weekly update 090412

7/30/2019 Weekly Update 090412

1/6

Small Business Conference Engages Professionals for Economic Growth

Running an independent business can be challenging in today's economy, but entrepreneurs do not

have to face it on their own.

Approx ima tely 250 small bus ine ss own ers, 1 20

ven dors a nd 50 public age ncy represent ati vesparticipated in the OCTA 2012 Small Business

Conference last Wednesday, where they had the

opportunity to connect with fellow professionals

and hear advice from speakers in the field.

With more than 40 e xhibits from publ ic a genc ies

and private companies, networking opportunities

and perspectives from contracting professionals,

the conference offered many resources to support,

promote and strengthen business relations with

public agencies.

"It's my first time at this conference and it's been

great," said Romany Sedra, president of Ava

Shenoda, a Garden Grove-based noneme rgency

medical transportation company for seniors.

An army r ese rve vetera n who served six yea rs in

Iraq and Afghanistan, Sedra opened the business in

December and attended the conference to make connections in the transportation world.

Sedra also joined participants to hear a panel of representatives from OCTA, U.S. Small Business

Sept. 4, 2012

West County Connectors Closures

An Exercise in Transportation Security

Management District Airs Out Draft Plan

Small business owners network with each other and other public agency officials at 40 exhibits displayed at the

OCTA 2012 Small Business Conference last Wednesday.

OCTA Executive Director of Capital Programs Jim Beil stands

ready to share with small business owners opportunities for

them to partner with OCTA to deliver transportation

improvements.
http://www.octa.net/SR-22/WCC/Closures.aspxhttp://www.octa.net/weeklyupdate/weekly_update.aspxhttp://www.octa.net/weeklyupdate/weekly_update.aspxhttp://www.octa.net/


2/6

Administra tion, Southern Cali fornia Edi son, the Metro poli tan Water District and Cali fornia

Department of General Services.

The group discussed upcoming contracts, projects and b usiness opportunities, as well as addressed

questions and comments.

In kicking off conference, OCTA CEO Will Kempton announced that the agency delivered on its

commitment to create jobs o ver the past fiscal y ear and shared a video of the positive impacts to

workers and thei r families.

"Thanks to transportation projects in Orange County and the Measure M program approved by the

voters of thi s county, we are proud to ann ounce today that we have kept our promise by creating

and sustaining more than 12,000 jobs," Kempton said.

OCTA Vice Chairman Greg Winterbottom encouraged participants to continue networking and

communicating with agencies.

The conference also featured

keynote speaker Dr. Anil Puri,

dean the Mihaylo College of

Business and Economics at Cal

State Fullerton.

Puri said small businesses are

crucial to the growth and

recovery of the economy

beca use they make up half of t he

jobs in the private sect or a nd

consequently half of the nation's

gross domestic product.

The nationally recognized

economist also emphasized the

significance of transportation

and infrastructure to the

success of a recovering

economy.

"Organizations like OCTA that

provide infrastructure are

critical. They are essential

players in today's modern

economy," Puri said.

"Transportation and

infrastructure are the backbone of the economy, and we need to continue to invest in and grow

them. It's a big investment, but unless we make it, the economy cannot move forward."

The 2012 OCTA Small Business Conference highlights opportunities to connect with

public agencies and the importance of small businesses to the nations economic

vitality.

Visit OCTA's YouTube page for more transportation videos.

Keynote speaker Dr. Anil Puri, dean the Mihaylo College of Business and

Economics at Cal State Fullerton, addresses small business professionals about the

state of business and its relationship to the economy.
http://www.octa.net/cammnet/files/Contract_Opportunities.pdfhttp://www.octa.net/SR-22/WCC/Closures.aspxhttp://www.youtube.com/goocta


3/6

West County Connectors Improvement Project

Makes Way for Freeway Enhancements

Crews will demolish the west half of the Seal Beach
http://www.octa.net/SR-22/WCC/Closures.aspxhttp://www.octa.net/cammnet/files/Contract_Opportunities.pdf


4/6

Boulevard bridge overnight during the next two

weekends as part of the West Coun ty Connector s

(WCC) project.

Seal Beach Boulevard will be closed Friday night

(Sept. 14) and Saturday night (Sept. 15).

The demolition also will require alternating nighttime closures of the northbound and southbound

San Diego Freeway (I-405) below the bridge. Outreach team members will provide a detailed cl osure

schedule.

Add itiona l conn ector clo sur es associ ate d with freewa y i mprovement a ctivit y incl ude :

l 5 5-hour overnight closure of the northbound I-405 / San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605) from 10

p.m. Friday, Sept. 14 through 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 17

l 1 2-month closure of the eastbound Garden Grove Freeway (SR-22) / northbound I-405 beginning in

mid- to late-September

Crews will work to reconstruct the connectors to accommodate new carpool enhancements that will

reduce traffic congestion and move motorists across the freeways more quickly , efficiently and

safely.

OCTAs outreach team encourages motorists to stay updated find more information about upcoming

closures by visiting the projectweb sit e.

Advisory Committee Previews Proposed Fare Adjustments and ARTIC Project

OCTA's 34-member Special Needs

Advisory Committee dis cus sed ongoin g

activities in transportation services for

seniors and people with disabilities at its

quarterly meeting last Tuesday,

including proposed bus fare

adjustments.

A team of OCTA staf f provided

information about the existing financial

constraints and proposals for a bus fare

adjustment in 2013.

