SCVEDC Blog

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Six Flags Magic Mountain Leads the Charge with California's Largest Solar Energy Project

In a major stride towards a sustainable future, Six Flags Magic Mountain, located in the heart of the Santa Clarita Valley, has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative that not only elevates its status as a premier entertainment destination but also solidifies its commitment to environmental stewardship. Breaking ground on California's largest single-site commercial solar energy project, Six Flags continues to advance their ESG-related initiatives, as well as significant contributions to both the economy and the environment. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) is a framework used to evaluate an organization's business practices and performance on various sustainability and ethical issues. Magic Mountain will be the third solar installation for Six Flags, following Discovery Kingdom in Northern California and Great Adventure in New Jersey. These three sites will rank as the largest volume of onsite Solar PV systems for any U.S. organization.

The Benefits of Apprenticeships for Your Business

Discover how apprenticeships can help businesses grow and thrive.

 

Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is home to nearly 300,000 residents and a variety of companies. Thanks to a business-friendly environment, continuous positive economic growth, and local civic leadership that supports ongoing improvements to key infrastructure, our roster of fantastic companies calling the SCV home continues to grow.

 

Employers across the country are grappling with workforce and recruitment challenges. SCV boasts a highly educated workforce and benefits from access to workforce pipelines in neighboring markets within LA County. In addressing the workforce needs of businesses in SCV, the local community, including academic institutions and economic development organizations, are embracing opportunities for apprenticeships to harness the strength of a vibrant and diverse workforce.

 

Celebrating SCVEDC Team's Achievements: Dr. Jey Wagner with Team California and Ondre Seltzer with Maple Business Council

The SCVEDC is proud to celebrate the recent achievements of two of its team members: Dr. Jey Wagner (President & CEO) and Ondre Seltzer (VP, Workforce & Economic Development). Dr. Wagner's appointment to the Board of Directors for Team California highlights his dedication to the growth and retention of businesses in the Golden State. With a strong background in Foreign Direct Investment and working closely with international clients, Ondre Seltzer's addition to the Maple Business Council further strengthens the SCVEDC's commitment to fostering global relationships. These appointments reflect the SCVEDC's ongoing efforts to attract and retain businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley, showcasing the team's dedication to driving economic growth and innovation in the region.

2023 SCVEDC Annual Report

After 13 years of collaborative efforts within our community, the work of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) continues to be crucial to our region's growth. SCVEDC continues to focus on business assistance, business attraction and retention, community marketing, and information and data. Despite the numerous obstacles of the past few years, there are many bright spots; most notably, the incredible support, innovation, and resiliency of our business community.

 

Last Tuesday night Dr. Jey Wagner, President & CEO of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation, released the 2023 SCVEDC Annual Report to the City Council. It featured our organization's business attraction and retention, business assistance, economic information & research, and workforce development initiatives. 

 

Click here for the presentation slides, and read below for more details. To see the presentation to the City Council on SCVTV, click below and skip to 12:00 minutes.

 

2023 Annual Report          WATCH THE VIDEO

College of the Canyons hosts Grand Opening of New Advanced Technology Center

2023-10-06-ATC Ribbon Cutting001  MFGDAY-MI-Stacked

 

Manufacturing Day is an annual national celebration to help students discover what modern manufacturing is all about, and for years in Santa Clarita private and public organizations have come together to introduce students first-hand to how manufacturing, engineering, robotics, logistics, and quality control all play a role in shaping our world.

 

This year's Manufacturing Day in the SCV was certainly an iconic one. It was a day filled with excitement as the College of the Canyons unveiled its brand new Advanced Technology Center (ATC) on Thursday, October 5th. The grand opening was followed by a bustling gathering the next day, where hundreds of students and community members eagerly explored the possibilities of advanced manufacturing technologies and potential career paths.

Santa Clarita Valley's Largest Employers of 2023

Honoring Santa Clarita Valley's Largest Employers

 

 

The Santa Clarita Valley is a growing region with significant business opportunities, including available, state-of-the-art industrial and commercial buildings in master-planned developments. Despite the challenges of the last few years, 2023 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 marked growth in this past year.

SCVEDC Wins 2 International Awards of Excellence

The SCVEDC is excited to announce that we were recently honored for excellence in economic development by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in two distinct categories. For both the Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) Initiatives and Print Brochures categories impacting populations between 200,000 - 500,000 residents, the SCVEDC was recognized for two of last year's projects: The 2022 Business Survey, and the SCV Talent Report.

 

SCVEDC Releases Logix Workforce Development Case Study

Logix Federal Credit Union provides a shining example of how a cultural commitment to employee training and career development delivers stunning results: improved morale, employee retention, and promotional advancements. In a time where businesses both large and small struggle to retain and attract needed talent, Logix has found that investing in their own employees delivers bottom-line results. Though training programs cost time and money, Logix has tapped into a wealth of financial support through state-subsidized training pathways, available through resources right here in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Logix Workforce Development Case Study

SCV hosts Manufacturing  Collaborative to Strengthen Strategic Partnerships

Jey Wagner Announced as New President & CEO of the SCVEDC

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY, CA – After completion of a nationwide search, the Board of Directors for the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) announced today the promotion of current Vice President of Workforce & Economic Development, Dr. Jey Wagner, to the role of President & CEO, as successor to Holly Schroeder. To ensure a seamless leadership transition, Schroeder will remain in her position through the organization’s premier event, Economic Outlook, on September 15, 2023. Schroeder is leaving to pursue new career opportunities at a local advanced manufacturer, DrinkPAK.

