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  Response by Richard Poe to E-FORUM on Chevron Sponsored Sustainability Conference
August 13, 2012
 

From: Richard Poe [mailto:poeinfl@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 4:48 AM
To: Butt, Tom
Cc: Heather Kulp
Subject: Re: TOM BUTT E-FORUM: Timing Ripe for Chevron Sponsored Sustainability Conference at Marina Bay?

Tom ,
Please print this is your e-forum as an answer to what was sent out yesterday .
Thank You,
Richard Poe  
Tom butt E-Forum: Time Ripe for Chevron Sponsored Sustainability
Conference at Marina Bay?
The importance of the Economic Revitalization and Recovery for Richmond Marina Bay and Richmond as a whole is of the upmost importance. We are looking for signs of recovery in Richmond after experiencing the worst recession since 1930.The reality for Richmond  and the State of Californian is that it was extremely short-sighted to put so many road blocks in front of  Chevron to complete it’s refinery upgrades.  The Richmond Progressive Alliance also bears responsibility for the Richmond Marina Bay second campus not going forward. It’s important to understand the decisions that were made to relocate employees and shelf projects were not made by the Refinery Manager, Nigel Hearne. It is completely understandable for a company not to go forward with the occupancy of the campus  when the occupancy was in part  dependent on the construction of the Renewal Project . 
Common  ground :
Mayor McLaughlin attended and spoke at the event in the Ford Building sponsored by Chevron, The Green Tech Open in October 2011. This was the first exposer many of us had to Chevrons huge investment in alternative energy solutions.
Chevron not only provides capital, but sits as advisory board member for many Green Tech companies.  While I find myself in the middle of the battlefield between the Richmond Progressive Alliance and Chevron,  I do see lots of common ground. In the Email-Forum of August 12, 2012, it was suggested the I have advised for Chevron. This statement needs to be retracted.
I don’t have advice for Chevron. I would like to point out , that the second campus , combined with LBNL vision would be spectacular.  This was not our vision, but one we support. The question, that I have  raised, is what can Richmond do to invite Chevron to want to participate in the vision of the energy corridor ?
The advice , I would give is simple give  Chevron the tools in their tool box , approve the renewal project. Let 1000  construction jobs go forward. We collectively all understand , that OIL will be the leader in energy for some time in the future. Why not allow Chevron to have an upgraded and safe refinery?  Chevron was doing the second campus In Richmond Marina Bay  on their own, it was their idea.  The odd thing  is,  in my opinion, had Chevron been left alone, we would have a safe refinery upgraded  and a Richmond Marina Bay Chevron second campus. The question  that should be asked, why was the climate  so hostile that the plans changed?
Your e-mail forum suggest that I have advice to give to Chevron on how to run their company, by what division they should move and where. I have never given advice to Chevron, nor do I understanding the running of a fortune 5  company . I’m a small Richmond business, founded in Richmond, if anything Chevron could give my company advice on how to develop,  Richmond Marina Bay campus . Our companies have developed Marina Bay for over 25 years , and some 2,200 homes  and 400,000 square feet of commercial, have been built under our master agreement .  However , Chevron has the resources and are much better equipped to build and attract other companies to the energy corridor then a small Richmond company. The prime example of the strength of Chevron was in my testimonial below .

A Day of Innovation Oct 6 , 2011
Clean Tech Open
Innovating Energy
Sponsor by Chevron USA , location Ford Building. Crane way
Testimonial by Richard R Poe
Going into the  Clean Tech Open, I  thought I understood  for early this year what Richmond had to offer to green tech. Our first  Richmond green Tech meeting  was in Marina Bay  at  1450 Marina way south .  As your keenly aware for  the first time  a small group of Green tech companies and other associated companies came together in a  meeting   held  By Chevron, Virtual Development corporation  , and the city of Richmond. Under the leadership of Jeff Riterman, a new day in Richmond was  born. The second meeting was much larger, and was  in the crane way .
1) What I learned from our local  two green tech meetings and carried forward to the Clean tech open of Oct 6, 2011 was the following.
What Richmond has to offer: LBNL being  located on the field station, is  the  fact the Lab can combine a unique array of synergistic disciplines in the Marina Bay area.  The scientific synergism includes the Department of Health Services laboratories located on I-580 in Marina Bay Parkway, EPA methods lab , Kaiser Micro Fab. Facility, Bio-oils , paradigms’, three solar companies . Marina Bay does have  some of the existing LBNL laboratories located on the UC field station. A growing number of growing  green tech companies in Richmond are already spin-offs from UC and LBNL.
The Day at the clean tech open  of Oct 6th , was like going from the bush leagues to  watching  the San Francisco Giants win the world series. The energy in the room   of those competing was unbelievable.  The ability for our local Chevron corporation to reach out to foster and nourish , our Green tech companies to change the world is a  attribute to their foresight.  I for one was humbled by the experience .  
Please note how the tri-valley city  of San Ramon , Pleasanton, Danville and Livermore market their area. “ here are amazing things happening in our valley. New initiatives from the labs promise to generate technology advancements and business opportunities on an unprecedented scale. More and more small companies with big ideas and big companies that lead their industry are finding home here. And our quality of life continues to improve.
What can happen if we put forth a concentrated  effort to make these amazing things work together? That is the question behind Innovation Tri-valley. (note that should also be the question Richmond asks)
Innovation Tri- valley Sponsors , Sybase , Adept , Livermore Chamber of Commerce, Chevron, Sandia National Laboratories, Las Positas Collage  and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
What is striking to me, is what we learned even before the Clean Tech open, that Richmond is  a huge draw for Green Tech, and spins off from UC and LBNL .
The question I have  even before we know about the final location of the second campus of LBNL, is how can we, as the playing field is today, begin the synergism with LBNL and UC. Can we be like the tri valley ? Can Richmond put behind the old fights, and begin anew to try and build jobs, green tech, fuel cell companies  expand existing businesses ?
I’m hopeful those that were unable to attend this event, will be able to view the video. These are the times we will look back and say , were we stood on healing old wounds , and rebuilding Richmond . We should be ahead of tri valley and part of the solution to bring jobs to our city. Being part of the solution is what I saw over the last year as the city came together trying to win the LBNL second campus. We also have a game changer here , as was witnessed in the Clean tech open , even if LBNL ends up in Emeryville, we should not lose site of what we have in our own back yard, and try to build our city together.
Thank you for your time,
Richard Poe

 

 

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