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Mark Percy, President, CLAOC Welcome to OC Leader Wire
A bi-monthly update from CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County

Welcome,

Collaboration across the innovation ecosystem can pay great dividends.

CLAOC joined other OC education partners in receiving one of only six awards for the state's Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program. Our contribution will focus on the connection to higher-paying jobs. The $18.1 million award went to OC Pathways, a consortium led by the OC Department of Education.

At the same time, we regret we were not among the 32 (out of 509 proposals nationwide) regional winners for the Good Jobs Challenge (GJC) grant that would have brought $24 million to the OC. There were only two winners in California and none in SoCal.

However, the GJC proposal - submitted with so many education, nonprofit, government, and business partners - provided the OC ecosystem with a valuable blueprint. We will continue to use this vision to access other resources to scale our collective work.

If we design our talent pipeline around the needs of major employers, we can provide more people with well-paid jobs that offer a living wage here in OC and greater prosperity for all.

Together we can do this -

Mark Percy
Mark Percy
President
CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County
Summer leads to growth, continued impact of Career Exploration Experiences

Expanding significantly since its 2021 inception, Career Exploration Experiences (CEE) transitioned from targeting high school students to now including community college and university-level students.

This expansion has doubled the participation of CLAOC host companies to 20. With more than 200 hours of training, students learned about industries and careers with CLAOC member companies, developed professional skills and worked closely with industry professionals on real-world projects.

Click here to see how our member companies and CLAOC impact OC talent through CEE.
Feature News
Feature News
CLAOC Debuts Newest Orange Fellowship Cohort

The CLAOC Orange Fellowship's third cohort debuted 37 Orange Fellows at Chapman Crafted Beer last month. With 60 guests in attendance, the evening was full of energy and incredible connections.

The Orange Fellowship has over 80 young professionals from across industries, consisting of engineers, data scientists, consultants, finance, HR, marketing professionals and more. New class members gathered for a night of networking and conversation.

The class of 2022 will join us for a two-year leadership development program. Throughout the program, fellows participate in quarterly learning events to cultivate leadership skills and career development, sharing experiences with peers and OC business leaders at social events.

The fellowship provides a platform for young leaders to create meaningful professional connections and be part of a network of rising professionals in Orange County.

For more information on Orange Fellows, click here.
Feature News
CLAOC Introduces First-Ever Member Luncheon Series

CLAOC kicked off its first two installments of the CLAOC Member Luncheon Series. This luncheon series allows OC company leaders to participate in collaborative discussions ranging from talent to capital.

Last month's theme was "New business models for high-performance, hybrid workforces." Hosted by Joe Lozowski, CEO of Tangram Interiors, and Doug Holte, founder of Agile Workweek Investments, this luncheon saw attendees engaged in conversations around making the OC a remote and hybrid-friendly environment to retain and attract young talent.

"We have to be very intentional about when and why people come to the office," said Wendy Rogers, CEO of LPA Design Studios. "The real ability to build a vision with someone is a personal experience."

For Reza Janhangiri, CEO of American Advisors Group, the impact of companies transitioning to hybrid and remote work environments has caused a decrease in his OC employee base.

"As people leave, more flexibility in rehiring in various places around the world is needed," Janhangiri said.

Earlier this month, a second CLAOC Member Luncheon was held at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth law firm in Newport Beach and hosted by litigation shareholder, Marc Schneider. The topic at this month's luncheon focused on something a bit different - ways to make Orange County more appealing to venture capital brands as another way to keep top talent in the area.

"I've wondered, 'How does OC keep its edge when it comes to startups and entrepreneurs?'" said Kevin Howard, CEO of AWM. "You'll get funds that won't look at us because we are based in OC...For me, It's easy to recruit talent from all over."

For Schneider, he has seen benefits to startups moving to Orange County as opposed to areas like Silicon Valley and Boston. "I've seen the opposite. Clients here are getting more funding and attention," Schneider said. "There is a better level of respect."

The next CLAOC Member Luncheon will convene in October.
In The News
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