The San Joaquin Partnership, in cooperation with San Joaquin County, has opened an office in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Partnership Chief Executive Mike Ammann spends a day a week at the office in Santa Clara seeking companies interested in San Joaquin County locations and making other connections between Silicon Valley and the San Joaquin Valley.

Strengthening ties between the areas is only natural, he said.

"We've been looked upon as two separate areas, but with a quarter of our labor force commuting into Silicon Valley, we are really part of it," Ammann said Tuesday.

"We've come to the conclusion that we need to be physically part of Silicon Valley by opening up an office."

That facility, at 2903 Bunker Hill Lane in Santa Clara, is leased from TiE Silicon Valley, a nonprofit entrepreneurs' network, and is near the Santa Clara Convention Center and ACE train's Great America stop and not far from the 49ers' new stadium.