The Nevada County Economic Resource Council will host its fifth annual Tour of Nevada County on Thursday, Sept. 23.

The day-long bus trip is designed to introduce residents to many “exporter” companies that are tucked away in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Mini Mania Mini CooperThis year's tour will include visits to AJA Video, Cranmer Engineering, Mini Mania, Eigen and High  Sierra Electronics.
“The tour is designed to expose the economic engine that exists behind the so-called manzanita curtain,” said ERC's chief executive officer Gil Mathew. “When public policy is made we want the  public to understand how big and vital that economic engine is.”
Mathew estimates that the exporter companies (products and services manufactured here and shipped around the world) represent more than $500 million in combined revenues. The ERC includes more than 100 members, many of them exporter companies.
The tour, which costs $65 per ticket, includes a brunch, lunch and a wine reception. It begins at 8:30 in the morning and is slated to conclude at 4:30 p.m., starting and finishing at Litton Field, off Sierra College Boulevard.
“The tour will be conducted from a big, air-conditioned bus,” said Mathew, who is in his third year at the helm of the ERC. “We will offload at each business on the tour where there will be a talk and demonstration of the products or services that company provides and then a tour of the facility.”

AJA Video has been a leading manufacturer of digital video interface, conversion and desktop solutions for the broadcast and post-production markets since 1993. It is located in a new  facility at 180 Litton Dr.
Cranmer Engineering has been in business four decades in Grass Valley, providing comprehensive civil engineering services and state-certified water testing. It is located at 1188 East Main St.

Mini Mania is the country's largest supplier of Classic Mini Cooper parts, operating since 1974. It is located at 870 Gold Flat Road in Nevada City.

Eigen engineers and manufactures imaging systems for healthcare professionals. Its products can be found in more than 4,000 hospitals worldwide. The company is located at 13366 Grass Valley Ave.
High Sierra Electronics Inc. designs and manufactures hydrological monitoring systems and meteorological instruments to improve public safety and protect the environment. That firm is located at 155 Spring Hill Dr. in Grass Valley.

To reserve a seat on the tour, contact the ERC at 274-8455, or go online at www.ncerc.org.

The Economic Resource Council's Tour of Nevada County, set for Thursday, will visit five exporter companies. They are, left to right behind car: Tom Ogden Sales Managers of High Sierra Electronics, and Chuck Zavitz of Cranmer Engineering. In front of the car are: Abe Abt, AJA Video Inside Sales, and Steve Miller, Director software Enineering of Eigen. In the car is Jonathan F. Harvey, Vice President of Mini Mania, Inc.