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Sonoma Mendocino Economic Development District

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PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Sonoma-Mendocino Economic Development District (EDD) unites the counties of Mendocino and Sonoma in creating the first joint economic development strategy for the two-county region. To be developed in collaboration with input from local partners and community members, the multi-year strategy aims to uncover untapped economic potential in the region and to secure a robust and stable regional economy for many years to come. 

WHAT IS THE SONOMA-MENDOCINO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT?

The Sonoma-Mendocino Economic Development District is a two-county partnership, created through a joint power's agreement in 2015, to engage in regional economic development planning. County leaders recognized an important opportunity to coordinate and pool resources in areas where joint planning can accomplish more for the region’s development than either county’s independent efforts. The District is responsible for overseeing completion and implementation of the Sonoma-Mendocino CEDS. The last, and current, CEDS was written in 2016 and is currently being updated by a regional strategy committee. 

WHAT IS A CEDS?

A CEDS is a federally-required regional economic development plan that must be completed in order to become eligible for various funding programs under the Economic Development Administration (EDA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. A CEDS should not be viewed solely as a mechanism for qualifying for federal funding. It should serve as a roadmap for regional economic development in general—linking, leveraging, and aligning local assets and stakeholders to achieve regional goals. 

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (PDF: 4.63 MB) - Adopted 2022

CEDS Strategy Committee Meetings

Mar 1, 2022, 1:00 PM | AGENDA AND PACKET 
Mar 16, 2022, 1:00 PM | AGENDA AND PACKET 
April 7, 2022, 9:00 AM | AGENDA AND PACKET

SMEDD MEETING AGENDAS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Sonoma-Mendocino Economic Development District’s Board of Director’s meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month from 10-12PM. Logistics for future meetings can be found on the EDB Events Calendar. Board meetings are accessible to the public.

Mendocino County

Name 

Organization 

Term Effective Date

Term End Date 

Mary Anne Petrillo West Business Development Center 2/4/2020 2/4/2024
Jon Frech Black Oak Coffee 5/10/2020 5/10/2024
Open position for Mendocino County - - -
Paul Garza  Garza Consulting  4/20/2021  4/20/2025 

Sonoma County

Name 

Organization 

Term Effective Date 

Term End Date 

Mike Nicholls Sonoma County Economic Development Board 4/7/2020 4/7/2024
Robin Bartholow North Coast Builders Exchange 4/7/2020 4/7/2024
Jeff Kelly Tri Counties Bank 10/13/2020 10/13/2024
Lisa Badenfort North Bay Association of Realtors 10/14/2020 10/14/2024

SMEDD Appointed

Name 

Organization 

Term Effective Date 

Term End Date 

Open Board Seat (Currently Recruiting) - - -

Staff

Name 

Email 

Role 

Brad Johnson Bradley.Johnson@sonoma-county.org Interim District Manager
Ethan Brown Ethan.Brown@sonoma-county.org Sonoma County Administrative Staff
Lauren Cartwright Lauren.Cartwright@sonoma-county.org Sonoma County Administrative Staff

Upcoming Events

No Upcoming Events...