More than 200 members of the Economic Development Corporation of Fresno County and other interested individuals were on campus this morning for EDC’s annual Winter BEAR (Business Expansion Attraction Retention) Breakfast and a discussion of the Campus Pointe project.
The Campus Pointe project is a public-private project with extensive educational benefits that will include residential, commercial, office, entertainment and hotel development on the eastern edge of the campus. A Hyatt Place hotel will be part of Campus Pointe project, allowing Fresno State to host small conferences and additional community events.
In addition to a presentation on the benefits of locating within Fresno County Enterprise Zones, by Paul DiTomaso of DiTomaso & DiTomaso Inc., the event featured three Fresno State officials: Provost Jeri Echeverria, Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer Cynthia Teniente-Matson, and Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Operations and Enterprise Development Deborah Astone.
Echeverria addressed how the university’s strategic plan is sparking a transformation of the university and how Campus Pointe Project fits with the educational mission of the university. Astone and Teniente-Matson spoke on the specific plans for the Campus Pointe Project and the overall master plan developed for Fresno State.
Kent Karsevar, EDC vice president of membership and marketing, said the EDC was pleased to partner with Fresno State to host its first BEAR Breakfast of 2007 on campus to discuss the Campus Pointe Project.
“The presentations by Fresno State officials were thorough and really addressed issues that have been voiced about this upcoming project,” Karsevar. “The response by our attendees has been very favorable and we thank Fresno State for participating with us to deliver this great event.”
After the presentations, about 50 of the participants were given a tour of new facilities and construction sites at Fresno State.
Among the stops were the library construction project, the Student Rec Center with its Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Leon and Pete Peters Educational Centers, the International Center for Water Technology construction project and the Fresno State Winery.
One of the participants, RABOBANK Vice President Gail Parvanian said the tour was beneficial.
“I was impressed with all the growth and construction and the university’s new state of the art facilities and equipment,” Parvanian said. “It is not everyday you get an opportunity to see places at the university that you wouldn’t normally see. It gave us a better perspective of how the university is such a valuable resource for our community.”
