“SFO’s ten year capital improvement plan ensures that our airport can achieve its goal to create a world-class facility, and continue to be a vital source of job creation in Bay Area,” said Mayor Lee. “SFO is an engine which helps power our local economies, bring tourism and jobs to the entire region, and this investment in our infrastructure keeps that engine running strong.”

“The approval of the Capital Improvement Plan will ensure that we can elevate the air travel experience for all customers at SFO,” said Airport Director John L. Martin. “We will continue to develop our airport to the standard established in Terminal 2, offering world-class amenities, locally-sourced concessions, and environmentally sustainable facilities.”

Capital improvement projects funded by the plan include renovations to concourse and security checkpoint areas in Terminal 3, a full renovation of Terminal 1, Boarding Area B, and the creation of a 400-room luxury hotel within the airport grounds, pending environmental approval.

The San Francisco International Airport Commission will vote on final approval at its meeting on Tuesday, May 21st.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop flights to more than 31 international points on 30 international carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport connects non-stop with 76 cities in the U.S. on 15 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, go to: www.flysfo.com.

Prior to joining EPIC, Felderman spent six years as managing director and national real estate practice leader at Aon Risk Services. She also spent six years at Lockton Companies of Colorado and had similar responsibilities as their director of real estate. Felderman began her insurance career with Liberty Mutual Insurance in New York City. She held several positions including Claims, Underwriting, National Account Service and Sales for Fortune 200 companies. Additionally, she was a Real Estate & Construction Practice Leader for the western United States.

Felderman will report to EPIC chief strategy officer Derek Thomas. She will be based in Denver, Colorado; the first step in launching EPIC's national expansion strategy."

"Kathleen's expertise in strategic planning, market trend analysis, competitive program design, benchmarking and client advocacy will be a tremendous value to our growing national real estate practice," said EPIC co-founder and president, John Hahn. "Kathleen is also a top producer, with an excellent national reputation. We are very excited to have another professional of her caliber leading EPIC's national growth in the real estate sector."

Felderman attended Indiana University in Bloomington, IN where she earned a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Forensics. Professionally, she holds the Certified Risk Manager (CRM), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and Construction Risk Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations.

Jonathan Griffiths joins EPIC as national real estate practice managing principal. He brings 23 years of large property insurance broking experience. Griffiths will be based in EPIC's San Francisco office and report to national real estate practice leader and managing principal, Kathleen Felderman.

Griffiths also joins EPIC from Aon Risk Services, where he was most recently Managing Director of Operations, United States Property Practice West Region, based in San Francisco.

Prior to San Francisco, Griffiths spent four years with Aon in New York, where he was senior vice president and team leader. During this time, he was lead broker for many industry leading and Fortune 500 companies.

In addition, Griffiths has worked extensively in both the Bermuda and London markets.

Griffiths attended the Emanuel School in London, England and holds an Associate in Reinsurance designation from the Insurance Institute of America.

"Having seasoned, successful professionals like Kathleen and Jonathan among the leaders of our national real estate practice will be key in achieving our objectives across the next five years," said Derek Thomas, EPIC's chief strategy officer. "Both have a reputation for service excellence and creative, aggressive client advocacy. We are delighted to have them join the EPIC team."

Kathleen Felderman can be reached at:
EPIC
855.809.3742 Office
303.809.8995 Cell
kfelderman@edgewoodins.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathleen-felderman/5/590/90b .

Jonathan Griffiths can be reached at:
EPIC
415.356.4845 Direct
646.512.2012 Cell
jgriffiths@edgewoodins.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jonathan-griffiths/25/a00/8a8 .

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/EPICInsuranceBrokersAndConsultants .

About EPIC:

EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions across California and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.

The 7th largest broker based in the U.S. West, EPIC has more than 300 team members operating from nine offices across California (Los Angeles, Irvine, Ontario, Fresno, Folsom, San Francisco, San Mateo, Petaluma and San Ramon) and in Denver, Colorado.

With more than $80 million in revenues, EPIC ranks among the top 40 retail insurance brokers in the United States. The company's strategic plan calls for more than doubling revenue over the next five years ($250 million by 2018) and further expansion across the country. For additional information, please visit http://www.edgewoodins.com/ .

Copyright © 2013 CaliforniaNewswire® and Neotrope®. California Newswire is a publication of the Neotrope News Network and a U.S. reg. TM of Neotrope.

