The Cities of Escondido and San Marcos both won statewide awards at the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) Conference last week. Escondido and Fresh Brewed Tech won the 2023 Award of Excellence for Collaborations/Partnerships for their AgTech Hackathon, which brought together AgTech entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders for collaboration and thought leadership.
“It has been amazing to see our agriculture and technology communities coming together for the future of farmers and food,” said Jennifer Schoeneck, Escondido Deputy Director of Economic Development.
San Marcos won an Award of Merit for Economic Resiliency & Recovery for their COVID-19 Business Sustainability Program. The city was able to assist 120 businesses by providing $2,944,800 in low interest loans through the city’s general funds. In the end, the city forgave 100% of those loans with money received from the federal CARES Act. Out of the 120 businesses the city funded, 95% of them are still open today.
“Receiving the Merit Award for our program is a huge honor and reflects our reputation of being a business-friendly city” said San Marcos Community & Economic Development Director Tess Sangster. “Our commitment to the community is what continues to solidify San Marcos as a North County leader.”
