GSEC 2018 | Page 26

GREATER SACRAMENTO PHOTO: JUMP JUMP began its 900-bike rollout in the Sacramento region in May 2018. WE SELL, RENT, AND SERVICE A WIDE VARIETY OF EQUIPMENT: • Large and Small Construction Tractors • Forklifts • Telescopic Handlers • Prime and Stand-by Power Generation www.holtca.com 1-800-452-5888 Metropolitan Air Quality Management District joined the delegation, and he believes Sacramento could benefit from an innovation hub similar to PEM Aachen GmbH. “In the PEM model, the innovation hub is a center where you have [companies] like Ford, BMW, Toyota come to university students and startup companies who are really driving technology,” says Lemus, who believes such a model in Sacramento could advance engineering departments at local universities and provide work opportunities to retain young, talented engineers. District 1 County Supervisor Phil Serna joined the delegation to promote Sacramento and potentially attract companies to the area, and perhaps even establish a PEM-based model in partnership with Sacramento State. “We had far-reaching discussions about the prospect of bringing interest in Germany to Sacramento, specifically as it relates to an innovation center with Sac State,” Serna says. “The folks we met with clearly see California as leading the world in terms of policy, development, legislation and resource allocation.” The delegation focused on networking and gathering information. Serna says the next step is for German interest to come to Sacramento. “One of the next steps is bringing the PEM folks here to Sacramento,” he says. “I’m eager to show them sites in my district that are prime for manufacturing,” like the Metro Air Park in Natomas. While any PEM-based model in Sacramento is a future project that would require private and public funding, one PEM alumnus has already brought his company to Sacramento. Dimitrios Dovas, the cofounder and CEO of Highlands Power, which builds high-powered efficient electric vehicle motors, announced in May that the company would operate its offices from The Urban Hive. In the meantime, he says, the company is raising capital to build a production model, and eventually develop a small production facility around Sacramento. 88 comstocksmag.com | December 2018