Sacramento Preparing Welcome Mat For San Francisco Tech Company
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Move over Silicon Valley, Mayor Kevin Johnson says Sacramento is on track to become the next home for California's high-tech innovators.
On Wednesday, we will find out which San Francisco technology company will "co-locate" to Sacramento.
Officials aren't willing to reveal the company's name yet, but CBS13 sat down with the CEO charged with leading this venture.
So we wanted to know, what's Sacramento offering to attract new high-tech firms?
With months away from the opening of the Golden 1 Center, the rest of Sacramento is in high-tech mode, shifting focus from government to innovative jobs.
Greater Sacramento Area Economic Council CEO Barry Broome is the guy charged with getting the job done with high-tech investments over the next decade.
"I think Sacramento can become a better version of itself," said Broome.
Broome is poaching emerging Bay Area tech companies to relocate to Sacramento, by the dozens.
The question is: why Sacramento? Lower costs, he says.
"When someone's putting 500 or 1,000 jobs in the ground, their housing costs drops 73 percent and they're still in the Bay Area, so access to talent," said Broome.
In his State Of The State address this year, Mayor Kevin Johnson promised to make Sacramento a "high-tech hub."
The sales pitch is working, he says. This week, Johnson will announce the latest San Francisco-based Tech Company to build a branch here.
The goal is to generate hundreds of technically-skilled jobs while tapping into talent at area colleges and universities like Sac State and UC Davis.
"Each one of these announcements are worth $1 million toward our brand," said Broome.
And that success may mean Sacramento's overall living costs will rise, he says, as more Bay Area workers relocate here.
"Overall, rebuild our brand around being a young dynamic community," said Broome.
Broome's brand, "The New California Dream", could become a reality once the capital city becomes less dependent on government.