Who is SJVMA?
The San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SJVMA) is an organization of the Valley’s manufacturing leaders advancing their industry and creating a world-class workforce at the local level.
Launched by the Fresno Business Council, SJVMA aims to strengthen regional manufacturing, an industry that is responsible for over $19.3 billion of the Valley’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employs more than 115,000 people. Nationally, the manufacturing industry is responsible for $2.77 trillion in GDP.
SJVMA designs training programs, provides jobs to interns for hands-on experience, educates the public on the benefits of manufacturing careers, addresses legislative issues, and brings local businesses and industry innovators together for the “Valley Made” Manufacturing Summit, an annual manufacturing conference. In 2021, Career Nexus was launched by the Fresno Business Council to further advance the efforts to build a well-trained, diverse workforce for the region’s businesses.
Through all of these efforts supporting our regional manufacturers, SJVMA works to enhance the region’s competitiveness in the global market, in turn multiplying manufacturing’s economic impact on the Valley.
Our History
Recognizing the important role of advanced manufacturing, Fresno State’s Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) organized a manufacturing cluster to align regional manufacturers. The first project was a manufacturing summit.
To strengthen and sustain this initial effort, the Fresno Business Council (FBC) – a business civic organization – became the platform to provide leadership and support in the creation of SJVMA in 2014. Leveraging FBC’s long-standing relationships in the business, civic and education sectors, SJVMA had a jumpstart in building the bridge between the public and private sectors. The Fresno Business Council’s deep vertical connections at the state level continue to provide many built-in resources to SJVMA’s efforts.
SJVMA’s ongoing primary focus is to build stronger regional manufacturing companies by:
- Educating the masses about the importance of this vital sector
- Strengthening connections and relationships
- Building growth assets
- Strengthening the diverse workforce pipeline in partnership with education and training organizations.
