GLDPartners and Merced County, California simultaneously unveiled three business websites this week. These websites were developed by GLDPartners on behalf of Merced County to create investment opportunities and position the County as an important and strategic business force in the state.  These sites reflect a public business face for GLDPartners’ public-private partnership with Merced County in developing internationally notable economic development products.

The websites each have a very specific mission, but are all part of a highly developed strategic business plan that is being delivered for the County.  In our opinion, the structure laid out by Merced County is class-leading and is quite distinctive versus other areas.  From our global perspective, there is no doubt that the County’s very tight business focus around key sectors and the development of specialized products (for example for the automotive technology sector) is unique anywhere and certainly in California.  GLDPartners is proud to be a business partner in developing and delivering these products.

To support the County’s overarching economic development, a new business structure called InvestMerced has been created to interface with outside investors, local business and other public collaborators such as the State of California and the California Central Valley Economic Development Council.  InvestMerced represents a professional business portal to access a tremendous range of information and data, and interface with County Government.   www.investmerced.com

Supporting the new Mid-California International Trade District, a new website has been crafted to be a comprehensive business portal for this 2,000 acre multimodal business complex. The $3B complex includes a substantial tower-controlled airport asset with a 12,000-foot runway, direct rail service via BNSF, new highway infrastructure linking to major markets and seaports. Designed to accommodate 8M square feet of industrial development for manufacturing and distribution, the MCITD will host about 10,000 jobs and be a critical hub for the California’s manufacturing growth in sectors like automotive technology, medical products, food and agribusiness, industrial machinery and commercial space systems.  The MCITD has developed a formal partnership with the Port of Los Angeles, in a one of a kind collaboration between North America’s largest seaport and a large-scale production and distribution hub.  www.midcalitd.com

The third website showcases what is emerging as an internationally recognized complex for the automotive industry.  The California AutoTech Testing and Development Center is a 300-acre hub where global OEMs and technology firms are working on next-generation research and development involved in vehicle autonomy, propulsion and connected car technologies. The CATDC is located within the MCITD, and as such enjoys access to a major airport asset and highly-developed internal and connecting road and rail infrastructure. Google/Waymo is located on a 91 acre site adjacent to the CATDC where they are conducting their globally recognized AV technology research, and a range of European, North American and Asian firms are using the shared-use testing and development complex.  The CATDC is unique due to: 1) its adjacent proximity to Silicon Valley, which has become perhaps the global autotech hub, 2) it’s comprehensive size and infrastructure including urban grid and high-speed test environments, 3) how autotech companies are involved as partners in the project through a CATDC Advisory Board, and 4) an overall project design that is oriented around supporting the auto industry with a range of testing, product development and site for product manufacturing and assembly. www.calautotdc.com

“The implementation of these websites is a way for us to directly communicate with investors, site selectors and businesses that could benefit from locating their operations at the Mid-California International Trade District,” said Chairman Jerry O’Banion of the Merced County Board of Supervisors. “We know of the great opportunities and possibilities at the Mid-California International Trade District – now we want the world to know.”  Mark Hendrickson, Merced County’s Director of Community and Economic Development, expects the new websites to be well-received by the development community.  “As we continue our efforts to highlight Merced County as a leading place from which to grow or expand a business, we are excited to launch these cutting-edge websites which both market our region effectively and contain important data useful for decision makers,” Hendrickson said.

GLDPartners is an international investment and advisory firm that specializes in revenue and infrastructure development projects at and around high-opportunity airports, seaports and strategic trade and logistics hubs.  The foundation for GLDPartners’ work is its proprietary Market Competitiveness Model which can accurately portray a realistic forward-view of competitiveness.  The Company also advises global companies about supply chain strategy and corporate facility location.  GLDPartners is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with offices in New York, Washington DC and in the UK.  www.gldpartners.com