SCVEDC Blog

Newmark Knight Frank (“NKF”) negotiates 169,854-Square-Foot Industrial Lease at The Center at Needham Ranch in Santa Clarita, CA.

Newmark Knight Frank (“NKF”) announced it has negotiated a 169,854-Square-Foot Industrial Lease at 21480 Needham Ranch Parkway, at The Center at Needham Ranch. The new tenant, Tire's Warehouse, will occupy newly constructed building 10 at the site. Tire's Warehouse will join current tenants Amazon, LA North Studios, Illumination Dynamics, and recently expanded beverage manufacturer DrinkPAK. With this move to SCV from the San Fernando Valley, Tire's Warehouse has now tripled their facility space in North Los Angeles. Phase 1 at The Center at Needham Ranch is completely leased and construction on Phase 2 is well underway, with buildings 11 through 18 still in the works. 

As we celebrate the City of Santa Clarita's nomination once again as a business-friendly city by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, it's a good time to reflect on what makes the Santa Clarita Valley so business friendly.

The Small Business Administration has significantly upped the cap for COVID-19 Emergency Injury Disaster Loans (COVID EIDL) from $500,000 to $2 million, providing low-interest, long-term loans for small businesses and nonprofits who experienced or continue to experience economic harm resulting from the pandemic.  

City of Santa Clarita among 10 finalists for this year's "Most Business Friendly City" Award

It's been another banner year for Santa Clarita in terms of achievements and growth. Through a lot of hard work and collaboration, the citizens and businesses of SCV have really risen to meet the challenges of the last 18 months. As we heard from economist Dr. Mark Schniepp at our Economic Outlook Forecast, Santa Clarita is well on its way in terms of recovery. One of the biggest factors in growth and economic recovery is for your businesses to thrive. The City of Santa Clarita has once again been named as a finalist in the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation's (LAEDC) award for "Most Business Friendly City" in LA County. As Los Angeles County's third largest city, Santa Clarita continues its commitment to maintain a healthy business environment for current and future companies, proactively promoting business-friendly programs and services--a critical factor in job creation. With award criteria including prioritizing and supporting business recovery, reinvention, growth and hiring throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it's no surprise that we made the short list.

  Last week the IAC Commerce Center celebrated the initial  raising of  the walls in the third and final phase of development.  The 7th  building is a 113,400 square foot Class A industrial  facility. The  construction is expected to be substantially  completed by the end  of this year, and ready for use in Q1 of  2022. Prospective tenants  would join current residents  Amazon, Bay Center Foods,  Happy Returns, and  more. 

 The economic shutdown due to the COVID-19  pandemic coincided almost perfectly with the  Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development  Corporation’s previously scheduled, and ultimately  canceled, Economic Outlook on March 12, 2020.  With rapidly changing mandates and an uncertain  economic climate, we transitioned to hosting a September 2020 virtual event, with an additional virtual update in March of this year. Last Friday marked the highly anticipated return of the SCVEDC's Outlook to a hybrid in-person and virtual event, hosted at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons.

The SCVEDC would like to acknowledge seven local employers AMS Fulfillment, CSI Services, Inc., Lief Labs, LIFT innovate, Medical Breakthrough®, Medical Technology Solutions, LLC, and TLK Fusion Inc. on making it onto this year's list for the fastest-growing companies in the US!

How well do you know the businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley?

Most residents don’t realize that SCV is home to a broad range of companies across major industry sectors including Aerospace & Defense, Advanced Manufacturing, Biotech & Medical Devices, Digital Media & Entertainment, and Information Technology. The Santa Clarita Valley is also one of the few places in LA County that is seeing increasing population growth, with numerous ongoing residential, commercial, and industrial projects.

Over the past several years I have been interviewing many of the leaders of these innovative companies for our podcast series “SCV Means Business”. I am inspired by their commitment and dedication to their employees, as well as our community.

In a smart move to keep California’s signature industry thriving in-state, legislators earlier this month voted to increase both film and television tax incentives by another $330 million. The new bill was signed into law on July 22 by Governor Newsom, and has two primary features. The currently available  $330 million is being bolstered with an additional $180 million, bringing the annual film tax incentive program total to $410 million. The entirely new component now adds $150 million, allocated towards the construction of soundstages in an effort to meet the ever-growing demand for these studio facilities. These changes could prove vital to meet California's film and television needs, stop production jobs from leaving the state, and potentially coax studios to return that had jumped ship for more enticing offers in other states.

