A Note from OCBC President Lucy Dunn

When OCBC Chairman Steve Lenzi of the Southern California Automobile Club declared 2008 "The Road Ahead" for OCBC, little did I know just how fast we would be traveling down that road.  So fast, that as I review what has been accomplished in just the first two months of the year, I find myself looking over my shoulder for the CHP!  

From hosting George Will at January’s Annual Dinner to Bank of America’s Chief Global Market Strategist Joe Quinlan, and from California Housing Director Lynn Jacobs to just last week, US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, OCBC has brought leading voices on politics, policy and the economy to exclusive, substantive events throughout Orange County -- and we've only just begun.

This is all part of OCBC’s commitment to creating a “Network of Networks” among its members and investors, and pairing those individuals with top leadership from the private and public sectors.  The next major effort in this regard will be OCBC’s Advocacy Trips later this spring, in which OCBC will lead delegations of business leaders to Washington D.C. and Sacramento to advocate for Orange County business priorities with decision makers on the state and national levels. 

As the year gathers steam, please also take a look at OCBC’s complete menu of events for 2008 and determine where OCBC can offer your organization maximum value.  OCBC is the place for business leaders to collaborate on the issues that shape this region -- don't miss another minute!

Last Tuesday, OCBC and the City of Anaheim hosted U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters as she received a first-hand look into the state of Orange County’s infrastructure, and the innovative solutions it has implemented to facilitate the movement of goods and people throughout this region.

Secretary Peters saw many key elements of Orange County’s transportation network.  At a morning press conference, she praised the county for its trailblazing efforts to meet growing transportation needs.  After touring the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), a transportation gateway and a mixed-use activity center, and the 91 Express Lanes, Peters noted Orange County “is a community that understands we must find new ways forward to deal with congestion and growing demands for transportation infrastructure.” 

Secretary Peters, pictured above with Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and Council Members Harry Sidhu and Lorri Galloway, later spoke to nearly 300 of Orange County’s business and elected leaders at luncheon at The Clubhouse at Anaheim Hills Golf Course.  Infrastructure advocates from around the county listened as Secretary Peters outlined current Administration efforts to keep America moving, and how public-private partnerships, including the 91 Express Lanes and the 241 Foothill South project, can lead the way. 

“Public-private partnerships are at work right now, and creating new transportation realities across the country,” said Peters, who also noted Governor Schwarzenegger’s efforts in this regard as he promotes Performance Based Infrastructure. 

“Here in Orange County,” she added, “you are helping show the country that if we are going to keep traffic moving, we cannot shy away from open, honest debates about what works and what does not.”

Tucked away in New Orleans Square with a fantastic view of the Rivers of America, the Dream Suite is typically open only to park guests who win a special Disney Dreams Giveaway.  The two-bedroom suite is ornately decorated, and "good night kiss" switches in the bedrooms bring the rooms to life with animated projections, music and other fun surprises. 

OCBC President and CEO Lucy Dunn and Director of Workforce Development Alicia Berhow attended UC Irvine’s 2008 Health Care Forecast Conference, hosted last week by UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business.  Themed “Health Politics and Policy in an Election Year,” the conference included distinguished speakers Dr. Norman J. Ornstein, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute, Dr. Michael Drake, Chancellor, University of California, Irvine, and many others.  One key no-surprise finding:  demographics are our destiny.  With the aging baby boomers, there will not be enough money in the current system to provide adequate health care without systemic changes.

OCBC welcomes the Vice Chair of its Healthcare Committee, Jon D. Gilwee, Senior Director of Government Healthcare Programs with UC Irvine.

Congratulations to the City of Irvine for making Popular Science magazine's America’s 50 Greenest Cities list.  Irvine ranked # 21 in the study that ranked based on four categories: electricity, transportation, green living and recycling.  Popular Science compiled the statistics with data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society’s Green Guide.