Larry Baer, CEO of the San Francisco Giants is also a board member of the Committee on Jobs, a legacy business organization in San Francisco. In an effort to bring the establishment into the 21st Century, it’s rebranding to Advanced SF. Baer will be co-chair of the establishment along with CEO of CommonSpirit health Lloyd Dean. He talks more about what that means for the city and why it’s so important to keep up with the times.
On a Mission to Bring Prosperity to the City
This organization is staffed with business community leaders who have the position and standing to breathe life back into the economy by becoming more involved in civic affairs.
Its mission is to bring prosperity to businesses and individuals by bringing more people in to help solve some of the specific problems that San Francisco is battling. For Baer, this is on par with his general desire to see his beloved city thrive. It all starts with building the right relationships and then watching them blossom into new objectives and directives.
A New Name, a New Attitude
This rebranding is unfortunately coming in the midst of criticism against the city government. Despite promises from officials, there have been several high-profile incidents of theft occurring in San Francisco. This is an attempt to shine a light on some of the issues currently causing citizens to feel as though their needs aren’t being met. From homelessness to regulations to taxes, prominent business leaders in the community are stepping up to the plate to see what can be done to allow even the most underserved people to get the attention they require.
Lloyd Dean remarked, “A diverse group of leaders speaking with a unified voice can find ways to address the long-standing issues facing San Francisco. For these reasons and many more, bringing major employers to the table to help address these intractable problems benefits everyone in our community.” Participating members include professionals from Target, Walgreens, Uber, Bank of America, JP Morgan, Charles Schwab & Co., Visa USA, Well Fargo, Gap, Shorenstein CO., and First Republic.
Two Years in the Making
The Committee on Jobs is a legacy organization that got its start in the early 1990s. However, it’s been working on restructuring for the past two years. For Larry Baer, it all started with listening to people in a variety of communities, including those in hospitality, the arts, social services, and of course, small business owners.
There have been a number of other efforts in San Francisco to try to bring real change to some of the long-standing issues of the community. However, many of these initiatives have failed to get off the ground. The reasons why are as varied as the ones that led the city to where it is now, but Baer remains hopeful that looping in the right people can have a profound effect on daily life in the city.
Larry Baer in Action
Larry Baer has built his professional career on being able to see several moves ahead, a feat that is far easier said than done. The good news for the city is that when he commits to something, he has a reputation for getting it done.
While it’s clear that the city needs to change directions in some respects, a challenge that can be difficult for even the most ambitious of leaders, there’s also plenty of business leaders that can use their experience to drive more economic activity. Whether it’s getting people entry-level jobs or improving diversity from the top-down, there is plenty to be done.
This is also a strong attempt to address how the economy in the city has shifted, and who exactly has fallen to the bottom tier. Understanding modern obstacles means talking to people who experience them on a daily basis. Only then can Advance SF be able to make adjustments that benefit more than one group. As the co-chair, Baer is up to the task.
Learn more: https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2021/12/01/advance-sf-committee-on-jobs.html
