’95, about the current recession, what led up to the recession, and its effects on the local economy. It was basically Economy 101 for the class.

After a brief discussion on the class project the class carpooled over to Farmington Fresh where they were greeted by partner Randy Rajkovich. Randy gave the class a tour of this state-of-the-art facility located just east of the Stockton Airport. Beginning later this month with cherries and then on to apples, Farmington Fresh is the only fruit packing and distributing plant that sits next to an airport in the nation. This amazing facility gave the class a true appreciation for the products we grow in San Joaquin County and the far reach they have worldwide. As a parting gift Randy passed out apple bites, a class favorite!

We would like to thank the following people for their contribution to the success of this session: our speakers (Katie, Wes, Connie, Ed and Michael) for taking time out of their busy schedules; Top Flight Café and Stockton Metropolitan Airport for the use of their beautiful facilities; and to Randy Rajkovich for opening up the Farmington Fresh facility to the class.

See us here next month as we recap the “Day at the Capitol” session to be held on Thursday, May 14th at State Capitol. If you would like more info on Leadership Stockton or wish to sponsor a session next year, please contact Timm Quinn at 547-2770 or tquinn@stocktonchamber.org. Applications for the Leadership Stockton Class of 2010 will be accepted until June 19th and can be downloaded from www.leadershipstockton.com.