Last Friday, it sure felt like spring in the City of Fremont. I had the honor of delivering our annual State of the City address at a luncheon hosted by the Fremont Chamber of Commerce at the ever-gracious Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley.

This is an event I look forward to each year – it serves as a unique opportunity for all cross sections of Fremont community to gather, connect, and share their experiences. It’s not often that you’re able to find members from the Economic Development team, our Police and Fire Chiefs, the Superintendent of the Fremont Unified School District, and representatives from companies that have chosen to call Fremont home – all together in one location.

As we reflect on our successes in 2014 and look ahead at the remainder of 2015, it’s clear that Fremont is no longer the Bay Area’s “best-kept secret.” We’re coming into our own.

  • Significant expansions by companies like Delta, Seagate, Lam Research, Western Digital, and ThermoFisher have totaled nearly $500 million of private investment in the Fremont community.
  • We’re grabbing national headlines in top publications like CNET, The Washington Post and Bloomberg, among others.
  • Solar City leased the former Solyndra facility to house its Silevo panel division, a move that speaks volumes for Fremont’s cleantechsector and the continued growth of the Warm Springs Innovation District.
  • The Crossings is set to extend Fremont Boulevard to Dixon Landing Road, creating a significant new commuter connection to Silicon Valley.
  • The city’s Warm Springs/South Fremont BART station is coming closer to completion and is slated to open in December 2015.

During the address, we revisited our National Manufacturing Day Infographic, highlighting America’s great manufacturing comeback and all the exciting developments happening right here in Fremont. Believe it or not, manufacturing is a defining characteristic of Fremont’s Innovation District strategy. With over 900 companies across 185 industries, manufacturing right here in Fremont, we’re making things happen.

And if you want to learn more about our City’s recent successes and what we see for the future of Fremont, we’ve posted the speech and slides on the City website for your viewing pleasure. You can find it all at www.Fremont.gov/StateoftheCity. We also plan to post the webcast of the State of the City address later this week.

Thanks to all who made this year’s State of the City such an excellent affair. And a special thanks to all our City employees for pushing Fremont forward and making these achievements possible.

Click on the image to download the full presentation.