Provocative program set for 2011 “State of the Valley”

With our annual State of the Valley conference just six weeks away, we are excited about the program we have lined up for the day at the San Jose Convention Center on Feb. 18.

The conference—dubbed Silicon Valley’s annual “town meeting”—will feature a range of thought leaders and decision makers making sense of our trends and challenges. As always, the discussion will be rooted in the Silicon Valley Index, presented jointly with our partner, Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Obama’s chief economic advisor heads a roster of keynote speakers, President Thomas Jefferson makes a special appearance, and a deserving CEO will receive the annual David Packard Award.

This year an important theme emerges. We will release reports dramatizing the fiscal crisis facing cities and counties, and ask the question therefore assailing us: are our institutions of local governance equal to the magnitude of the challenge they face? Heads of our regional agencies will venture their best thinking, probed by some of the nation’s experts on the subject including even the author of the Declaration of Independece.

Joint Venture is grateful to our presentation sponsors Accenture, Bank of America, Kaiser Permanente, PG&E, and Wells Fargo Bank, and to our lead sponsor, Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Table sponsorships are still available by contacting Lisa Bruner at .

The conference, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., includes continental breakfast and lunch. Here’s the State of the Valley program at a glance:

• Briefings: 2011 Silicon Valley Index & Special Analysis
• Keynote speakers: White House economic advisor Christina Romer, urban metroplex guru Neal Peirce
• Panel Discussions:
  • Silicon Valley and the Future of Innovation
  • A Golden Moment for America’s Metropolitan Regions
  • 21st Century Regionalism: New Silicon Valley Models for the New Normal
• Panelists: Judy Estrin, Navin Chaddha, Steve Heminger, Ezra Rapport
• President Thomas Jefferson – Silicon Valley through the eyes of our third president, presented by Clay Jenkinson
• David Packard Award – A top Silicon Valley CEO is honored
  

Joint Venture Energy Storage Symposium Jan. 12 filling up fast

More than 150 participants from the public, private, academic and research sectors are expected at Joint Venture’s Silicon Valley Energy Storage Symposium on January 12 to discuss the future of the industry and hear from Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Philip Moeller.

In addition to Moeller’s keynote remarks, the event will feature panel discussions highlighting local energy storage projects as well as an in-depth discussion of the challenges in getting more storage on the grid. The symposium runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at AMD Commons in Sunnyvale and includes lunch.

Water Conservation Award nominations flowing in

Applications and nominations are being taken through the end of January for the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards, presented annually by a coalition of fourteen civic organizations, including Joint Venture. Awards are presented in nine categories: Government Agency/Water Utility, Business, Organization, Greenscape Management, Agriculture, Education, Holistic Solution, Technology Innovation and Water Champion. Nominations close January 28 and awards are presented March 22.

South Bay Broker Breakfast menu Jan. 26: News and networking

Economic development executives from Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale will share news on opportunity sites and other planning activities at a South Bay Broker Breakfast hosted by Silicon Valley EDA in Mountain View on Wednesday, January 26. Joint Venture invites commercial brokers, retail specialists and other development professionals to attend the event at the offices of Fenwick and West for the briefing and networking.

Program of the Month – “State Budgets: The Day of Reckoning”

(60 Minutes)

Steve Croft anchors this “60 Minutes” report from December 19 on the looming financial crisis that “almost no one is talking about.” The debt dilemma on the horizon for local and state governments, including California, is making Wall Street nervous, and some believe that it could derail the recovery, cost a million public employees their jobs and require another big bailout package.

Spotlight: Ben Foster, Optony and Joint Venture board member

When Ben Foster arrived at the University of Colorado, a sign next to the elevator in the student center caught his attention. It read: “Taking the stairs will save energy.”

That sign changed his perspective on alternate energy and his career direction. Today Foster is vice president of operations for global solar consulting firm Optony and a Joint Venture board member championing renewable energy.