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The EDC is proud to announce that we recently won a CALED Award for our Commuter Workforce Campaign. Although many of our members and community partners already know its origin story, some of you may not be aware of how the campaign performed or its impact on our local economy. I’m proud of all the efforts of our staff and supporters to make it successful, and I’m eager to share the story with you.
Available workforce is perhaps the top issue for communities and employers across the country. While many communities lack enough workers, our region has a unique challenge: 70 percent of our workforce leaves every day to work in other communities. The idea for the Commuter Workforce Campaign came from the need to address this issue. In addition to the toll it took on commuters, the daily exodus further strained our local employers, who were already struggling to fill vacancies. The campaign was designed to educate our workforce on the career opportunities within our region and to encourage them to apply for local jobs. This issue had existed for years, but the details weren’t entirely clear. While we knew how many people were commuting, we didn’t know much else about them. We didn’t know which industries they worked in, their average wages, their level of education, or any other demographics. Getting this information would be crucial to crafting our business recruitment message. When Site Selectors were told that we had an available local workforce who wanted to ditch their commutes, they immediately asked who these workers were, but we couldn’t tell them. We contacted countless data agencies to try to find out, but the data didn’t exist yet. So the only option was to gather the data ourselves. Using OnTheMap data from the U.S. Census, we were able to track where people were commuting to, down to the census tract level. We could then use a map search to see which employers were in those higher cluster areas of commuter destinations. Once we knew where these commuters worked, we could research their employers’ available jobs and average wages and compare them to the job openings we had in our region. With this information, we deployed geo-targeted Google ads to the census tracts where we saw the most commuters with the highest number of equivalent job openings. We went into it feeling unsure of what type of response we would get. The ads resulted in a very high click-through rate, which allowed us to collect data on demographics like age and gender as well as where the viewers searched for open positions on our SoCal Jobs page. The data collection for the campaign started in January of 2023 and the first Google Ad campaign launched that July. Throughout the campaign, we kept our members updated on the data gathered and how the ad performed. For the first two weeks of its run, we had 45,500 impressions and 721 clicks to the website for a 1.5% click-through rate. The average click-through rate for that type of ad is only .46%. These two weeks of campaigning cost us a mere $352.99. Being able to bring nearly one thousand active job seekers directly to our local employers’ job boards for less than $400 was an incredible value, especially when compared to the cost of hosting a job fair and its low potential for ROI. The 45,000 views that the campaign brought in provided additional exposure for the region, the EDC, and our local employers. We’re now running monthly campaigns to continue gathering data and market job openings to support our local employers. Thus far, the feedback has been very positive, and we’re looking to increase this effort to reach even more commuters. Through the success of this campaign, we’ve gained support from our local partners in growing this initiative by leveraging additional dollars to fund it. The campaign only worked due to the valuable insight from local employers on their struggles with hiring and their hardest-to-fill positions. We anticipate the campaign will continue to yield benefits for our employers by filling their open vacancies, allowing them to service more clients and reducing the daytime leakage. Daytime leakage means fewer dollars spent locally. Reducing this by keeping our workers local means we’re not only helping employers with their initial workforce issue, but also keeping more dollars here to further strengthen our economy. I’m incredibly proud of my team for taking on this complex issue, breaking it down into achievable parts, and executing a plan that has resulted in measurable success. As economic developers, it’s our duty to help our communities and businesses overcome challenges that they can’t on their own. The issue of local workers commuting out of our region is not entirely solved, but we’ve identified a path forward. Utilizing all that we’ve learned and the growing interest in partnership to foster this effort will help us continue to see a positive impact on our neighbors, communities, businesses, and the region.
