Steve Frisch

President

Steve is a dedicated project manager with over 20 years experience managing people in a highly competitive environment. He is a skilled facilitator with an eye for strategic opportunities. Experience with small business has provided an appreciation for detail and execution. Steve welcomes a wide range of diverse viewpoints to any project to encourage collaborative solutions.

Steve is a founding member of the Sierra Business Council and graduate of the Sierra Leadership Seminar.

Professional Experience
Steve manages SBC’s program staff and programmatic development, designed to train regional leadership, protect natural resources, improve community planning and stimulate sustainable community development.

Steve has managed a variety of programs at SBC including Placer Legacy, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy effort, and the Working Landscapes Initiative – a program that has protected 30,000 acres of working farms and ranches that are essential to our region’s economy, wildlife and cultural legacy. He also manages sustainable business and building projects to encourage the adoption of socially responsible business and development practices.

Prior to joining the Sierra Business Council, Steve owned and operated a small business in Truckee, California and was president of the Truckee Downtown Merchants Association. Steve has served on the Nevada County Welfare Reform Commission, the Town of Truckee redevelopment agency formation committee and as an advisor to the California Resources Agency’s California Legacy Project.

Since joining the SBC, Steve has:

• Managed public outreach and served as project director of the Placer Legacy Program, a public/private partnership with Placer County California, and winner of the 2002 Governor’s Economic and Environmental Leadership Award.

• Co-authored the Sierra Nevada Resource Investment Needs Assessment, highlighting natural resource investment needs.

• Fostered the creation of two landscape-level conservation programs that link conservation with local economic development.

Education
Steve holds a BA in Political Science from San Francisco State University. He has continued his education with professional business and natural resource management courses and leadership development courses. Steve is also a graduate of the California Culinary Academy.

Personal Highlights
Steve lives in Truckee with his wife Lisa. He is an avid reader of history, politics, community planning and Sierra issues. Steve enjoys traveling the back roads, connecting to local history, camping and cooking.