“San Francisco’s steady economic recovery is the result of our continued focus on job creation, education and training residents for the demands of the 21st century workforce. San Franciscans are getting back to work across the spectrum of job sectors – from hospitality to construction to technology to service industry jobs and we will continue to help these sectors grow in our City.

“San Francisco’s unemployment rate today stands at a five-year low and I will continue to pursue policies that get people back to work, support San Francisco families and invest in our City’s future.

“This Summer through San Francisco Summer Jobs +, we are setting an aggressive goal of putting 6,000 youth to work in paid jobs and internships, and I will continue working hard to make sure all San Franciscans have access to good paying jobs.”

“Apple’s new store is quite simply incredible,” said Mayor Lee. “San Francisco is the Innovation Capital of the World, and I can think of no better location for the world’s most stunning Apple Store than right here in Union Square. I want to thank Apple for their investment in this City and continued commitment to growing jobs in San Francisco.”

“I’m excited that the company that revolutionized consumer technologies is moving to the heart of Union Square,” said President Chiu. “The new Apple store will highlight technology and design innovation as well as build community at the center of our City’s retail district.”

The application and materials for the proposed new store were formally filed at the San Francisco Planning Department. The site is currently occupied by a Levi’s store, which is anticipated to relocate later this year.

The AIR Institute's Certified Catastrophe Modeler Program is a comprehensive course created to meet the risk management and insurance industry's growing need for skilled catastrophe risk modelers and managers. Those who successfully complete the course and the final exam earn recognition and certification as a Certified Catastrophe Modeler (CCM).

According to John Jennings, WTCI's President and CEO, "We must always invest in advancing technologies. This helps our members and their insureds make highly educated decisions and obtain the very best results from the marketplace. This is another important step in maintaining that standard."

AIR Worldwide founded the catastrophe modeling industry in 1987 and today models the risk from natural catastrophes and terrorism in more than 90 countries. More than 400 insurance, reinsurance, financial, corporate, and government clients rely on AIR software and services for catastrophe risk management, insurance-linked securities, detailed site-specific wind and seismic engineering analyses, and agricultural risk management. WTCI initially licensed AIR's modeling software on a worldwide basis in 2011.

The addition of Risk Management Solutions' software gives WTCI the enhanced ability to evaluate results from both predictive models and to blend probable outcomes for a broader and more accurate analysis of catastrophe risk.

Reinsurers, the Insurance Services Office (ISO) and Homeland Security, use AIR extensively. Retail insurance carriers in the standard insurance marketplace most frequently use RMS, although blended results from both models are now being utilized with increasing frequency.

WTCI offers comprehensive analysis of the following catastrophe perils:
* Earth Movement
* Windstorm / Storm Surge
* Winter Storms
* Severe Convection Storms – including thunderstorm, tornado and hail
* Terrorism.

"Once used as a tool in the underwriting and evaluation process, catastrophe modeling now drives a large portion of the underwriters' results," states Norris. "From a brokerage perspective, catastrophe modeling is a major topic on almost every renewal. As a broker and consultant, WTCI utilizes CAT modeling for marketing, premium negotiation, and determining CAT sublimit adequacy. It is also used for designing program structure, analyzing coverage options and helping clients to make informed purchasing decisions."

Bruce Norris and his team are based in WTCI's San Francisco office and can be reached at:
Wholesale Trading Co-Op Insurance Services, LLC
135 Main Street, Suite 1130
San Francisco, CA 94105
Direct: 415.442.8504
Fax: 415.284.9954
Email: bnorris [at] wtcis.com.

About Wholesale Trading Co-Op Insurance Services, LLC:

WTCI is an independently operated and managed wholesale brokerage firm that collaborates directly with its retail insurance broker members to develop comprehensive placement strategies to better serve clients. The WTCI model increases transparency between retail brokers and specialty insurance markets, reduces frictional costs, and develops exclusive programs and binding authority facilities for its retail owner members. WTCI offices are located in San Francisco, New York and Atlanta.

For more information visit: http://www.wholesaletradingins.com/ .

Copyright © 2013 CaliforniaNewswire® and Neotrope®. California Newswire is a publication of the Neotrope News Network and a U.S. reg. TM of Neotrope.

