Legal Marijuana Investment
A recent Morgan Stanley Investor Pulse Poll, conducted by GfK Public Affairs & Corporate Communications, surveyed 1,003 respondents across the United States regarding interest in investing in the marijuana industry. Results show that most investors wouldn’t.Of the 300 San Francisco Bay Area high-net-worth investors polled, two in three (65%) replied they aren’t at all likely to invest in the marijuana industry where it’s legalized in the next 12 months; another one in five (20%) said they aren’t too likely. And 69% say they wouldn’t invest, even if marijuana were legalized in California.
Of those who said they would invest, those aged 65+ are the most likely to invest in marijuana if it were legalized in California, with 38% either strongly or somewhat agreeing to that premise, while 33% of 25- to 54-year-olds and 24% of 55- to 64-year-olds say the same thing. The youngest group (25- to 54-year-olds) is the most likely to invest in marijuana in the next 12 months, with 20% saying they’re very or somewhat likely to do so. Men are also more likely than women to invest in marijuana, with 29% saying they’re very or somewhat likely to invest in Marijuana in the next 12 months, compared to 21% of women. If it were legalized in California, 45% of men and 29% of women either strongly or somewhat agree they’d invest in it.
California on Top
According to a recent report by American Express, California is home to more middle market firms (16,391), especially women- and multicultural-owned (1,230 and 1,288, respectively), than any other state. In the United States, there are 136,603 middle market firms, of which 8,219 are women-owned and 6,691 are multicultural-owned. This amounts to 8% women ownership in California (6% in the United States) and 8% multicultural-owned (5% in the United States). Middle market firms are described as businesses generating between $10 million and $1 billion in revenues.
Source: americanexpress.com
The State of Retail
• More than 70% of consumers would prefer to shop a brick and mortar Amazon store versus Amazon.com.
• 90% of consumers are more likely to buy when helped by a knowledgeable associate.
• 92% of responding millennials plan to shop in-store in 2015—as often or more than they did in 2014.
• Only 13% of respondents have made a purchase using a mobile device.
The Job Front
The Sonoma County Economic Development Board’s 2015 Workforce Development Survey included 162 respondents, representing a diverse range of industries, company size and years of operation. Here are the key findings:
• In the past 12 months, 87% reported hiring new employees.
· In the next year, the same number (87%) expect to hire new employees.
· Lack of qualified applicants (39%), affordability of Sonoma County for workers (37%) and increased labor costs (34%) were the largest workforce concerns.
· Craigslist (76%), word of mouth (65%) and internal referrals (54%) were the most utilized hiring resources.
· Employers are finding deficiencies in soft skills (63%), technical skills (56%) and job experience (52%) in prospective new hires from Sonoma County’s talent pool.
