Oroville’s civic boosters believe they have a secret worth spreading. The secret, of course, is Oroville and all they’ve lined up to encourage industry to relocate there.
The people behind a new website, Oroville: California’s Business Oasis, are trying to promote Oroville and surrounding communities as places turning the state’s reputation on its head. The site — aimed at so-called location consultants, hired by manufacturers on the hunt for sites to expand — focuses on potential pluses for businesses.
The website touts Oroville as having wages lower than the state median and typically greater unemployment. In a state known for higher costs, abundant red tape and scarce water supplies, the website points to tax incentives, expedited permitting and plentiful and affordable water.
Michael Glaze is CEO of the South Feather River Water and Power agency and founding director of the Oroville Economic Alliance, the partnership of public and private entities behind the site. He outlined some of the range of firms that would likely view Oroville’s assets as major pluses.
“Water bottling companies, breweries, any beverage type industry that is water dependent, food processing,” Glaze said. “We also think we have potential for Silicon Valley type companies, especially ones that are in the digital storage business that are also dependent on water.”
It’s impossible to tell just how successful the effort will be. Similar initiatives have been launched in the past. Glaze, however, noted that the new effort is more coordinated and has more entities, both public and private behind it.