“Not only do small businesses help keep our world famous neighborhood merchant corridors active and vibrant, they also help boost our local economy,” said Mayor Lee. “The Emerging Business Loan Fund will allow entrepreneurs and small businesses to secure the capital they need to innovate, grow their business and succeed.”

The Emerging Business Loan Fund (EBLF) program expands accessible financing to businesses that cannot access capital from traditional sources and institutions. The EBLF focuses on lending to entrepreneurs in communities and growing industries such as manufacturing, the apparel and the accessory sectors; while creating jobs for low income individuals. Qualifying businesses can apply for financing for a variety of investments including upgrades to equipment such as freezers, refrigerators, display cases, coolers and boilers, administrative costs such as permits and licenses and marketing, staffing, real estate and space expansion or purchase, and to other physical improvements to the establishment.

The City selected the Bay Area Small Business Finance (BASBF), a non-profit community-based lender committed to delivering flexible affordable financing to businesses, to administer the EBLF loan program. It offers low interest financing, 50,000 – $1,000,000, to businesses. The program leverages federal dollars from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Section 108 program to capitalize the $12,000,000 loan fund. This is part of the Mayor’s Invest in Neighborhoods program, an initiative to create cleaner, safer and more economically vibrant neighborhoods in 25 commercial corridors in San Francisco.

“Bay Area Small Business Finance is a 35-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to providing capital to Bay Area small businesses unable to obtain loans from banks,” said Bay Area Small Business Finance CEO Jacob Singer. “Based on recent demand from San Francisco businesses for this loan product, we know there is significant unmet need for flexible financing. Our partnership with the City will enable us to get more loans funded that otherwise would not be financed.”

The EBLF program builds upon the success of the City-sponsored microloan program, the Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). This program was launched in July of 2009 with the intention of creating jobs and increasing access to capital for businesses. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) in partnership with Working Solutions continue to successfully administer and recapitalize the loan fund. Today, more than $1.3 million in loans have been given to 51 San Francisco small businesses and those owned by minority and women, generating more than 140 jobs. The RLF program provides eligible San Francisco small business owners an opportunity to borrow up to $50,000 with a fixed interest rate that ranges from 4-6 percent and a five year term.

“The Revolving Loan Fund made the process of getting a loan much easier by providing me the capital to open my very own café and employ four people,” said North of Panhandle’s Oasis Café Owner Taddesse Haile. “This café has been a dream and because of this support, I was able to secure a second loan to expand and build out a kitchen so that I can continue to provide Ethiopian fare to the community.”

San Francisco is also celebrating the business community with the 9th annual Small Business Week (May 13-18, 2013), which honors and recognizes the more than 85,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs for their innovation and contribution to the City. This year’s theme for Small Business Week is “Small Business: Shaping our Communities,” and includes a series of educational and networking events designed to inspire, educate and connect the members of the business community.

For more information about Small Business Week, go to: www.sfsmallbusinessweek.com

Interested business owners and entrepreneurs can get more information about the EBLF and RLP through the OEWD Invest In Neighborhoods initiative, go to: http://www.oewd.org/IIN.aspx

The Super Bowl game, which would be held at the 49ers new stadium in Santa Clara, Levi’s Stadium, would bring hundreds of millions in revenue for the entire Bay Area region. The committee, led by Tipping Point CEO and Founder Daniel Lurie, has raised more than $30 million in commitments from the business community to host the Super Bowl in the Bay Area, with 25 percent of proceeds going back to youth and local charities.

“There’s no better place to play host to the Super Bowl and celebrate one of our nation’s greatest sports than right here in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said Mayor Lee.

“San Francisco has proven over and over again that we know how to host major international events. Hosting a Super Bowl in the Bay Area will bring an enormous economic boost to our entire region and leave a lasting legacy for the entire Bay Area. Not only has the committee raised more than $30 million, but under Daniel Lurie’s leadership we are putting 25 percent of it right back into the community where it is needed. I thank the members of the Super Bowl Bid Committee, San Francisco 49ers, Santa Clara Mayor Matthews and San Jose Mayor Reed in putting together the best bid to host the best Super Bowl ever.”

“The San Francisco Bay Area is a world class city that is well positioned to host Super Bowl 2016,” said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu. “It would not only be a great boost to our local economy, but football fans around the country would also get to experience all that San Francisco and the Bay Area have to offer.”

