Day 32 of Mentor on Road, USA

“Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested, all your life.”
- Swami Vivekananda

Day 32 of Mentor on Road, USA started with an event with the American companies hosted by USCS (US Commercial Service), SBDC (Small Business Development Centre), Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Metro Phoenix Export Alliance in Phoenix.

The session was fairly interactive. A lot of the companies who were present in the event are already doing business in India and the remaining companies were interested to visit India to explore business opportunities. We believe they have a good potential in India. We would soon be working with them and connecting them to India.
                                  

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) provides businesses with complimentary site-selection assistance through customized research and analytics to make their entrance into the Greater Phoenix market as easy as possible.

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s mission is to attract and grow quality businesses and advocate for Greater Phoenix’s competitiveness. A public-private partnership representing Maricopa County, 23 communities throughout the region, and more than 170 private investors, GPEC has been serving the region since 1989.

A nationally ranked economic development organization, GPEC provides the following services:  

• Confidential and expert support to companies as they plan their expansion and relocation strategies 
• Offers data and analytics to companies, streamlined real estate searches, and connectivity to decision makers 
• GPEC’s expert business development professionals provide confidential, expert support to the companies

MPEXA (Metro Phoenix Export Alliance in Phoenix) offers a single point of contact as well as a single repository of export related resources and information that is easily accessible, current and responsive. MPEXA is the “go to” outlet for all Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) looking for export related assistance and guidance.

MPEXA and the Metro Phoenix Export Plan are part of the Velocity Program and represent the culmination of over a year of collaboration between the Global Cities Initiative (a joint effort of Brookings and JPMorgan Chase) and metro Phoenix export stakeholders that are committed to building a stronger export-driven regional economy. 

MPEXA aims to:

• Reach and leverage businesses that support export promotion
• Engage economic development leaders, export service providers and other partners
• Provide export training and education to businesses of all sizes
• Create export awareness throughout the region to enhance the competitive economic position

Mentor on Road is now headed to the 15^th city, San Diego, which is the last stop of the first leg of the 32 city road drive in USA. It was a five and a half hour long road drive. The journey was smooth and pleasant.

We started driving on 4^th June from Boston and passed through states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Driven 6305 kilometers / 3856 miles till now and will drive 15,450 kilometers / 9602 miles in total. We have now entered the 21^st state of the road drive – California. 

                                       

San Diego is a major city in California, United States. It is in San Diego County, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, approximately 120 miles (190 km) south of Los Angeles and immediately adjacent to the border with Mexico. As per the U.S. Census Bureau, the population estimates of July 1, 2016 in San Diego is 1,406,630.

San Diego has been called "the birthplace of California". It is known for its mild year-round climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches, long association with the United States Navy, and recent emergence as a healthcare and biotechnology development center. 

The city is the seat of San Diego County and is the economic centre of the region as well as the San Diego–Tijuanametropolitan area. The presence of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), with the affiliated UCSD Medical Centre, has helped make the area a centre of research in biotechnology.

The largest sectors of San Diego's economy are defence / military, tourism, international trade, and research / manufacturing, respectively.

The economy of San Diego is influenced by its deep water port, which includes the only major submarine and shipbuilding yards on the West Coast. Several major national defense contractors were started and are headquartered in San Diego, including General Atomics, Cubic, and NASSCO.

San Diego hosts the largest naval fleet in the world: it is home to multiple ships, multiple 120 tenant commands, and multiple sailors, soldiers, Department of Defense civilian employees and contractors. About 5 percent of all civilian jobs in the county are military-related, and 15,000 businesses in San Diego County rely on Department of Defense contracts.

Military bases in San Diego include US Navy facilities, Marine Corps bases, and Coast Guard stations. The city is home to the majority of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's surface combatants, all of the Navy's West Coast amphibious ships and a variety of Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command vessels.

San Diego's commercial port and its location on the United States–Mexico border make international trade an important factor in the city's economy. The city is authorized by the United States government to operate as a Foreign Trade Zone.

Tourism is a major industry owing to the city's climate, beaches, and tourist attractions such as Balboa Park, Belmont amusement park, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and SeaWorld San Diego. San Diego's Spanish and Mexican heritage is reflected in many historic sites across the city, such as Mission San Diego de Alcala and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Also, the local craft brewing industry attracts an increasing number of visitors for "beer tours" and the annual San Diego Beer Week in November; San Diego has been called "America's Craft Beer Capital."

Local sight-seeing cruises are offered in San Diego Bay and Mission Bay, as well as whale-watching cruises to observe the migration of gray whales, peaking in mid-January. Sport fishing is another popular tourist attraction; San Diego is home to Southern California's biggest sport fishing fleet.

San Diego hosts several major producers of wireless cellular technology. Qualcomm was founded and is headquartered in San Diego, and is one of the largest private-sector employers in San Diego. Other wireless industry manufacturers headquartered here include:

• Nokia, LG Electronics 
• Kyocera International. 
• Cricket Communications  
• Novatel Wireless 

The largest software company in San Diego is security software company Websense Inc. San Diego also has the U.S. headquarters for the Slovakian security company ESET. San Diego has been designated as an iHub Innovation Center for collaboration potentially between wireless and life sciences. The University of California, San Diego and other research institutions have helped to fuel the growth of biotechnology.

Major biotechnology companies like Illumina and Neurocrine Biosciences are headquartered in San Diego, while many other biotech and pharmaceutical companies have offices or research facilities in San Diego. San Diego is also home to more than 140 contract research organizations (CROs) that provide contract services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Mentor on Road is looking forward to a constructive day tomorrow.

Jai Ho! (Let victory be yours)