Whatever happened to Darrell Doan's Elk Grove garage-founded billion dollar revenue tech companies?
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2025/05/whatever-happened-to-darrell-doans-elk.html
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| Remember when this idea was pitched by Elk Grove economic development director? | |
Ten years ago this month, Darrell Doan started his job as Elk Grove's economic development director. During his tenure, the city went from claiming the 1,200-acre Southeast Policy Area (SEPA) would attract 25,000 high-paying jobs to about 21 jobs per acre. Since then, the SEPA has undergone many permutations, including the failed $300 million Sacramento Zoo relocation.
At the time of his hire, Elk Grove was buzzing about the jobs-to-housing imbalance. Former city manager Laura Gill, who hired Doan, said, "I believe he has the energy, enthusiasm, and entrepreneurial approach that our City needs to attract innovative businesses to Elk Grove that improve our jobs-to-housing imbalance.”
Instead, SEPA is home to what Elk Grove excels at - developing new homes, which is not all bad, given the housing shortage. It is too bad that Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen has failed to follow through on her promise to develop entry-level single-family dwellings.
Instead of pursuing the 25,000 high-paying jobs, Doan is reduced to being a retail and hospitality huckster. The most glaring example of his hustle was the failed Slow and Low restaurant, which cost taxpayers $500,000.
Over the last several years, the economic development strategy has focused on retail development. If the city cannot get those high-paying jobs, it can at least increase and pursue higher sales tax revenues to siphon more consumer money to fund the Mayor and city council's flights of fancy.
Notably, the one retail project Doan spearheaded, Project Elevate, failed and was sent back to the drawing board. Meanwhile, other developments near Project Elevate are flourishing.
Even though these national retailers would come to Elk Grove based on population growth and not Doan's work, that isn't to say he had not tried. But he has taken the opportunity to chow down at the opening of the failed Slow and Low - probably on the taxpayer's dime and hype the opening of a collision repair shop as seen in this image.
This takes us to Doan's 20118 city council presentation, which introduced the Startup Elk Grove Incentive Program. The program promised to attract the next Jobs and Wozniak.
Like other things the economic development department has pursued, it never achieved its goals. To be fair, the city council directed Doan to develop this plan, so the blame goes all around.
So, as Doan celebrates his 10th anniversary with Elk Grove, taxpayers must ask - What have you done lately to earn that fat salary?
Below are notable comments made by Doan during his August 22, 2018, presentation as seen in the video below.
- 1:20 - "Start Up Elk Grove is a new economic development program that provides targeted loans and non-monetary assistance to attract and assist start-up companies."
- 3:03 - "These are start-up tech companies, the kinds of things you think of happening in the Bay Area through rounds of venture capital and founders in garages, that's what we're talkin' bout here."
- 3:14 - "In 2017, the [city] council identified a strategic imperative to identify incentives for local innovation and entrepreneurship."
- 4:49 - "There's a whole bunch of reasons why start-ups should choose Elk Grove. I'm not going to go through all of these, but we are, I think, a lot of people think that start-ups are not looking to be in suburban locations, but start-ups are usually in suburban locations."
- 5:14 - "Two guys, and unfortunately, often guys, it is usually two guys in a garage that moved once early in their lifespan because of some capital commitment that took them to a place and they stayed there and grown there and now they anchor those economies."
- 5:31 - "The picture on the right says it all."
- 10:40 - "I think that we can do five to six of these grants, one space, maybe four scale-ups and two launches in the next six to 12 months. I think that would be the definition of success."
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2 comments
Elk Grove is like the guy or gal who tries to look really hot when they are dating and make all sorts of outlandish claims and promises. But once they get married, they let themselves go to crap.
That is what happened with the SEPA. Some people obviously believed Gary Davis when he made the 25,000 jobs claim. Now we get more strip centers.
Promises made, promises unfulfilled.
On the bright side, can you imagine how much worse traffic would be those high-paying employees driving their Tesla's around town!
Maybe when he retires he can start a side hustle business as a classic used Ford Pinto salesman!
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