“Representing the Board the Supervisors in this bid process has truly been an honor and a rewarding personal experience as one of the lifelong 49er faithful,” said Supervisor Mark Farrell. “I look forward to hearing the NFL’s decision in a couple weeks, and am anxious for the economic boom and civic pride that is going to ignite our City and the entire Bay Area if we land the bid.”

“The region is excited and ready to host the most philanthropic Super Bowl in history,” said Lurie. “It’s important, as we raise funds for this event, to remember to contribute to antipoverty programs that will improve the lives of people right here in the Bay Area.”

The NFL officially invited San Francisco and Miami, Florida, home to the Dolphins, to submit a bid to compete to host the 50th Super Bowl. Lurie submitted San Francisco’s application to the NFL’s Super Bowl Advisory Committee on August 9, 2012. The Committee delivered its bid package to NFL owners on May 7, 2013 with the complete bid package on an Apple iPad Mini. On May 21st, San Francisco will formally present its bid in a live pitch to the 32 NFL owners in Boston. The city that is not selected to host Super Bowl L will be invited to submit a second bid to host Super Bowl LI in 2017, competing against Houston.

The Super Bowl bid includes more than 22,000 hotel rooms set aside and official and unofficial events will be hosted throughout the Bay Area region, with free public celebrations and the NFL Experience in San Francisco.

A key part of the bid is the new Levi’s Stadium, which includes high-speed WiFi for 75,000 fans and sustainable design materials, such as a green roof and a robust regional public transportation system to move fans around the Bay Area.

Today the bid committee announced that it raised $30 million in pledges from partners including Apple, Boston Consulting Group, Dignity Health, Gap, Google, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Yahoo!, Seagate, and ValueAct Capital. Twenty-five percent of the funds raised for the Super Bowl Bid will go directly to philanthropic efforts that help children and families living in poverty in the Bay Area. A separately-governed nonprofit body will be launched to administer this first-of-its-kind effort.

The bid committee draws from the business, hospitality, public and sports sectors, and its members include:

Nikesh Arora, CBO of Google

Robert Mailer Anderson, Author

Todd Bradley, EVP of Hewlett Packard

Willie Brown, former Mayor of San Francisco

Lloyd Dean, President & CEO of Dignity Health

Joe D’Alessandro, President & CEO of SF Travel

Pat Gallagher, Former President of Giants Enterprises

John Goldman, Former President of San Francisco Symphony

Carl Guardino, President & CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership

GroupThomas Keller, Chef & Restaurateur

Chris Kelly, Entrepreneur & Former Facebook Executive

Daniel Lurie, Founder & CEO of Tipping Point Community

Stephen Luczo, President & CEO of Seagate

Michael O’Hara Lynch, former Head of Global Sponsorship of Visa

Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!

Mary Murphy, Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Laurene Powell Jobs, Co-founder of Emerson Collective

Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State

Joseph Saunders, Chairman & CEO of Visa

Charles Schwab, Founder & CEO of Charles Schwab Corporation

George Seifert, former San Francisco 49ers Coach

Charlotte Shultz, Chief of Protocol of San Francisco

Jeff Ubben, Founder & CEO of ValueAct Capital

Jim Wunderman, President & CEO of Bay Area Council

Steve Young, former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback

Gideon Yu, President & Co-owner of San Francisco 49ers

As a Senior Compliance Consultant, Beale will assist EPIC clients with federal, state, and local health care legislation and compliance. She will also lead external and internal training initiatives for clients and team members. Additionally, Beale will track legislative changes, monitor government enforcement of legislation, and analyze impact on EPIC clients.

"Kris is an excellent hire for EPIC," says EPIC co-founder and CEO, Dan Francis. "Her years of experience analyzing benefit legislation, providing ongoing compliance support, and helping clients navigate through changes such as health care reform, will be an asset to our team members and to our clients."

Beale's professional experience includes fourteen years with the Mercer Group, Inc. as a senior associate and consultant for the Regulatory Resources Group. Prior to Mercer Group, Inc. Beale worked as a paralegal for several Bay Area law firms.

Beale holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She also has a Paralegal Certificate from Sonoma State University and teaching credentials from San Francisco State University.

Kris Beale can be reached at:
EPIC
135 Main St., 21st Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone Direct 415-356-3998
Phone Cell 415-710-1428
Kbeale [at] edgewoodins.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/pub/kris-beale/12/1a5/190 .

