Innovation hub lands in county      

Reed Fujii 

October 10, 2013 12:00 AM

California and San Joaquin County economic officials announced this week the Innovation Hub San Joaquin, one of four new iHubs in a network of state-sponsored innovation clusters.

The Stockton-based hub is particularly dedicated to advancing technologies and businesses in the areas of health care, sustainable construction and agribusiness.

Harry Mavrogenes, chief deputy county administrator, said the idea is to establish a center that fosters innovation through ties with area business, colleges and universities, nonprofit community groups, public agencies and others.

"My focus is going to be in the next several months to build a structure and organization that can become an incubator that can allow startup businesses to have a place to be and become successful," he said.

It is something of a work in progress, as legislation formalizing and expanding the iHub program was just signed last week by Gov. Jerry Brown.

"The state will be presenting us with a new agreement in terms of how we interact with them by the first of the year, which will detail how this will work," Mavrogenes said.

Michael Ammann, chief executive of the San Joaquin Partnership, which is a partner to the iHub program, sees it as a complement to existing economic boosters.

"This will underscore, certainly, the implementation of the county's economic development plan," he said. "You can look at the iHub as a resource or a step in fostering more entrepreneurship throughout the county."

The program is overseen by the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.

In addition to the San Joaquin County effort, GO-Biz officials also announced iHubs focused on defense, energy and aerospace technology and business in Kern and Ventura counties; a statewide program for manufacturing; and a partnership of Riverside County and the Port of Los Angeles centered on their transportation-corridor links.

Existing iHubs have attracted more than $2.9 million in funding this year, including $1 million to create a Sacramento-area AgTech Innovation Center and more than $1.5 million for the Coachella Valley Accelerator Campus in Palm Springs.

Mavrogenes said the focus on sustainable construction was chosen because San Joaquin County is an area where a great deal of new development may occur in coming years. The aim would be to develop communities with a mix of housing and jobs less dependent on long commutes and that preserve the region's traditional agriculture industry.

Ag innovation would help meld new technology with existing farm practices. And innovation in health care is a must with an aging population and recent changes in the nation's health care system.

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