Devereaux-From a more global standpoint, without a shared vision of the future, our cities, the business community, the colleges and universities, the medical community, as well as the non- profits, are not able to focus on projects where there is a mutual benefit. We will always resort to being parochial in our decision-making unless we understand why a decision is in our shared best interest and why we should be working together. For example, a city manager and city council will always argue for funding their interchange unless you can show them that this interchange in another city actually gets us closer to a shared vision. It creates more immediate jobs, has more beneficial economic impact, and can help fund your interchange and two others. It’s about understanding what creates the greatest benefit for all.

How does this process benefit business?

Devereaux-We continue to see opportunities in the logistics industry. We know that our location and transportation assets are something we need to market. From a national perspective, the strength of the County is that it’s the crossroads, the hub of Southern California. We’re part of a bigger national transportation system that includes the ports, all of the airports, freeways, and rail lines. However we can’t leverage that advantage if we don’t provide a predictable environment for business investment. As a County we want to instill a much better understanding of the value and importance of providing a timely decision-making process for people who want to invest, hire, and grow their business here. So through the visioning process we are trying to make the County more business-friendly, more business aware, and more entrepreneurial.

What is the advantage of working with the County?

Devereaux-Despite the size of this County’s population and the fact that it’s one of the largest counties in the US, the people and the businesses all believe that the level of cooperation and collaboration here is better than other areas. As this vision is solidified there is a renewed understanding throughout the County that the system has to work together. Everyone understands the value of getting people to invest and create jobs here. The education community, the healthcare community, the government are all going to be pulling together and working together to ensure that anyone who invests here is successful and that we do whatever we need to do to get them through processes quickly. Despite our size we have a level of communication and an ability to focus that some areas just don’t possess.

What about those businesses that believe California is tough State in which to do business?

Devereaux-This County has always been an environment that is pro-growth, wants jobs, and isn’t afraid of the impacts but instead wants to work with businesses to figure out how to deal with those impacts. It’s important for someone outside of the area to understand that when they look at the regulatory environment in California which they may perceive as an atmosphere that is not conducive to business or is not business friendly, that this area is the antithesis of that attitude. If you look specifically at the attitudes in the County and what people want and what people support, then you quickly realize that this region is more welcoming to business than other regions within the State or even the State itself.

Is the County open to new development?

Devereaux-We recognize that there are some rural areas of the County that need to be maintained. But I think there is a clear recognition that in the areas where we do have development, the communities want growth and they want jobs. There really isn’t much NIMBYism here as long as you are doing the development in the right areas. For example, when I was in Ontario there was a sense you couldn’t build multifamily housing. But as I probed deeper it was becasue they were putting it in the wrong places. When we started building multifamly in the right places such as downtown and by Ontario Mills, there was absolutely no opposition. There is more development ahead of us than there is behind us in the County. The visioning process is all part of providing that predictable, welcoming atmosphere. We want to know where development will be accepted because that then allows us to provide predictability and create quicker processes.

What would you tell a young worker about locating to the County?

Devereaux-I would say that you have more opportunity to affect the future of this area than an area like Los Angeles and to benefit and profit from the result. This is an area where the American Dream is still affordable and achievable.

What is most exciting about the future of the County?

Devereaux-We have an opportunity in this County to work in a unified fashion toward a shared future. The County is a system. We have to care about all aspects of that system for everyone to be successful. We have to care about the quality of education so that we can have better jobs. We have to care about the health of our community and our healthcare system so that we have healthy workers who have better jobs and young people who stay in school. There is a growing level of professionalism in this county, understanding, and cooperation and collaboration that really bodes well for the future of this region and the people who invest in it.

To learn more about business opportunities in the County of San Bernardino and hear results of the County-wide visioning process, register for the April 6 State of the County 2011 event at www.SBCountyAdvantage.com.