Economic Development Programs

The Union City Economic Development Department delivers quality programs that help keep our business community competitive in an ever-changing economy. Union City’s goal is to facilitate and help businesses increase sales volume, provide access to funding, and encourage business growth by retaining and creating quality jobs. Our programs stretch across all business sectors and industries to help local businesses be more competitive by evaluating and addressing their broader needs and concerns. Businesses that stay competitive are more likely to remain in the community and expand.

Bioscience Symposium: The annual symposium brings together the bioscience industry, business leaders, investors, and elected officials to learn important industry trends and impacts of bioscience in Northern California. Past topics have included bioscience development, future workforce challenges and public policy issues. 

Investor Roundtable: Union City, in partnership with Business Value Alliance, presents the Investor Forum. This forum allows investors to present to entrepreneurs in a new innovative format. Union City will provide a quarterly forum for entrepreneurs to hear investors who will talk about their particular interests, target markets, therapies and technologies.  For more information please contact Union City’s Economic Development Department.

Small Business Seminars: The small business seminars provide information in the primary operations of a business. Topics include, accounting/finance; international business; general management;purchasing/procurement; human resource management; business succession; e-commerce; and technology management and implementation.

Employer Breakfast Meetings: Union City’s employer breakfast meetings provide training in employer mediation, managing diversity, harassment prevention and correction, employment law, no cost recruiting and subsidized employee wages. 

Business Web Tools: The “Small Business Growth Center” was created to help Union City start-ups and established business grow. The online portal provides templates and databases in human resources, sales and marketing, accounting/finance, business plans, employment law resources, employment statistics and federal and state tax tools. City staff frequently offers training seminars that explain and demonstrate how to maximize the resources of the “Small Business Growth Center”.

Certification Roundtable: Union City values a successful business environment for small businesses, women owned businesses and minority owned businesses. This roundtable meeting provides valuable information to obtain various certifications, such as, WBE’s, MBE’s, SBA8(a), SBA small business, HUBZone, SDA and VETS-100. These business certifications create contract opportunities in both the public and private sectors. Other class topics include certification preparation and facilitation; workshops such as contract negotiations, responding to RFP’s, public and private sector standards; marketing opportunities; and special events, such as match making sessions with corporate supplier diversity professionals and government procurement professionals from all over the Bay Area.