ORANGE – More than 500 business leaders, small business owners and transportation officials attended the OCTA Business Expo on Oct. 23 at the Disneyland Hotel for a full day of learning about how to succeed in the competitive world of contract bids and networking with key Southern California agencies and firms.
OCTA Chairman Shawn Nelson, also the Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, kicked off the day by welcoming those in attendance and stressing the importance of public agencies working with the private sector to successfully deliver transportation projects.
“The simple goal of the expo is to help you in attendance forge and cultivate relationships by networking, and getting a preview of what’s going on in the region,” Nelson said. “We look forward to working with you to improve our economic climate while at the same time making Orange County an easier place to get around.”
OCTA spends approximately half a billion dollars purchasing goods and services from local businesses every year with funding from Measure M, Orange County’s voter-approved half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, as well as state and federal sources. Contract services range from architectural and engineering to office supplies and pest control.
Nelson moderated the first panel featuring speakers from the Riverside County Transit Commission, Alameda Corridor East, the San Bernardino Associated Governments and OCTA. The panel discussed the current trends and upcoming projects in their regions. “We have a lot of work out there. We can’t do what we need to do without all of you,” said Kathleen Murphy-Perez, contracts manager for SANBAG.
Five separate breakout sessions featured panelists that discussed the topics of contracting with OCTA, equipping businesses with the tools needed to grow, partnering with successful contractors, marketing strategies and tools to advance businesses, and detailing OCTA’s upcoming transit and technology projects.
Between sessions, those in attendance were able to visit with any of the nearly 100 exhibitors featuring a host of businesses including construction and engineering firms, communications consulting firms, smaller cleaning and pest extermination companies.
“The benefit of this type of event is the one-on-one, it’s the people you talk to,” said Cherie Eifler, Business Development and Marketing Manager for Diaz Yourman and Associates.
Kish Rajan, director for the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, delivered the keynote address, discussing the economic climate and the importance of keeping companies in California. He highlighted some of the state’s most popular brands and the efforts under way to retain them as well as attract new employers to California. “The benefits must outweigh the cost,” he said.
Wing Lam, co-founder and owner of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, shared his journey growing up as the only Asian student born in Brazil at Estancia High School in Costa Mesa during the 1970s. Lam detailed how he created a successful business, gaining his popularity and building his brand by catering surf and other extreme sport contests. He discussed importance of building a business around the needs of his customers.
“If I could make the best player on my team and the team look good, I’d get play time,” he said.
The event was made possible through the Platinum sponsorship of CH2MHill and Wells Fargo and the Diamond sponsorship of Hatch Mott MacDonald, Parsons and Stantec.
