Mendocino College is a public, two-year community college founded in September 1972. The College now encompasses 3,200 square miles of Mendocino and Lake Counties, serving a population of 150,000. With almost 4,000 full-time and part time students, the College is dedicated to its diverse and dynamic community of students and helping them achieve their goals through research, reflection and dialogue. The College offers programs in Basic Skills, Transfer Preparation and Career and Technical Education as well as Workforce Improvement and embraces its role as an intellectual, economic and cultural anchor for the region. On August 25th, Mendocino College will host the final Startup Mendocino Gala Competition at its beautiful 450-seat theater in Ukiah. We’re proud to have them as a sponsor and caught up with Superintendent/President Arturo Reyes to get his thoughts on what’s happening in Mendocino County.
What part does your organization play in the economic development of Mendocino County?
As many research studies have well documented, education is directly correlated to income earning potential, and is one of the keys to increasing economic prosperity opportunities in communities. In many regions, community and technical colleges serve a critical role in supporting, and often lead, regional economic prosperity, planning, and collaboration. Mendocino College aims to do just that by providing direct economic development support of our local/regional competitive workforce. We’ve created career education programs to increase skills on three fronts; soft skills, basic skills (including digital literacy), and applied skills gap of improved student completion. With this common vision, we’ll enhance the capacity for producing graduates in critical employment sectors and significantly enliven economic development in the region.
What good things do you see happening in the next decade in Mendocino County?
We envision our partnership to serve as an incubator for our students and the opportunity to scale systemic change across workforce sectors through the College, Startup Mendocino, employers, and community based organizations. In the next decade, Mendocino County employers and Mendocino College will mobilize around jobs and the economy through inspiration and innovation to meet the needs of local/regional labor markets.
What’s your favorite place to be or eat or visit or stay in Mendocino County?
My favorite restaurant is the Italian steakhouse, Crush in Ukiah, and my favorite place to visit is beautiful Navarro Beach.
Tickets for the Startup Mendocino Competition Gala Are Now on Sale
This family-friendly event takes place in Ukiah at the Mendocino College theater on August 25th. Tickets are $10 and include beer, wine, refreshments, local food and prizes — and most importantly, a chance to cast your vote to determine who will win the grand prize for Startup Mendocino. Click here to buy tickets now.
Startup Mendocino is a Business Bootcamp and Pitch Competition designed to spark new thinking about what is possible in Mendocino County through entrepreneurship. Startup Mendocino is sponsored by the West Business Development Center, America’s SBDC, The John and Sandra Mayfield Economic Development Fund at the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, Adventist Hospital, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Economic Development and Financing Corporation, Mendocino College, North Coast Brewery, Harvest Market, The John Pack and Linda Francis Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, Ukiah Chambers of Commerce, Mendocino Coast Chambers of Commerce and Willits Chambers of Commerce and The Coast – KOZT, and the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity.
Startup Mendocino is supported by the Small Business Administration and California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Office of Business & Economic Development.
As always, to sign up for free business advising from WestBDC go here
Our Sponsors
