Monterey Bay Economic Partnership

Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Serving the Monterey Bay Region including Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.

MBEP’s mission is to improve the economic health and quality of life in the Monterey Bay region. Launched to brand the Monterey Bay Region as a top tier location for economic development and investment in order to create new business opportunities and a dynamic job base. The partnership consists of public, private and civic entities located throughout Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, united in the vision to increase prosperity and enhance the quality of life for all citizens.

CAAMCI Airport Partner Spotlight: Watsonville Municipal Airport What does the future look like for a community airport a...
09/02/2026

CAAMCI Airport Partner Spotlight: Watsonville Municipal Airport

What does the future look like for a community airport at the crossroads of agriculture, technology, education, and aviation?

In our latest CAAMCI Airport Partner Spotlight, we hear from Watsonville Municipal Airport Director Rayvon Williams about WVI's role in the community today—and how it's preparing for what's next.

The airport supports 482 jobs and $78.5 million in economic output, but its impact extends well beyond the numbers, supporting agriculture, local businesses, flight training, emergency response, aviation education, and new opportunities for workforce and economic development.

As Rayvon puts it, the airport is more than a place for takeoffs and landings: "It's community infrastructure." Through continued investment, emerging aviation technologies, and regional collaboration through CAAMCI, Watsonville is helping build a stronger aviation ecosystem for the entire Monterey Bay region.

Thank you, Rayvon, for sharing your perspective and for your leadership in shaping what's next for Watsonville Municipal Airport and our region.

Read the full Q&A: https://ow.ly/PbIs50ZHuM2

Next week: AI & the Future of Our RegionArtificial intelligence is moving fast—reshaping how we work, communicate, do bu...
09/02/2026

Next week: AI & the Future of Our Region

Artificial intelligence is moving fast—reshaping how we work, communicate, do business, make decisions, and engage with our communities. On September 10, MBEP is bringing together national experts and regional leaders at CSU Monterey Bay to explore what these changes actually mean for California and the Monterey Bay region.

Hear perspectives from OpenAI, GoFundMe, Stanford Law School, Loti AI, Influent AI, Reservoir, and more as we tackle some of the biggest questions surrounding AI: What will it mean for jobs and wages? What’s coming next in state and federal regulation? How will deepfakes and synthetic media affect elections and civic trust? And how can organizations embrace innovation while navigating rapid change responsibly?

⏳ We’re just over a week away—and this is one conversation you don’t want to miss.

📅 September 10 | CSU Monterey Bay
🎟️ Reserve your seat today: https://ow.ly/uLZ450ZI0KR

At MBEP, we believe some of the most powerful workforce and economic development happens when we break down silos and br...
09/01/2026

At MBEP, we believe some of the most powerful workforce and economic development happens when we break down silos and bring education, industry, and innovation together.

That’s exactly what we’re helping do through the Farm Robotics Challenge.

MBEP coordinates the Challenge regionally, working alongside UC ANR Innovate and the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS) to connect student developers with local growers and give students the opportunity to apply AI, computer science, engineering, and robotics to real challenges facing agriculture.

One example is unfolding at Hartnell College, where the Iron Claw Robotics team partnered directly with Ocean Mist Farms to develop an autonomous crop-monitoring system designed for the unique demands of artichoke fields.

The impact extends well beyond the technology. Students are gaining hands-on, workforce-ready experience while working alongside growers and industry partners—and building skills that can lead to careers in robotics, engineering, advanced manufacturing, agtech, and other growing sectors. Hartnell team members have already leveraged their Challenge experience into internships and full-time engineering positions.

For MBEP, this is what regional economic development looks like: connecting our region’s talent with its industries, creating pathways to good jobs, and helping ensure that innovation happening in the Salinas Valley creates opportunity for the people who live here.

