San Leandro Lights Up With Business Opportunities

July 16, 2012 - PRLog -- With the recent installation of more than ten miles of state-of-the-art fiber optic cable, San Leandro is now the only city in the East Bay with the capability to transmit enormous amounts of data at unparalleled speed—up to 10 gigabits per second—through municipal conduit.  Roughly translated, service in the city’s commercial/industrial zone will run at a speed that is 2,000 times faster than the average internet connection. In the entire Bay Area, only Palo Alto and Santa Clara have municipal fiber optic networks.

In order to get the word out about opportunities available for businesses, the City created a short, fast-paced video called “San Leandro- Get Connected!” which was premiered Wednesday night at the Alameda County Mayor’s Conference.  The Mayors were wowed, not just by the quality of the video, which was produced by San Leandro’s Atomic Productions, but also by the range of businesses which call San Leandro home.  The video can be found on the City’s website at http://www.sanleandro.org/pt/get_connected.asp and on the City of San Leandro YouTube channel at
http://www.youtube.com/user/cityofsanleandro.

With the flip of a switch, Lit San Leandro has become a game-changer for the entire region.  “Thanks to the vision of Dr. Patrick Kennedy, founder of OSIsoft in San Leandro, San Leandro now occupies a unique niche in the business community,” said Mayor Stephen Cassidy.  “Since the innovation economy is all about the speed in which ideas and information can be transferred, San Leandro is now a destination for businesses with national and international reach.”

When the idea of a fiber optic cable network was first discussed, the City’s leadership envisioned the opportunities provided by new businesses coming to town—medical research, digital studios, software development and advanced manufacturing.  Now that the network is a reality, existing businesses in San Leandro— food makers, heavy manufacturers, headquarters campuses and commercial firms—are seeing their own opportunities for efficiencies and expansion through the new technology.

How ready is the city for an influx of business growth?  According to Cynthia Battenberg, Business Development Manager, San Leandro has been prescient in retaining almost 25% of the city’s footprint for commercial and industrial use with attractively-priced buildings that are move-in ready or suitable for adaptive reuse.

In the last century, businesses came to San Leandro for its physical location, close to the Bay, the Port of Oakland and the airport.  Today, San Leandro’s location is even more desirable, providing ready access to both San Francisco and the Silicon Valley, three airports and two major universities.

The fiber optic network is not the only project in action in San Leandro.  In spite of municipal belt-tightening all over California, the city has moved ahead in recent months with plans for more than a half million square feet of Class A office campus space, one on its shoreline and one at the transit-oriented hub at its downtown BART station.  

For more information, contact Jeff Kay, Business Development Analyst, at (510) 577-3319 or jkay@sanleandro.org.

About San Leandro
A diverse community of nearly 85,000 residents, San Leandro maintains a safe, small town feel while offering a wide range of shopping, dining, recreation amenities, miles of shoreline, and easy access to nearby regional parks and nature areas.  Located in the center of the San Francisco Bay Area, San Leandro enjoys close proximity to the Oakland International Airport and Port of Oakland, and is served by two major freeways and two BART stations.

Further information about Lit San Leandro can be found at http://www.litsanleandro.com.

Visit the City’s website at www.sanleandro.org for more information on the City’s programs and services. To register to automatically receive press releases, meeting agendas or other electronic notifications, go to http://www.sanleandro.org/portal/default.asp.