Connect with the EPIC team on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/EPICInsuranceBrokersAndConsultants .

About EPIC:

EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property & casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions across California and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.

The 7th largest broker based in the U.S. West, EPIC has more than 300 team members operating from nine offices across California (Los Angeles, Irvine, Ontario, Fresno, Folsom, San Francisco, San Mateo, Petaluma and San Ramon) and in Denver, Colorado.

With more than $80 million in revenues, EPIC ranks among the top 40 retail insurance brokers in the United States. The company's strategic plan calls for more than doubling revenue over the next five years ($250 million by 2018) and further expansion across the country. For additional information, please visit http://www.edgewoodins.com/ .

Copyright © 2013 CaliforniaNewswire® and Neotrope®. California Newswire is a publication of the Neotrope News Network and a U.S. reg. TM of Neotrope.

“They are dedicated to their students and are making sure they succeed both inside and outside the classroom. These five individuals are dynamic and innovative teachers in our City and we thank them for their passion and commitment.”

“It is an honor to celebrate our teachers who help our children grow and learn,” said San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Superintendent Richard A. Carranza. “Our great teachers, and we have thousands in San Francisco, demonstrate mastery in both what they’re teaching and how they’re teaching. They understand that it is not just the particular subject that matters, but how students feel in their classroom. If there is a teacher who has made a difference in your life or the life of a child you know, please take a moment to say thank you.”

Formerly known as the Mayor’s Teacher of the Month Award, the Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award is a collaborative project organized by the Mayor’s Office, SFUSD, the United Educators of San Francisco and the San Francisco Education Fund. The award recognizes the outstanding San Francisco public school educators for their dedication, professionalism, and work on behalf of the City’s young people. Recipients of the Mayor’s Award were nominated by the community – parents, youth, educators, administrators, and other community members – for excellence in their classroom, their school and their City.

Mayor Lee recognized the work of five outstanding teachers, each representing a division level: PreK, Elementary, Middle and High School. This year’s Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award recipients are:
• Andra Young, Presidio Early Education School
• Andres Tobar, Marshall Elementary School
• Jennifer Moless, El Dorado Elementary School
• Joel Austin, Roosevelt Middle School
• Constance Walker, Woodside Learning Center

Each teacher will receive a check, an award from Tiffany & Co. and gifts and contributions from San Francisco institutions including SF Travel, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium, de Young Museum, SFMOMA and Beach Blanket Babylon and Starbucks, Microsoft and Hilton. The nomination and selection process for the Mayor’s Teacher of the Year Award occurs yearly.

For more information, go to: www.sfgov.org/teacheraward.

"Two major shifts will occur," he says. "The first is that cities will move away from the current practice of using general contractors and electricians to install cameras.

"Many jurisdictions use city-employed electricians, rather than industry specific engineers and designers to implement a security system. In reality, there are too many complexities that go into the process," says Saylor, "specifically in the areas of technology selection and design."

One of the key characteristics of a powerful surveillance system is how quickly video footage can be scanned and indexed as this directly affects how fast suspects can be identified. A robust system has a range of resolution, connection, lens configuration, tracking, implementation and software scenarios that have to be calculated. It also has to be well maintained.

"Boston had a stellar enforcement team that brought criminals to justice, but suspects under chase are a huge flight risk. The bigger the window of time, the further they can fly," Saylor added. "Every second counts."

The second major shift in surveillance trends will be municipalities using their own, advanced systems rather than outside and outdated technology.

"Relying on external, private cameras is not reliable for a city and it takes extra minutes, hours or days to secure and review the footage."

Some of the images shown in the media were digitally zoomed, says Saylor, which is a last case scenario and can significantly decrease image quality. Today's surveillance options can recognize individuals in a wide range of scenarios and possess camera resolution five times greater than what has been available over the last four years. This breakthrough allows law enforcement to recognize individuals beyond a reasonable doubt, a standard critical for evidence admission in a court of law.

New available features such as 3-D digital overlays are also essential to ensure that sight obstructions, height, distance, angle, pitch degree, and focal length are calculated precisely.

The CEO is also passionate about freedom and safety and says that in order to have one, we must have the other.

"I'm a stout believer in our rights as individuals," he says, "but our lives, liberty and happiness will continue to be under siege when they are subjugated by fear. Large public areas need proper camera design and maintenance for the purpose of bringing criminals to justice and thwarting future crimes."

