Michael Ammann
President and CEO
San Joaquin Partnership
Stockton, CA
Mike’s career path has lead him to manage economic development programs at both ends of the bountiful Central Valley of California, first turning around the Kern Economic Development Corporation located in Bakersfield, CA then growing the Solano Economic Development Corporation into a competitive marketing team and now taking on the management of the award winning San Joaquin Partnership.
As president of the San Joaquin Partnership, Mike applies 30+ years of experience in economic, community and small business development to the organization. The Partnership is a non-profit, public-private collaborative marketing partnership that offers confidential, centralized location services to expanding businesses that retains or creates jobs.
Mike began his economic development career in Grand Rapids, Michigan while attending Grand Valley State University in the1970′s as the Research Director for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. Mike later became Vice President for Economic Development at the second largest chamber in Michigan (Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce) after serving as the executive director in the neighboring community of Kalamazoo, Michigan managing the Kalamazoo County Economic Expansion Corporation.
Following a lifelong interest in technology, commercialization, and venture capital, Mike founded with a charter board of directors the Washtenaw Development Council in the early 1980′s. Mike’s team of staff and community leaders developed the first countywide economic development marketing program for the communities of Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan and Ypsilanti, Michigan with Eastern Michigan University. Mike later worked within the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan assisting faculty and research staff in launching technology based start-ups and the commercialization of university patents and process discoveries. Mike’s background includes successful business start-ups including founding Online Technologies, the oldest Internet services providing company in Michigan with four partners. In addition, he continues to make voluntary contributions to professional associations through active membership involvement in leadership positions in chambers of commerce, work force improvement boards and regional and statewide economic development associations.
After 5 years in Ann Arbor, Mike took on a new challenge of turning around a 350 acre real estate development at Arizona State University Research Park located in Tempe, AZ. This successful turnaround was followed by another in Bakersfield, California where Mike put together a new management team that refunded the Kern Economic Development Corporation. In addition to rebuilding the organization’s staff, volunteer core, and finances, the new Kern County economic development team successfully located State Farm’s Regional Service Center expansion in a new 460,000 sq ft building on 60 acres resulting in 1,000 new jobs creating a major change in the economy.
A current example of professional service is his past position of Secretary of the Team California Board of Directors and committee chair of the Trade Show committee which annually manages the California Pavilion at the huge Bio and Medical Devices & Manufacturing exhibitions. Mike was elected President of Team CA in May 2008.
Mike served as the President of Solano Economic Development Corporation in Fairfield, CA for almost 8 years prior to becoming President and CEO of the San Joaquin Partnership.