Has your business been disrupted due to COVID-related governmental orders? With the many COVID-19 pandemic challenges endured by small to mid-sized businesses, there is some good news. The newest 2021 Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) program provides eligible businesses with a fully refundable, advanceable tax credit on qualified employee wages, and opens the ERTC program to PPP borrowers for the first time. 

Santa Clarita ranks top 10 in safety, as well as the 4th most ambitious and business ready city in the nation.

Santa Clarita has recently been recognized as being one of the safest cities of its size in the country, and for being one of the most business ready. While it may not seem obvious at first, these two endorsements go hand in hand. They result from deliberate efforts to grow the number and quality of jobs in the Santa Clarita Valley in order to provide great opportunities for residents.

Complete List of Upcoming Webinars 

July 28th, 2021

Details and Registration

August 5th, 2021

Details and Registration

August 10th, 2021

Details and Registration

DrinkPAK Brings 275 Jobs to the SCV Over the Next Four Years

SCVEDC's recent case study about DrinkPAK provides a look at the company's objectives and space needs. The case study illustrates their reasoning behind the decision to relocate to the Santa Clarita Valley and the company’s further expansion. DrinkPAK, the premier West Coast alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturer, currently occupies 572,419 SF at the Center at Needham Ranch Industrial Park. Through its high efficiency production lines, this location houses procurement support, complex batching and processing, filling, packaging, and on-site storage and distribution.

BizFed's 2021 business survey sees record participation this year!

The SCVEDC has been a longtime partner with the Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed). With more than 180 business organizations representing 400,000 employers with 3.5 million employees throughout LA County, BizFed is a massive, diverse grassroots alliance that advocates for policies and projects that strengthen our regional economy.

SCV Companies Making an Impact on Their Employees, Community, and Environment

Many people want to partner with, work for, buy from, and invest in companies they believe in. Two Santa Clarita Valley companies have become B Corporations demonstrating commitment to their employees, community, and the environment.   

B Corporations are for-profit companies, certified by a nonprofit called B Lab. In order to earn the certification, companies must achieve a 80/200 score on B Lab’s assessment, which is split into four parts – Governance, Workers, Community, and Environment.  

Mental Health Resources in the Santa Clarita Valley

The COVID-19 pandemic public health orders designed to protect our physical health have also affected mental health over the last year. In fact, 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, up from 1 in 10 adults from January to June 2019.

To complicate matters, people are often reluctant to discuss mental illness — especially at work. That’s why it’s critical for employers to create a work environment that is supportive of mental health, with relevant resources and a culture that prioritizes psychological well-being.

Congratulations to the Top 21 Power Brokers!

The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) invests not just in growing our local businesses, but attracting great companies to the region with a focus on industries that provide our residents with high quality, high paying jobs.

Bringing these businesses to our community takes a combined effort from the SCVEDC and our partners in economic development, and of course, from the tireless commercial real estate brokers who work hard to get these businesses set up at the right location that works for them.

Each year SCVEDC honors top commercial real estate brokers active in the Santa Clarita Valley at our annual Power Broker Breakfast. Unfortunately, due to social distancing protocols we were unable to host the event again this year, but we are still thrilled to announce the Power Brokers for 2020!

DrinkPAK Now Occupies More Than 572,000 Square Feet in Needham Ranch

Six months after signing its first lease in the Center at Needham Ranch (CANR) industrial park, DrinkPAK, the premier West Coast alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturer, is already expanding its footprint in Santa Clarita, California.

Currently, DrinkPAK leases 172,324-square-foot at (CANR) and just this week signed two more leases for an additional 400,095-square-feet, bringing their total space occupied to 572,419-square-feet. This location will house the company’s procurement support, complex batching and processing, filling, packaging, and on-site storage and distribution.

Celebrating Economic Development Month

Honoring Santa Clarita Valley's Largest Employers

The Santa Clarita Valley is a growing region with significant opportunities for businesses including available, state-of-the-art industrial and commercial buildings in master planned developments. Despite the challenges, 2020 was a successful year for many companies, and there were several attractions and expansions across our target industry clusters. Through our research for the Economic Outlook Forecast, we compiled the Santa Clarita Valley Largest Employer’s List illustrating some remarkable growth this past year.

