President of Brithinee Electric represents Colton in Sacramento
Wally Brithinee will address the California Enterprise Zone program on March 17

San Bernardino, California, March 4, 2010—Wallace Brithinee, president of Brithinee Electric, will represent Colton in Sacramento on March 17, 2010 where he will discuss the issue of the California Enterprise Zone with state legislators and their staffs. Current budget issues have brought the program under scrutiny, resulting in recent calls by Legislature and Administrators to severely cut or completely eliminate the program.

The San Bernardino Valley Enterprise Zone encompasses almost 4700 businesses, most of which exist in San Bernardino, as well as parts of Colton and county land. The area received its original designation in October 2006 from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, providing state tax incentives to businesses that will continue to be available through October 2021.

Currently, legislation permits 42 Enterprise Zones in California. Communities receive this special zone distinction through a competitive process. Areas are designated as “zones” with the goal of improving economic strength through special programs, tax incentives, and assistance to businesses located within each zone’s boundaries. Both businesses and employees in depressed areas of the state have benefitted from this economic development incentive program.

The California Enterprise Zone program’s benefits range from business expansion to job creation, helping to reduce poverty, and they are instrumental in promoting business retention rates. Enterprise Zones receive regular assessments and strict evaluations, by both the Department of Housing and Community Development and the State Legislature, to meet the state’s standards. Legislation passed in 2006 has further increased the program’s accountability.

According to Wally Brithinee, "Over the last nine years, Brithinee Electric has received material benefits because our plant is located in a designated Enterprise Zone. Approximately two-thirds of those benefits are credits for qualified new-hires; the remainder is for credits related to the purchase of new machinery and equipment.”

“With today's high cost of doing business and increasing state taxes, our decision to commit to staying in Colton and to expand our motor and generator plant has definitely been influenced by the benefits offered by this designation. Reducing or eliminating the program would negatively impact the city of Colton, ultimately creating even more pressure on the State’s General Fund. I firmly believe that the strategic significance of the “zone” designation is imperative to maintain economic development within our region.”

Since the year 2000, the firm has doubled its number of employees. New construction is underway; which, when complete, will double the company’s production capacity, plus double the size capability for the department which repairs and remanufactures motors and generators. Brithinee Electric is one of the largest sellers of NEMA Premium Efficiency industrial electric motors. These motors are the highest electrical efficiency motors available today. The firm specializes in remanufacturing industrial electric motors and wind generators and produces custom motor control centers for clients throughout the western United States.

About Wally Brithinee
Brithinee is a member of the advisory group of the Motor Resource Center, a partnership between Advanced Energy Corporation (Raleigh, North Carolina), and the Washington State University (WSU) Extension Energy Program. He was a founding member of the California Motor Initiative, a collaborative effort of the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Energy Commission, and the three electric public utilities in California, and member of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) National Motors & Drives Steering Committee. He is president of Brithinee Electric, located in Colton. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California, Riverside. His graduate work and original research was performed under a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) fellowship. Wally and his brother Don are co-founders and owners of Brithinee Electric