Staff shared the proposed outreach plan

to keep community members informed

and connected during the process,

including community meetings for the

public to hear details on the changes

and give their feedback.

The meetings will run from 6 to 8 p.m. and are scheduled for:

l Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Southwest Senior Center in Santa Ana

l Friday, Sept. 21 at the Laguna Hills Community Center

l Thursday, Sept. 27 at the Fullerton Library Community Room

l Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the St. Anslem's Cross-Cultural Community Center

OCTA also will conduct a public hearing 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 22 at its headquarters in Orange.

OCTA staff also informed the committee about scheduled bus service changes for October and the

progress of the ACCESS procurement to select a vendor to provide service for approximately

58,000 riders.

Rudy Emami, an Anaheim project manager, also participated in the committee meeting by sharing

the progress on boarding platforms designed for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal

Center (ARTIC), a transportation gateway for Orange County.

Emami provided an overview of the project, shared information about federal "level-boarding"

requirements and presented the project team's approach to meeting performance measures through

Amtrak and Metrolink platforms.

The committee also recognized and honored two ACCESS drivers, Alvin Alamerez and Abay

Ago naf ir, for the ir provid ing exemplary cus tomer service. The drivers provide d qual ity cus tomer

care for paratransit riders.

OCTA staff members informed the 34-member Special Needs Advisory

Committee about topics affecting seniors and people with disabilities,

including the progress of procuring a vendor for ACCESS paratransit

buses to provide service for approximately 58,000 riders.
http://www.octa.net/SR-22/WCC/Closures.aspxhttp://www.octa.net/SR-22/WCC/Closures.aspxhttp://www.octa.net/SR-22/WCC/Closures.aspx


5/6

OCTA Participates in Transportation Security Exercise

OCTA joined regional partners as a player in a security exercise testing local, state and federal

coordination in response to a scenario combining a natural disaster with an attack on highway

infrastructure.

Bruce Gadbois, OCTA's manager of security and emergency preparedness, joined representatives

from Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and other California transit agencies in the three days of

the Intermodal Security Training Exercise Program earlier in August.

Admi nistere d by the Tran sportation Securit y Administ rat ion (TSA ), the exercise a ttracted

representatives from 31 states to UC Irvine's Beckman Center as part of the 2012 Transportation

Hazards and Security Summit.

Management District to Host Hearings for Air Quality Plan

The Air Quality Management District is hosting four public hearings throughout Southern California

to solicit comments on a draft air quality plan.

The meeting in Orange County is 10 a.m. Sept. 12 at the Buena Park Community Center, 6688 Beach

Blvd.

The 2012 Air Quality Management Plan is designed to meet federal and state clean air requirements

for the South Coast Air Basin that covers the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San

Bernardino.

For more information, residents may call 909.396.2239 or email [email protected].

Aug. 2 2 The Orange County Register announced in its calendar section the 2012 OCTA annual

Small Business Conference, on Aug. 29.

Aug. 24 The Orange County Register published an article about OCTA awarding cities $9.4 million

for 23 bicycle improvement projects.

Aug. 24 t o Aug. 28 The Gazettes, Los Alamitos Seal Beach Patch, Newport Beach Patch and

Orange County Register announced detour information for the two-week connector closure on the

eastbound Garden Grove Freeway (SR-22) to the southbound San Diego Freeway (I-405).

Aug. 28 & 29 The Orange County Register andVoice of OC wrote articles about the upcoming

construction groundbreaking on the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, a state-

of-the-art transit hub.

For the latest media news, followJoel Zlotnik, media relations manager, on Twitter.

For the latest in transportation issues and programs in Southern California,followOCTA on Twitter.

Become a fan ofOCTA on Facebookto keep connected and learn more about how

OCTA is keeping Orange County moving.

Stay updated on transportation promotions, events and more on OCTA's YouTube

channel.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/orange-369061-aug-information.htmlhttp://losalamitos.patch.com/articles/south-405-freeway-to-close-downhttp://losalamitos.patch.com/articles/south-405-freeway-to-close-downhttp://newportbeach.patch.com/articles/eastbound-22-will-close-for-two-weeks-at-405-mergehttp://www.twitter.com/OCTAnewshttp://www.youtube.com/gooctahttp://www.youtube.com/gooctahttp://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Orange-CA/OCTA/32401940026http://www.facebook.com/goOCTAhttp://twitter.com/goOCTAhttp://www.twitter.com/TedNguyenhttp://www.twitter.com/OCTAnewshttp://www.twitter.com/OCTAnewshttp://voiceofoc.org/oc_north/article_020076b0-f1e8-11e1-946a-001a4bcf887a.htmlhttp://www.ocregister.com/news/center-369846-transportation-construction.htmlhttp://www.ocregister.com/news/street-185038-ocprint-east-road.htmlhttp://newportbeach.patch.com/articles/eastbound-22-will-close-for-two-weeks-at-405-mergehttp://losalamitos.patch.com/articles/south-405-freeway-to-close-downhttp://www.gazettes.com/news/southbound-eastbound-connector-closing-for-two-weeks/article_a5aa60fa-ee14-11e1-9f1a-001a4bcf887a.htmlhttp://www.ocregister.com/news/brea-369510-habra-million.htmlhttp://www.ocregister.com/news/orange-369061-aug-information.htmlmailto:[email protected]


6/6

weekly update 090412

Documents