Keeping Your LA County Project On Track Through LA County Connect

One of the primary keys to a Commercial Development project is staying on track and maintaining the proposed schedule. This can be challenging when navigating the many agencies and departments in Los Angeles County. Now through LA County Connect, Santa Clarita developers and design professionals can receive expert advice and guidance – tailored specifically for Commercial Development projects in Plan Review. Developers can preview plans, discuss process and timing, and get the answers needed from LA County departments in a timely manner!

2020 Annual Report

The COVID-19 pandemic brought both health implications and serious economic ones. In 2020, the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation celebrated its 10th anniversary, and the work of the organization has never been more vital! SCVEDC continues to focus on business assistance, business attraction and retention, community marketing, and information and data. Despite the numerous obstacles of the past year, there are many bright spots; most notably, the incredible support, innovation, and resiliency of our business community, including the many SCV companies that quickly pivoted to manufacture PPE and sanitizers, or offered their teams in volunteer capacities.

Printful Relocates North to the SCV

The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce that Printful, a print-on-demand service based in Charlotte, N.C. is relocating its California facility from Chatsworth to the Santa Clarita Valley, in the Valencia Commerce Center. This new location is triple the size of the Chatsworth site, which will accommodate their increased production demands.

Industrial Market in SCV Never Missed a Beat 

While the COVID-19 crisis initially gave many companies pause for good reason, 2020 was an exceptionally good year for industrial real estate across the board, the Santa Clarita Valley included. In 2020, the SCVEDC was pleased to announce that several new companies chose to locate in the Santa Clarita Valley including two Amazon fulfillment centers, DrinkPAK, a beverage manufacturer, and a state-of-the-art medical testing lab. Several SCV companies expanded as well, including P3 Inc., LA North Studios, Lief Labs, 24/7 Events and Mellady Direct Marketing.

Santa Clarita Valley’s Medical Professionals Rise to the Challenge 

There is no doubt that 2020 was a challenging year for all, but most especially those on the front lines caring for those who are gravely ill with COVID-19. It was hard to predict in March how our region would be affected, but those heading up the medical response had been preparing for something like this for a long time.

Santa Clarita Valley Chapter Aerospace & Defense Forum Announces New Steering Committee Chair

Eric Jensen, Director of Manufacturing Ramp and Transition at Fralock Inc., steps in as Chair of the Steering Committee of the Santa Clarita Valley Chapter of the Aerospace & Defense Forum as of January 2021. The SCV Chapter was launched in October of 2019 to expand local business collaboration, networking, and information sharing by A&D executives relevant to the business of aerospace, commercial space and defense industries. This eighth chapter of the A&D Forum, sponsored by the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC), has been well received by the SCV aerospace community with strong engagement and event attendance, even through transition to virtual meetings in 2020 due to COVID.

Minimum Wage Increases for Businesses in the City of Santa Clarita on January 1

Are you confused about the minimum wage increases? You’re not alone! The Santa Clarita Valley is in an especially unique situation in that the City of Santa Clarita and the County of Los Angeles have two different minimum wage increase schedules which has caused confusion and challenges for many of our local employers and residents alike.

GO-Biz Hosting Webinars for Businesses Interested in Applying for
 $80 Million in Tax Credits

Have you heard about the California Competes Tax Credit? It’s a state income tax credit supporting growth of high quality jobs in California, available to businesses who want to come to, stay in, or grow in our state. Through a two-phase process, businesses apply and compete for this credit during three application periods each fiscal year.

Three Important Online Resources Offered by SCVEDC 

The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation is an organization dedicated to attracting, retaining, and growing business opportunities for the Santa Clarita Valley. That mission is more important than ever. While most of our usual face-to-face meetings are temporarily on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, SCVEDC has many online resources to help your company with a variety of issues you may face. Here are just a few free resources to help your business:

The City of Santa Clarita and SCVEDC Award Local Small Businesses with COVID Relief Grants

The City of Santa Clarita and Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) are excited to announce that 149 small businesses within the Santa Clarita Valley were approved to receive a one-time financial reimbursement for COVID-related expenses of up to $5,000 per individual business, as a part of the Santa Clarita Small Business COVID Relief Grant.

Interested applicants began receiving their approval or denial letters beginning on Thursday, November 19. Verified eligible businesses that have met all specified grant qualifications and requirements can expect to receive grant funds by the end of the year.