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5/28/2024 āTwo Taiwanese Green Technology Companies Announce Expansion to Menifee and Temecula, CARead Now![]() EasyCycle Online will be located in the Temecula Valley Entrepreneurs Exchange (TVE2) while PV Circonomy will establish its first U.S. processing facility in Menifee. Temecula, CA – May 28th, 2024 – PV Circonomy and EasyCycle Online, two Taiwanese green technology companies, announced plans to develop their first U.S. processing facility and office in Southwest Riverside County. EasyCycle Online has created an innovative AI-driven software that, when paired with the advanced solar panel recycling hardware of PV Circonomy, will bring a new industry to the United States. PV Circonomy CEO Dr. Andrew Hung expressed his excitement about the announcement. “PV Circonomy’s mission toward a circular economy will not only benefit local communities and California, but throughout the United States. “PV Circonomy’s automated solar recycling process recovers 99% of solar panel materials without using chemicals, water, or creating high carbon emissions, which paves the way for a truly sustainable solar recycling economy. “We chose our location in Menifee, California in part because of the concentration of the solar economy in the United States, but also due to the resources and assistance that was provided to us. It is clear that it’s a community ready to welcome new businesses.” TSGC is the Taiwan-based parent company of PV Circonomy. TSGC co-founder Dr. Yaw-Shyan Fu shared more about the opportunities of this new technology. “There are thousands of different types of solar panels in use around the world, making recycling very difficult. The collaborative efforts of our team with organizations in Asia, Europe, and the U.S., in combination with our innovative technology that utilizes AI, opens up numerous academic opportunities to improve the circularity of the solar industry.” EasyCycle Online will initially be located at the Temecula Valley Entrepreneurs Exchange (TVE2), establishing its office location while PV Circonomy sets up its first U.S.-based processing location in Menifee. In addition to their manufacturing presence in the region, they are fostering research and development partnerships with the University of California, Riverside. EasyCycle Online CEO Vincent Cheng elaborated on their role in this project: “EasyCycle Online represents the customer-facing software component of solar decommissioning. Our aim is to make the process easy for both residential solar users and industrial-scale users to decommission their panels in an environmentally responsible way. The City of Temecula and the EDC have been incredibly helpful to us in establishing new roots here in California.” Rodolfo Torres, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development at the University of California, Riverside, shared his thoughts on the project: “UC Riverside, in partnership with the Economic Development Coalition and other agencies in Riverside County, will leverage our strong research foundation to innovate and collaborate with PV Circonomy and EasyCycle Online. Together, we're accelerating green technology, fostering growth, and contributing to the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem. With a focus on sustainability and innovation, our research will drive breakthroughs in renewable energy and environmental conservation. Through our SoCal OASIS™ initiative, UC Riverside is strongly committed to continuing collaboration with our regional partners to attract more companies to Inland Southern California.” “California is leading the way in green technology, and we are excited to welcome both PV Circonomy and EasyCycle Online to Southern California,” said Economic Development Coalition Executive Director Connie Stopher. “The local and statewide partnerships, including the access to talent and university collaborations, were key to the success of this project. The technology they bring to the state and the U.S. will be critical as our solar infrastructure ages and we look to add more renewable energy to the grid.” The Economic Development Coalition (EDC) works with communities in the Southwest Riverside region of Southern California to attract new businesses and grow existing industries. Green Technology is one key sector that they have strategically targeted. “The City of Menifee has strategically invested in economic development initiatives such as our Innovation District, which has become a hub for tech companies including PV Circonomy,” said Mayor Bill Zimmerman. “Menifee continues to be a growing destination for major corporations with ample supply to an educated workforce, proximity to major metropolitan areas, and available land opportunities near the interstate.” The TVE2 is a business incubator and regional resource center that fosters business growth and economic vitality for entrepreneurs. Additionally, the TVE2 houses the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center and offices of the EDC. "We are thrilled to welcome EasyCycle Online to the Temecula Valley Entrepreneur's Exchange and commend their groundbreaking software,” remarked Mary Cervantes, Manager of the TVE2. “Their innovative technology is not only revolutionizing the industry but also contributing to a more sustainable future for our community and beyond." For more information about PV Circonomy, visit their website: https://www.tsgc.com.tw/en/home/Recycler#RecyclerIntroSec For more information about EasyCycle Online, visit their website: https://www.easycycle.online/en To learn more about the Economic Development Coalition and the Southwest Riverside County region, please visit us online at edcswca.com. About PV Circonomy Founded in Taiwan, PV Circonomy is the U.S. location of TSGC. TSGC’s purpose is to eliminate the environmental impact of EOL PV’s and benefit the public, and accelerating energy transition toward a better future. TSGC works to solve the current impact of solar recyclability, maximizing the value of the reclaimed materials and helping create a sustainable solar future. About EasyCycle Online, Inc. EasyCycle Online, Inc. is a dynamic startup founded in 2018 in Taiwan, with a primary focus on advancing AI technology and ensuring the utmost in data security and management. This technology is paired with the commitment to driving innovative AI-driven solutions to redefine the landscape of solar panel recycling. About the Economic Development Coalition The Economic Development Coalition is a non-profit organization that works with the public and private sectors throughout Southern California, formed to unite public and private stakeholders to leverage the region’s competitive advantage, attract business, and supporting a high-quality of life. The EDC serves the cities of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Menifee, Temecula, and the unincorporated areas of Southwest Riverside County.
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