The Central Coast needs to build upon its unique assets while looking to create additional jobs, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Marek Gootman told a room filled with employers and community leaders Jan. 30.
Specifically, he cited the UCSB Nanofabrication Facility as one of the unique assets that has supported fledgling projects. The NanoFab has helped researchers by providing a cleanroom and staff.
“We need more of those to happen and we need more of the things that are already percolating within the university initiatives to be more effective about commercialization and capturing that value in the region,” Gootman added.
The second REACH Ideas + Action Summit attracted approximately 300 people to the Ritz-Carlton Bacara main ballroom to focus on economic development across the region. Participants included members of the aerospace, technology and energy industries.
Gootman also shared about a Central New York effort to create new jobs after old industries left by building upon existing workforce and more.
“If they can do it, this region can be even more powerful than it is right now, but we all have to focus and invest jointly in that segment and in those activities,” he added.
Later, a panel discussion focused on three unique local employers who spoke about various topics including a need for workers.
Created 10 years ago and growing to a hub for developing quantum computers, the Google Quantum AI now has more than 200 employees, most of whom are located in the Santa Barbara area.
“What’s limiting our growth is we just can’t find talent fast enough,” said Monica Hansen, Google Quantum AI head of technical operations.
They are looking to attract high-tech talent including research scientists, engineers and technicians.
“We want to definitely grow in this area and grow our infrastructure more. And really where we need help is finding and training talent across the board,” Hansen said.
A younger firm founded three years ago, Blue Laser Fusion aims to develop a clean safe energy source.
Blue Laser Fusion looks to harness an understanding of semiconductor lasers while pursuing fusion energy.
The firm, based in Goleta, now has 20-30 employees, a number expected to hit 100 within two years and possibly 1,000-plus in five to seven years, Paul Rudy, business development executive for Blue Laser, said.
Blake Bradley, spaceport integration manager for SpaceX, noted the firm’s operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base, the second busiest spaceport in the world, numbered 60 workers a few years ago and now stands at 400. They’re not done hiring.
“We’re continuing to grow significantly on site,” Bradley said.
Bradley also noted aerospace on the Central Coast extends beyond Vandenberg.
“There’s a lot of momentum both in SLO County and in Santa Barbara County around the space industry,” Bradley said. “So it’s not just Vandenberg, but really along State Street in Santa Barbara and other places in SLO. It’s really happening all around the region.”
While not mentioned by name, the State Street firm likely refers to Umbra, a homegrown manufacturer of the synthetic aperture radar satellites.
Dee Dee Myers, director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, or GO-Biz, spoke about the need to align education with the jobs of the future, saying this will require communication to ensure employers’ needs are met.
“We don’t want to train people for the jobs that aren’t coming,” she said. “We want to make sure we’re training people with the appropriate skills for all the jobs that are coming.”
She also shared about steps to expedite rebuilding efforts following the fires in Southern California with pushes to streamline the permitting and other processes.
“It’s going to be challenging, but we have the resources to do it and I promise you we will be ready in Los Angeles for the Olympics in 2028,” Myers said.
Housing took up a large segment of the summit with Ron Werft from Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital sharing about past and future efforts to create housing for employees.
“It’s mission critical for us as I think it is for a lot of businesses,” Werft said.
The per-unit cost for one Cottage housing project makes sense when considering the hospital’s expenses for replacing a nurse who can’t afford to live here, Werft added.
REACH President and CEO Melissa James noted people often mention housing issues among a key concern.
A lack of affordable housing for workers is “the single-biggest barrier not just to job creation but upward mobility,” she added.
REACH aims to unite Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties for economic development purposes while solving challenges including attracting high-paying jobs to the region.