About Odin Systems Inc.

Odin Systems Inc. specializes in video security solutions customized for business, municipality and law enforcement needs. Our staff has comprehensive expertise in the areas of design engineering, wireless surveillance systems and in customized scalable security solutions. For more than 20 years, we have designed, built and installed video surveillance systems ranging from small to organizational. We are dedicated to our clients and deliver what we promise on time and on budget.

We dedicate a significant part of our operation towards engineering video surveillance solutions for law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area and the rest of California. Odin understands the unique challenges facing these departments and the jurisdictions they serve and so designs systems that allow municipalities to protect and serve at the highest levels possible. For more information, visit: http://odinsystems.com .

Copyright © 2013 CaliforniaNewswire® and Neotrope®. California Newswire is a publication of the Neotrope News Network and a U.S. reg. TM of Neotrope.

“Last year, San Francisco worked together to answer President Obama’s call to provide meaningful work experience and a paycheck to San Francisco youth,” said Mayor Lee. “We not only answered that call, but exceeded our own aggressive goals of 5,000 jobs, by placing more than 5,200 young adults in jobs and paid internships for the summer and beyond,” said Mayor Lee. “We are setting an even more ambitious goal for 2013 to create meaningful employment opportunities for our young people so we set them up for success now and in the future. I am again calling upon employers across San Francisco to join us in supporting the future of our young people.”

Last year, President Barack Obama issued a challenge to businesses, non-profits, and government: Work together to provide pathways to employment for low-income and disconnected youth. Last year through San Francisco Summer Jobs+, 5,200 young people participated in new job opportunities—over 1,700 of them worked in the private sector at 86 companies and organizations throughout the city including Starbucks, Advent and Uniqlo. Thirty nine percent (663 jobs) of these private sector summer jobs turned into permanent positions for San Francisco youth.

United Way of the Bay Area is leading San Francisco’s effort in support of Mayor Lee’s Summer Jobs+ Program along with Department of Children Youth and their Families (DCYF), Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

“We’re proud to again be partnering with Mayor Lee and employers throughout San Francisco on Summer Jobs+ 2013,” said United Way Bay Area Chief Executive Officer Anne Wilson. “No Mayor or city in America is doing more to get our young people into good jobs and internships for the summer; a critical steppingstone that will help set them on the path to success.”

Employers that have already committed to hiring Summer Jobs+ participants in 2013 include salesforce.com, Starbucks, Advent, Bank of America, Nektar, Twilio, Jawbone, members of SFMade and many more.

“As a company deeply committed to supporting the communities we serve, Starbucks was proud to be a part of the 2012 Mayor’s Summer Job+ program,” said Starbucks Northern California Regional Vice President David Chu. “Not only were we able to attract talented young people from diverse backgrounds, but their commitment to learning was inspirational. These participants represent the future of San Francisco and the next generation of leaders at Starbucks. We are looking forward to kicking off the Mayor’s 2013 Summer Job+ program.”

“It hasn’t always been easy for me – I’m independent, fighting to get a good education and make it here in San Francisco, the city of opportunity,” said LaRon Ryan, a 21 year old participant in Summer Jobs+ 2012 who worked at Jawbone, a San Francisco technology company. “Over the years I’ve learned how to advocate for myself and take initiative. You know, that’s how I got my tech internship at Jawbone through the San Francisco Summer Jobs+ program. It pretty much changed my life.”

This year Bank of America and PG&E are again contributing $100,000 each in financial support for Summer Jobs+ 2013.

“Bank of America is delighted to be a partner of Summer Jobs 2013 as part of our national mission to support workforce development initiatives, providing youth and adults with the experience, skills and inspiration they need to achieve employment and fulfilling careers,” said Bank of America San Francisco Market President Martin Richards.

“PG&E believes San Francisco’s Summer Jobs+ program builds valuable job skills in young people, which not only offers promise for their future but contributes to the economic vitality of our state,” said PG&E Corporation Chairman, CEO and President Tony Earley. “We’re excited to extend our support for a second year as a way of giving back to the communities we serve.”

Employers or youth interested in participating or learning more about San Francisco Summer Jobs+, go to www.matchbridge.org/summer or www.hiresfyouth.org or call 3-1-1 or 2-1-1.