"THRED Talks" - 2026

Weaving the County Together

The San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA) held its 73rd Annual Meeting featuring "THRED Talks" - Weaving Our Region Together event at The Farallon Room at Skyline College in San Bruno in June 2026.

The event brought together elected officials with business and community leaders across San Mateo County and the Bay Area where they heard from:

Together, they challenged attendees to think differently about artificial intelligence, economic opportunities, regulatory policy, community identity and connections through nature and food, innovation, and the changing dynamics that will define the Bay Area for decades to come. These were not simply presentations, they were conversations designed to spark new ideas, strengthen partnerships, and inspire action.

The program concluded with a networking reception.

Launched in 2016, “THRED Talks” has become a signature SAMCEDA program, highlighting San Mateo County’s businesses, innovators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders while showcasing the County’s unique contributions to the dynamic Bay Area and Silicon Valley region.

SAMCEDA sincerely thanks our sponsors (shown below) for their generous support and ongoing partnership.

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To learn more about “THRED Talks,” please click here.
(Click here to read the speakers' bios)

SAMCEDA's 73RD Annual Meeting
featuring "THRED Talks" - Weaving Our Region Together
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Event + Complete Presentation

(A list of links & resources mentioned can be found here)

Individual "THRED Talks" Presentations
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Benjamin Jaros - Hoover Institution

(A list of links & resources mentioned can be found here)
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Natalie Holmes - Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco


(A list of links & resources mentioned can be found here)
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Patrick A. McLaughlin - Hoover Institution

(A list of links & resources mentioned can be found here)
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Kara Newport - Filoli

(A list of links & resources mentioned can be found here)
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Cecilia Phillips - KQED’s 'Check, Please! Bay Area'


(A list of links & resources mentioned can be found here)
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(Recordings provided by Level 2 Productions and
the "Cecilia Tries It" segment featured in the presentation was provided by KQED)

Event snapshots 
 


[ "THRED Talks" Speakers (from left to right): Hoover Institution's 
Benjamin Jaros, KQED’s Check, Please! Bay Area's Cecilia Phillips, 
Hoover Institution's Patrick A. McLaughlin, Filoli's Kara Newport, and
the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's Natalie Holmes ]



(Photos provided by Scott Buschman Photography & SAMCEDA)

 

Links & Resources

We encourage you to view and share the links and resources below with your network.

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Thank You to our
event sponsors & Vendors!


(Click Here to View the Sponsors) 

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Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Presenting Sponsors
Bohannon Development Company
Verizon

Corporate Sponsors
Kaiser Permanente
SummerHill Apartment Communities
The Sobrato Organization

Platinum Sponsors
BART
BKF Engineers
Bohannon Companies
Caltrain
County of San Mateo
Genentech
Google
Jay Paul Company
Meta
NOVAworks
Oracle
PG&E
Recology
SamTrans
San Francisco International Airport
San Mateo County Community College District
Sequoia Hospital
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Stanford Health Care
Stanford Medicine Children's Health
Stanford University
Sutter Health
United Airlines

Business Sponsors
The Baylands
California Apartment Association
California Life Sciences
Citizens Business Bank
Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass
Filoli
Graniterock
Hanson Bridgett
Monterra Credit Union
Port of Redwood City
San Francisco Bay Ferry, a Service of WETA
San Francisco State University

Community Sponsors
City of Belmont
City of Burlingame
City of Redwood City
City of San Carlos
City of San Mateo
Episcopal Community Services San Francisco

Supporter Sponsors
Peninsula Clean Energy
Sares Regis Group of Northern California
Swinerton Management & Consulting

Event Vendors
Level 2 Productions
Pacific Dining Food Service Management
Precision Graphics
Scott Buschman Photography

Venue Host
Skyline College

To view all the previous "THRED Talks" presentations, 
please click here or watch on our YouTube Channel.