Megaregion Summit Focuses on Critical Issues and Investments Related to Goods Movement in Northern California
Leaders to Discuss Key Infrastructure Investments, Maritime Port Development & Regional Collaboration

OAKLAND, CA – On Friday, March 26th, hundreds of business, government, labor, and community representatives will convene for the 2010 Northern California MegaRegion Summit at the Oakland Marriott. Elected officials and industry leaders from the larger Northern California “MegaRegion” will discuss the critical aspects of the MegaRegion’s goods movement infrastructure. Key investments in port, rail, road, and logistics infrastructure will be the focus of the group, as will the importance of regional collaboration in setting priorities and moving America’s economic recovery forward Bank of America is the Title Sponsor of this event. AECOM is the Tier 1 Sponsor.

City of Oakland Mayor Ronald V. Dellums, Port of Oakland Executive Director Omar R. Benjamin, and President and CEO of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Joseph J. Haraburda, are hosting the event.

Event Partners include: The Bay Area Council; San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR); East Bay Economic Development Alliance (EDA); the Center for International Trade Development (CITD); and the ATLAS program at College of Alameda, the nexus for the Northern California Transportation and Logistics Initiative (CATLI).

The Summit will focus on goods movement in the MegaRegion with a special emphasis on the Port of Oakland and the redevelopment of the former Oakland Army Base. Speakers will address current trends in international trade, the future of the Port of Oakland, and the critical infrastructure investments needed to keep the Northern California MegaRegion competitive in the long run.

“Creating a regional dialogue about the importance of our goods movement infrastructure is very important to Oakland,” said Mayor Dellums. “We recognize the significant economic role the Port of Oakland plays for thousands of companies and cities and towns around the region. We want to respect the needs and priorities of the MegaRegion as we prepare to redevelop the former Oakland Army Base.”

Coordinating with the MegaRegion is a major priority for the City and Port of Oakland as they prepare to redevelop 425 acres of the former Oakland Army Base in the center of the Bay Area. Recognizing the critical economic and environmental impacts of operating the country's 5th largest container port in a densely populated urban area, as well as the vital importance of the Port to the state's agriculture, technology and other leading industries, the City, Port and Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce of Oakland are working together to create a dialogue around this project of national significance.

Background
Northern California is one of 11 MegaRegions in the US (as defined by America 2050) that are “interlocking economic systems, shared natural resources and ecosystems, and common transportation systems that link these population centers together.” In 2008, the Bay Area Council, SPUR, and America 2050 hosted the first MegaRegion event in Sacramento. This year’s Summit is the first to focus solely on the MegaRegion’s critical goods movement infrastructure.

In 2009, the City of Oakland, under Mayor Dellums’ leadership, created a singular vision for the redevelopment of the former Oakland Army Base. The City and Port of Oakland, along with their designated master developers AMB Property Corporation of San Francisco and California Capital Group (CCG) of Oakland, California, have a singular vision to convert the former Oakland Army Base into a vital international trade and industry center (Oakland Global) adjacent to the Port of Oakland.

“The Port of Oakland is entering an exciting new chapter in its history,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director, Omar R. Benjamin. “In partnership with the other Northern California Maritime Ports, our tenants and their import and export customers, the Port of Oakland is striving to enhance the region’s economic competitiveness. New inter-modal capacity and trade, logistics, and industrial facilities will streamline cargo handling and distribution capacity in Oakland and the entire MegaRegion, providing more service options for U.S. shippers seeking greater access to and from foreign markets.”

The environmental and economic benefits of closer regional coordination on goods movement infrastructure are significant. Greater synergy between maritime ports, railway companies, shippers, truckers, as well as cities and counties allow for dramatic reductions in diesel emissions as well as the creation of thousands of good-paying jobs in the transportation and logistics industry.

“We are very pleased to be able to support broad-based collaboration across the MegaRegion with this event,” said Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Joe Haraburda. “Public-private collaboration across jurisdictions and across sectors is vital to our region’s economic competitiveness. As an initiative of the Oakland Partnership, this event caps years of effort to upgrade our goods movement infrastructure and redevelop the former Oakland Army Base to support companies across the region and the U.S.”

The Summit opens at 7:30 a.m. Confirmed speakers at the event include:
John Barna, Vice President, AECOM Transportation and former Executive Director of the California Transportation Commission (CTC)
Omar R. Benjamin, Executive Director, Port of Oakland
Andrew Chesley, Executive Director, San Joaquin Council of Governments
Manuel Cunha, Jr., President, Nisei Farmer’s League
Ronald Dellums, Mayor of Oakland
Lorraine Giordano, Director, ATLAS, College of Alameda and Northern California Transportation & Logistics Initiative (CATLI)
Steve Heminger, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)
Michael Jacob, Vice President, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association
William Lewicki, Director, Marketing, Port of Stockton
Gabriel Metcalf, Executive Director, San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR)
Scott Moore, Vice President, Union Pacific (UP)
Monique Moyer, Executive Director, Port of San Francisco
Mike McKeever, Executive Director, Sacramento Council of Governments
Tom Nartker, Vice President of Transportation, Safeway Corporation
Ezra Rapport, Executive Deputy Director, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)
Bimla Rhinehart, Executive Director, California Transportation Commission (CTC)
Matthew K. Rose, Chairman, President and CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF)
Matthew Schrap, Director of Environmental Affairs, California Truckers Association
Emily Shanks, Senior Vice President for Commercial Banking and East Bay Market President, Bank of America
Peter Stone, Chief Commercial Officer, Ports America
Michael Walker, Vice President, External Affairs, Constellation Brands
Jim Wunderman, President & CEO, Bay Area Council

INVITED: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor, State of California.

Tickets are currently on sale and space is limited. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. The website for this event is: www.oakbiz.biz/MegaRegionSummit.page.

Media Contacts:

Karen Engel, Director of Economic Development
Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
(510) 874-4800, ext. 320
[email protected]

Eve Grossman, Manager, Governmental Relations
Port of Oakland
530 Water Street
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 627-1635
[email protected]

Samee Roberts, Marketing Manager
City of Oakland
(510) 238-2136
[email protected]