Sacramento, CA – Today, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced Source Diverse Source Local, a public-private partnership to strengthen an inclusive procurement and resilient California-based supply chain. The partnership was developed last fall by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), part of GO-Biz, in collaboration with the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery (Task Force).
“As we continue in our economic recovery, partnerships like this will leverage California’s enormous buying power to drive local economic growth, support our diverse businesses and improve the resilience of our communities,” said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of GO-Biz. “The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for California to have a stronger base of manufacturers and suppliers. By working with corporate buyers, we can help meet the needs of California’s supply chain now and in the future.”
Former Task Force members will lead in launching the initiative, including a financial donation from Google. The initiative and programming, which are set to launch this month, will build programming to recruit, support and convene corporations, industry leaders, and diversity stakeholders; develop content; and expand statewide expertise and other key economic voices across California’s public and private supply chains to join the Source Diverse Source Local Pledge. Those Task Force members represent the following companies: Google, Lockheed Martin, Prologis, Southern California Edison, United Airlines, and UPS.
Task Force member Pamela Kan, President of Bishop-Wisecarver and Executive Board Member of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association, will co-lead the initiative alongside CalOSBA. “Last year, California consumed $408 billion in imported goods, many of them commodities that California produces in-state. California has a sophisticated and robust manufacturing industry that employs 9.4% of the state’s workers. We need to focus on building our supply chain for resilience to strengthen our small businesses and the local communities they uphold,” Kan said.
Other partner organizations have also joined the effort, including: Small Business Majority, NextGen Policy, California Small Business Development Center Network, California Women’s Business Center Network, Emerald Cities, Women’s Business Enterprise Council (WBEC-West & WBEC-Pacific), Bishop-Wisecarver, Western Region Minority Supplier Diversity Council (WRMSDC), Southern California Minority Supplier Diversity Council (SCMSDC), California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), Government Operations (GovOps), and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
CalOSBA will develop strategic programming and partnerships to strengthen a network of corporate and government supply chain opportunities. Historic supply chain barriers persist for diverse and small local firms, and by partnering on contractor readiness, Source Diverse Source Local partners will help build a stronger pool of contract ready diverse and local firms.
About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.
About CalOSBA
The Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) helps support economic growth and innovation by working to ensure that California’s small businesses and entrepreneurs have the information, tools and resources they need to plan, launch, manage and grow their businesses successfully and be resilient. The CalOSBA serves to elevate their voices in state government and to advocate on their behalf to help ensure all aspiring and current small business owners and entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to access capital, access markets, and connect to the networks and resources they need to succeed. For more information visit the website.
Kaitlin Lewis
Assistant Deputy Director of Communications
Email Kaitlin, HERE
Phone: (916) 204-2107
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