Read the full story about MBEP’s work with the Farm Robotics Challenge and Hartnell’s Iron Claw Robotics team: https://ow.ly/9Tci50ZHtHo

Breaking Down Silos: How the Farm Robotics Challenge Bridges Disciplines to Solve Real Agricultural Problems

How can advanced air mobility create real benefits for the communities it serves? MBEP Chief Growth Officer Lavera Alexa...
08/31/2026

How can advanced air mobility create real benefits for the communities it serves?

MBEP Chief Growth Officer Lavera Alexander, who leads the California Advanced Air Mobility Project (CAAMCI), recently joined the Fourth Annual Lake Tahoe Electric Transportation Forum for a fireside chat exploring that question.

The conversation focused on how advanced air mobility can create new economic opportunities, deliver tangible community benefits, and—critically—ensure local voices have a role in shaping this emerging transportation ecosystem.

Through CAAMCI, MBEP is bringing together airports, industry, education, government, and community partners to help position the Central Coast as a statewide and national leader in advanced air mobility.

Learn more about CAAMCI: mbep.biz/caamci

Last week, MBEP’s Cristopher Almaraz had the opportunity to spend two days at Ruggedize in Salinas, Reservoir’s first co...
08/31/2026

Last week, MBEP’s Cristopher Almaraz had the opportunity to spend two days at Ruggedize in Salinas, Reservoir’s first conference focused on agricultural robotics and physical AI.

With leaders from John Deere, NVIDIA, Google DeepMind, Carbon Robotics, Verdant, Agtonomy, Bonsai and others, the conversations explored what it takes to move emerging technology from concept to the realities of the field.

One message stood out: farmers prioritize reliability over innovation.

In agriculture, technology has to work through dust, heat, vibration and demanding conditions—and there need to be skilled people who can build, maintain and repair it. That creates an important workforce opportunity for our region, from technicians and field service to advanced manufacturing and other skilled careers.

Reservoir also announced a $10 million partnership with John Deere and now hosts 22 startups across Salinas and Sonoma, further positioning the Salinas Valley as a place where the future of agricultural technology isn’t just used—it’s tested, proven and advanced.

We’re excited to see our region at the center of this work and to continue thinking about how we build the talent pipeline to grow alongside it.

We're excited to welcome Luke Arrigoni to MBEP's AI & the Future of Our Region Summit!As an AI entrepreneur and expert i...
08/28/2026

We're excited to welcome Luke Arrigoni to MBEP's AI & the Future of Our Region Summit!

As an AI entrepreneur and expert in data science and machine learning, Luke brings a valuable perspective on how rapidly evolving AI technologies are changing the way information is created, distributed, and understood.

Luke will join Sarah Shirazyan and Nate Saletan for "AI & Democracy: Politics, Elections, Disinformation & Civic Trust," exploring some of the most consequential questions emerging alongside AI—from deepfakes and synthetic media to AI-generated political content, disinformation, and the challenge of maintaining trust in an increasingly AI-driven information landscape.

The panel will also examine the tools being developed to identify synthetic content, how AI is influencing political communication and public discourse, and what greater AI literacy could mean for voters and news consumers.

⏳ We're less than two weeks away! Don't miss the opportunity to hear from Luke and an outstanding lineup of experts exploring the opportunities, challenges, and real-world implications of AI for our region and beyond.

📅 September 10 | CSU Monterey Bay

Reserve your seat today: https://ow.ly/2HJy50ZvYQ8

A major investment in California’s airports—and great news for our region.U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff rec...
08/27/2026

A major investment in California’s airports—and great news for our region.

U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff recently announced nearly $109 million in FAA Airport Improvement Program funding for 51 airports across California to modernize infrastructure, improve safety, and strengthen the state’s aviation system.

Among those 51 airports are three right here in the Monterey Bay region, receiving nearly $3.3 million combined:

Monterey Regional Airport: $2.37 million
Hollister Municipal Airport: $794,087
Watsonville Municipal Airport: $115,058

As our recent regional airport spotlights have highlighted, airports are more than places where flights begin and end. They support jobs, businesses, emergency response, tourism, innovation, and millions of dollars in regional economic activity.

