Stanislaus 2030 bioindustry push gets big state grant, including a contest for businesses

John Holland
·2 min read

The state has granted $3.6 million toward creating bioindustrial jobs in and near Stanislaus County.

Funding now totals $14.6 million for the Stanislaus 2030 Investment Blueprint, which envisions up to 40,000 well-paying jobs within seven years.

Workers could turn crop, livestock, grocery and other waste into goods such as building materials, fuels and plastics. The effort launched in November and takes in Merced and San Joaquin counties, too.

The grant came from the state Community Economic Resilience Fund. It was announced May 25.

“This funding is a step toward our shared goal of creating high-quality, high-growth jobs in our region and shows that our area has made innovation a priority,” David White, chief executive officer of Opportunity Stanislaus, said in a news release.

This economic-development outfit has helped launch BEAM Circular out of its Modesto office. It stands BioEconomy, Agriculture & Manufacturing.

Stanislaus 2030 calls for a total of $75.8. million in public and private funding. It already has $10 million in federal COVID-19 relief money earmarked by county supervisors in January. Earlier in May, the National Science Foundation granted $1 million.

Stanislaus 2030’s largest piece is a facility that would scale up bioindustry ventures. It has partnered with a federal lab near Berkeley that has space only for small-batch testing.

Testing is done at the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Emeryville, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Testing is done at the Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Emeryville, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

The state grant will help provide financial and technical assistance to startups. It also will support job training and an effort to involve low-income residents. And it will fund a competition among businesses with ideas for turning waste into wealth. The details were not announced.

“The North San Joaquin Valley is leading the way,” BEAM Circular CEO Karen Warner said, “on innovative solutions that reduce waste, create a more resilient agricultural system, advance climate priorities and generate greater access to prosperity for local residents.”

The state program awarded eight grants totaling about $39 million, including two others in the Central Valley:

  • $10 million to the United Way of Fresno and Madera Counties to train people in renewable energy, among other things.

  • $7.8 million to Alchemist Public Market, which supports food businesses in the redeveloping River District of Sacramento.