2014 Business Walk: North First Street

2014 BUSINESS WALK: North First Street/San Jose

Top Industrial & Commercial Corridor: Transportation issues rise to the top: The good, the bad, the ugly portion of the businesses surveyed responded that business conditions were good or improving. And of the remainder, three-to-one they said conditions were the same as opposed to poor or getting worse.

The North First Street Corridor between Brokaw and Trimble roads is a microcosm of Silicon Valley, comprised of small retail businesses, high-tech startups, mid-sized stand-alones and branch offices of multi-national corporations.

And there are other kinds of businesses, too: a small manufacturer of radio devices, law offices and a variety of restaurants that serve the locale’s coffee break and lunch trade, are a few samples.

• How is business?

• What do you like about doing business here?

• What could be done to improve business in the area?

Four dozen San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber members and volunteers canvassed As the chart shows, more than a major the corridor, that also included Zanker Road, on April 22, 2014, as part of the HOW’S BUSINESS? chamber’s Regional Economic Development Initiative program of business retention and expansion.

The event was presented by Bridge Bank and hosted at PayPal’s campus.

Fourteen teams canvassed the area, visiting nearly a hundred businesses during the afternoon Business Walk. The survey provides the opportunity to connect businesses with resources that can help solve some of the identified issues and bring new resources to bear on others.

Teams of three and four volunteers asked businesses three simple questions:

San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber

LOCALE & CUSTOMERS ARE POSITIVES In comments collected by volunteers can be deduced the factors that weigh into this collective optimism—what respondents liked about doing business there: The North First Street Corridor is centrally located, close to freeways, light rail and the Mineta SJ International Airport that allows ease of access for businesses.

Many employees patronize the locale’s service and retail operations.

Few issues with crime or security were mentioned, though building and car burglaries were reported by businesses surveyed. Respondents noted that since the area was fairly busy, it always seemed safe.

Good/Improving (82.8%) Same/Maintaining (12.5%) Poor/Getting Worse (4.7%)

IMPROVEMENT NEEDED IN ISSUES AROUND TRANSPORTATION A host of transportation issues surfaced as the chief challenge along the North Street Corridor.

2014BUSINESS WALK: North First Street/San Jose Though they like the restaurants and cafes that are present, businesses also said there needs to be more places serving food. One idea was to have a group of San Jose’s famous food trucks come into the area.

• First, there was a call-out for improving parking in the area. There is no overnight parking and in some places parking is limited.

• The timing of traffic signals was mentioned often: The lights take too Volunteers prepare for the Business Walk. long to turn—are Other issues mentioned that could be not “on demand”—activated by the improved were in the city's permitting presence of traffic. process and in lower business taxes.

• Much of the corridor is also not pedestrian friendly. There are no places for There was the feeling expressed that there could be more social venues, imemployees to walk at lunchtime, and Zanker Road has places with no side- proved Internet access and maintenance of trees that block business signs from walks. street view.

• For people with electric vehicles, there The SJSV Chamber will work on bringing are no places to plug-in to recharge. these issues to stakeholders’ attention in • Traffic is too congested. the coming months.

Presenting Sponsor

Participating Sponsors

Businesses Contacted During April 22 Business Walk Advanced Business Advanced Industrial Ceramics Arcadis Avad Broadcom Canon Checkpoint Technologies Chick-Fil-A Chloe Chu, DDS Daltile Drobo EatViet Ergo Contract Furniture Ervan Executive Delights Catering Families @ 1st Fastback Forte Technical Sales Freescale Semiconductor Furlong Vision Correction General Contractors, Inc. Global Information Distribution Global Unichip San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber

GTS Distribution Heart Media Services Hitachi HQ HTI I Squared, Inc. In 2 Cuts Intermoleculor ITRI International Kokusai Semiconductor La Catalana Law Office of Jean D. Chen LG Management Partners Maxim Integrated MegaPath Micron Technology Microsonic Systems Mina's Korean BBQ National Home Health, Inc. NEC/TOKIN Nexus Northaire Supply Company Nyden Corp

Objectivity OOCL USA Patxi's Pizza Pericom Pho Viet Pivot Plus One Holdings, Inc. Powervation Professional Health Care & Homes ProHealth Quantum Space Kawasaki Robotics QuickStart Ricott Rose M. Feliciano, D.M.D. Roundtable Pizza Sanmina Second Source Medical, LLC SEMI Sendo Sushi Skhynix America SMC Sodexo

Starbucks Starbucks Subway Superior Group Surface Art Engineering Taiyo Yuden (USA) TAPCO Thai Orchid Themesoft Tula Ultimo Software Solutions Ultratech USWired Verizon Wei Laboratories Wellspring Financial Corporation West Coast Dental Service Winbond Wolfe Engineering Yageo Zebra Technologies Zensar Technologies, Inc.