Fifty high-level delegates from 24 nations will visit the heart of California’s Central Valley, including the Fresno State campus, as Americas Competitiveness Exchange brings together decision-makers from the Western Hemisphere and beyond to explore global and regional partnerships and establish new global commercial relationships.
ACE 10, the 10th such delegation since it started in 2014, will visit Fresno State and downtown Fresno as part of a weeklong visit to Northern California from Oct. 21 to 27, when the delegates will tour leading innovation clusters in Fresno, San Francisco, Salinas, Monterey, Davis and Sacramento. The ACE 10 delegation will spend a few hours on the Fresno State campus from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24.
“The ACE 10 visit to Fresno provides a tremendous opportunity for our University and community to further its standing as a destination ripe with technology, innovation and entrepreneurship with the international community,” said Ismael Herrera, interim director of the Office of Community and Economic Development. “During their time in Fresno, ACE 10 delegates will understand, for example, the importance Fresno State plays in helping resolve the world’s 21st century water, energy and agricultural challenges, and how some of their own compatriots have chosen Fresno as the location to spawn businesses that are generating solutions.”
ACE 10 is a project of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration and Economic Development Administration, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State and the Organization of American States. The Fresno State visit is organized through the Office of Community and Economic Development.
While visiting Fresno State’s Claude Laval Water and Energy Technology Incubator, the delegation will hear from several of the University’s water leaders: Tommy Esqueda, associate vice president for Water and Sustainability; Sarge Green, interim director for the Center for Irrigation Technology; Dr. David Zoldoske, the founding director (now retired) of the California Center for Irrigation Technology; and Helle Petersen, project manager for the Water and Energy Technology Incubator. The group will also hear from several local business representatives.
University President Joseph I. Castro will speak to the group at 2 p.m. before they tour Fresno State’s Farm Laboratory.
After the farm tour, the delegation will head downtown to tour Bitwise Industries and Pi Shop, then attend a dinner at Arte Americas, hosted by the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The first ACE conference was held in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina in 2014. Others have been held in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Israel, Argentina and other U.S. locations.