This investment also comes as our region continues to build its leadership in advanced air mobility (AAM). Through MBEP’s California Advanced Air Mobility Corridors Initiative (CAAMCI), Hollister and Watsonville airports are working alongside Marina and Salinas to develop a coordinated multi-airport network and prepare our region for the next generation of aviation.

As MBEP President & CEO Tahra Goraya said, “Investments in our airports are investments in our regional economy.”

We applaud this federal support for California’s airports and are especially excited to see investment flowing to critical aviation infrastructure here in the Monterey Bay region.

Learn more about the funding announcement: https://ow.ly/WMui50ZGgvV
Explore our Watsonville Airport spotlight: https://ow.ly/Z34L50ZGgvS
Explore our Hollister Airport spotlight: https://ow.ly/W3vl50ZGgvX
Learn more about CAAMCI: https://ow.ly/G3yi50ZGgvR

We're excited to welcome Jacqueline Schneider to MBEP's AI & the Future of Our Region Summit!A leader in workforce devel...
08/27/2026

We're excited to welcome Jacqueline Schneider to MBEP's AI & the Future of Our Region Summit!

A leader in workforce development, Jacqueline brings an important perspective to one of the biggest questions surrounding artificial intelligence: What will AI mean for workers—and how do we prepare people for what's next?

Jacqueline will join Erika McEntarfer and Tim Koide for "Jobs, Wages & the Workforce — Will AI Help or Hurt Workers?" Together, they'll explore how AI is reshaping employment, wages, and workforce development—and what those changes could mean for industries critical to the Monterey Bay region.

From preparing workers with the skills they'll need to understanding where AI may augment rather than replace jobs, this timely conversation will look beyond the headlines to what an AI-driven economy could mean for employers, workers, and our region.

⏳ We're just two weeks away! With an outstanding lineup of speakers and timely conversations about the issues shaping our AI future, this is an event you won't want to miss.

📅 September 10 | CSU Monterey Bay

Reserve your seat today: https://ow.ly/2HJy50ZvYQ8

On Women’s Equality Day, equality is about more than representation. It’s about economic opportunity.In her latest comme...
08/26/2026

On Women’s Equality Day, equality is about more than representation. It’s about economic opportunity.

In her latest commentary, MBEP President & CEO Tahra Goraya examines a troubling trend: women are leaving the U.S. workforce at disproportionate rates, with consequences that extend far beyond individual households.

When women leave the workforce, businesses lose talent, families lose income, and communities lose entrepreneurs, consumers, taxpayers and leaders. Here in the Monterey Bay region, where women are essential to industries including healthcare, education, hospitality, tourism, government and human services, we cannot afford to leave that talent on the sidelines.

Creating an economy where women can fully participate means addressing the systems that make participation possible—from attainable housing and affordable childcare to equal pay, flexible work, paid family leave and pathways to higher-wage careers.

As Tahra writes:

“Women are not a secondary workforce. Women are an economic engine.”

This Women’s Equality Day, we’re reminded that investing in women isn’t only a matter of equality—it’s essential to building a stronger, more competitive and resilient economy for everyone.

Read Tahra’s full commentary, “When Women Leave the Workforce, We All Lose”: https://ow.ly/a6E450ZFT6Z

Celebrating Eden Housing and their continued investment in the educational goals of its residents!Through the annual H...
08/24/2026

Celebrating Eden Housing and their continued investment in the educational goals of its residents!

Through the annual Howard T. Collins Memorial Scholarship Program, Eden Housing awarded nearly $125,000 to 29 students this year as they pursue higher education and career opportunities.

For more than three decades, the program has awarded $1.4 million in scholarships to more than 700 Eden Housing residents—helping create pathways to education, opportunity, and economic mobility.

Congratulations to this year’s scholarship recipients, and to Eden Housing for continuing to invest not only in affordable homes, but in the people and communities who call them home.

Hear scholarship recipient Monica share her story: https://ow.ly/JjQt50ZEW3t
Learn more about the program: https://ow.ly/45HN50ZEW3n

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Marina, CA
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