Beam Circular tells Newman council it is recruiting bioeconomy firms, training and infrastructure for North San Joaquin Valley

Karen Warner, CEO of the nonprofit Beam Circular, told the Newman City Council on Jan. 28 that the organization is coordinating a regional effort to attract and scale biobased manufacturing in the North San Joaquin Valley.

Warner said Beam Circular was launched in January 2023 out of the Stanislaus 2030 economic development planning process and uses public and private capital to help local farmers and processors turn organic byproducts into higher‑value products. “My name is Karen Warner. I’m the CEO of Beam Circular, a local nonprofit organization here in Stanislaus County,” Warner said.

Beam Circular described the sector — which it calls the circular bioeconomy or bioindustrial manufacturing — as using organic feedstocks such as grape and tomato pomace, nutshells, orchard woody biomass and municipal green waste to make products that range from biodegradable nursery pots to organic agricultural inputs. Warner told the council the group has built a capital stack of more than $55,000,000 from federal, state, local, corporate and philanthropic sources to seed projects and support companies seeking to scale here.

The organization emphasized job quality and local workforce pathways. Warner said about 80% of jobs in bioindustrial manufacturing do not require an advanced degree and that average wages in the sector are roughly 30% higher than median regional pay. Beam Circular said it is investing in K–12, community college and vocational pathways, operating a startup accelerator (which will welcome a six‑company cohort in mid‑February) and planning an innovation campus to provide shared pilot and scale‑up infrastructure.

Warner also described regional certification and partnerships: she said the North San Joaquin Valley received a “double A” rating as a bioeconomy development opportunity zone and cited collaborations with UC Merced and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

County supervisor Michael, speaking after the presentation, praised the initiative and encouraged the council to support workforce and site development that could create local trades jobs. “This is where you take Stanislaus County to the next level,” Michael said.

Beam Circular asked municipal partners to consider how city planning, permitting and workforce programs could align with the new industry and said it has technical assistance, funding resources and an online portal to connect feedstock suppliers with buyers. Warner invited local educational partners and businesses to engage with pilot programs and the accelerator.

Beam Circular’s presentation amounted to an introduction and request for ongoing coordination rather than a formal request for council action. Council members thanked the group and said they would continue the conversation.

The organization’s materials and the accelerator application process are available on Beam Circular’s website; Warner said staff would follow up with city contacts on partnership possibilities.