Barbara Hayes, Executive Director of the Sacramento Area Trade and
Commerce Organization, SACTO took task with the recent actions and
subsequent Wall Street Journal article about the business recruitment
actions of  Denver, Colorado. Her response printed in the Wall Street
Journal relates to the Denver Metro Economic Development program
recruiting business in California. Barbara permitted the use of her response
for the CalBizBlog
                                

           Why Everyone Loves California

     
Barbara Hayes, Executive Director
Sacramento Area Trade and Commerce Agency, SACTO

While Colorado’s Valentine-themed campaign to California executives is amusing
and creative (“States Recruit Worried Californians,” Feb. 13), we in California have
seen these types of initiatives before.

The truth is, it’s always easy (and more interesting I’m sure), to focus on the negative
issues of a state like California. With many estimates placing us among the largest
economies in the world, we deal with issues on a scale much larger than most states
in the US.

While there are examples of companies that have left the state, there are also plenty of
examples of companies that continue to choose the state. In the Sacramento Region,
we’ve seen locations and increased interest from international clean energy firms looking
for a US headquarters location because we offer talent, support and a progressive, forward-
thinking government.

What the media fails to point out and our competitors look to ignore, are the reasons that
companies choose to locate in California in the first place. The innovation and the workforce
are here. The research universities and venture capitalists are here. The consumers are here.
Not only are they here, but they’re here in a critical mass and you can’t easily place a number
\value to assets like that. In addition, we have all of the quality of life factors that states like
Colorado tout such as hiking and skiing (as well as the beach.)

And it’s not only Silicon Valley that offers companies a cutting-edge location, but increasingly
areas such as the Sacramento Region. We provide an alternative for companies who recognize
the irreplaceable value of being in California, but don’t want the high price tag.

We are all hurting, and whether times are good or bad, we all compete for business, talent and
investment. With all of the assets in our state, we understand why people love California too.