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About Butte County EDC

Butte County Government's Economic Development Goals

Improve the local economy by diversifying the economy, reducing the unemployment rate, increasing business revenues to the County, and increasing wages.

Promote and support the local agricultural economic sector

Improve the County’s fiscal health

Our Objective

To build a new public/private partnership between the County of Butte and its own economic development agency, Butte County Overall Economic Development Corporation. Over the past eighteen months, we have been overhauling BCEDC vigorously and experimenting with what truly creates job possibilities and economic stimulus.

We have been successful in our endeavors according to participants and observers and want to continue on this path (please see RESEARCH section for detailed information on our stimulus "Speed Dating" event).

We see our role as being right-hand private assistance to County Supervisors and County Staff charged with helping to build our local economy. We ultimately want to expand market opportunities for small- to mid-size companies, create jobs and increase sales. This type of activity leads to a better quality of life for our residents - something we’re all interested in achieving.
For over 10 years, our leadership team has been working diligently in forging relationships across industry sectors and learning what makes business and communities grow. We have carefully documented our progress and created measurable outcomes. What is very clear is that economic and community development cannot happen in a vacuum and it cannot happen without public funding combined with private support and function. In that spirit, we are proposing to assist Butte County with its NEW bold and direct type of economic and community development: one that ensures a positive business climate and a measurable Return on Investment (ROI).

According to the 2011 Tri-County Economic report, 75% of our businesses in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties employ one to nine people. This is a critical fact. Our focus is to grow this entrepreneurial-driven segment of our county, which includes many of our farms and ranches.

Why?

Because the USDA reports during the nation’s economic downturn from 1999 to 2003, micro-enterprises (businesses with less than five employees) created 318,183 new jobs or 77% of all employment growth, while larger businesses with more than 50 employees lost over 444,000 jobs. From 2000 to 2001, micro-enterprises created 62,731 jobs in the state, accounting for nearly 64% of all new growth.1 We want to help larger businesses as well but see government jurisdictions and other agencies stepping forward on this account. We will help when asked on specific tasks with business attraction.
Our goal is retention and expansion and On-the-Ground help when needed.