City of Santa Clarita Introduces “Santa Clarita Spotlight”

A New Shop Local Video Series Showcasing Local Businesses 

 

 

The City of Santa Clarita, in partnership with SCVTV, is excited to announce "Santa Clarita Spotlight," a brand-new Shop Local video series dedicated to promoting and celebrating the diverse range of local businesses within the City. The pilot episode of Santa Clarita Spotlight was released on Friday, August 18, on the City’s website at santa-clarita.com/ShopLocal and social media pages.

12 SCVEDC Board Members Recognized in Valley 200 List (2023)

The SCVEDC would like to congratulate everyone who made this years list of most influential leaders in the region, including our own President & CEO - Holly Schroeder. Several members of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors have also been named to the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s Valley 200 list announced on July 31st.

 

“[The Valley 200 list] is 200 people we consider the most influential in our area - the San Fernando, Conejo, Santa Clarita, Simi and Antelope valleys,” wrote Charles Crumpley, SFVBJ publisher and editor, in the August 1st, 2022 edition of the bi-weekly business publication. “They are the leaders we depend on, the ones whose work – whether at the office or in nonprofits or in other ways –improve our community and make our local economy sturdier. [W]e also tend to select those who are active – in professional, political and community organizations.”

Needham Ranch's Final Wall Tilt Celebrates Further Growth for DrinkPAK

soon to occupy 965,000 square-feet across 6 buildings at Needham Ranch

 

When they started out, DrinkPAK was just a small start up in search of a new location in Southern California. Their principals had a long and successful track record  creating beverage brands, then selling these brands along with their manufacturing facilities to world-class companies such as PepsiCo and Keurig Dr. Pepper. For their first dedicated contract manufacturing facility they ultimately chose the Center at Needham Ranch (CANR) as the optimal location for their project.  Their plans called for a state-of-the-art, 3-line beverage contract manufacturing, packaging, and fulfillment center. 

 

CoC Launches Certified Logistics Training Program

The SCVEDC is committed to spurring workforce training and development to empower our local labor force and help our businesses thrive. A big part of that commitment is our  close partnership with College of the Canyons and their continued efforts to provide high quality training based on current industry needs.

 

 

Addressing Skill Gaps in the Labor Force

Where are all the workers with the relevant job skills my company needs? Most have heard or experienced this sentiment for years now, and it was only exacerbated by the labor challenges from the pandemic. The economic impact of shifting technology and skill requirements across almost all workforce areas continues to be a concern. There are simply more jobs available than there are workers with the requisite skills.

 

So how do we fix it? There are short term solutions to this problem, such as offering higher pay for retention or increasing flexibility in the hiring process. High schools and colleges however are investing in comprehensive career pathways to provide real-world career experience to bridge this skill gap.

SCV By The Numbers: Labor Force and Employment

Providing vital data and information is just one of the important services and resources that the SCVEDC provides to local businesses. Most prominent of these resources comes from our resident economist, Dr. Mark Schniepp. Every quarter Dr. Schniepp and the SCVEDC publish an Economic Snapshot that updates data on labor force and employment, residential and commercial real estate, hotel vacancy rates, and film activity.

 

In his Q4 Snapshot for 2022, Dr. Schniepp summarized the labor force and employment trends as mainly positive, but still having areas for improvement. The job creation trend was consistent throughout 2022 and our region created 5,200 jobs in 2022, the most in any year since 2004. 

SCVEDC Announces Vallarta Supermarkets Move of Corporate HQ to Santa Clarita

Welcome Vallarta and it's corporate employees to the Santa Clarita Valley!

 

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY, CA – The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) announced today that California-based Vallarta Supermarkets will relocate its corporate headquarters to the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) in late 2023. Vallarta Supermarkets has purchased a three-building campus at 28470 - 28490 Avenue Stanford in Santa Clarita. The three buildings that make up the "Valencia Corporate Plaza” encompass 195,387 square-feet of office space. This campus is bordered by Advanced Bionics (HQ), Donaldson, Southern California Edison, and several other small businesses and manufacturers in the Valencia Industrial Center.

 

SCVEDC Honors 2022's Power Brokers in Commercial Real Estate

Congratulations to the Top 22 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 we recognize the top commercial real estate brokers active in the Santa Clarita Valley, with this years list featuring many returning faces as well as some new ones!

 

 

2022 SCVEDC Annual Report

On Tuesday night Holly Schroeder, President & CEO of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation, released the 2022 SCVEDC Annual Report to the City Council. It featured our organization's business attraction and retention, business assistance, economic information & research, and community marketing efforts.

 

 

Click here for the presentation slides, and read below for more details!

2022 Annual Report        WATCH THE VIDEO

SCV's Strategy for Resilient Economy

 

Recently, the New York Times published an article and podcast titled, “The most empty downtown in America.” It outlined the story of San Francisco’s rise as a tech hub, with highly paid young adults employed at growing companies such as Yelp, Salesforce and Uber. 

 

These workers spent money at local coffee and lunch spots, creating a need for another set of service and hospitality workers. It was a virtuous cycle until the COVID-19 pandemic sent tech workers to work from home.

 

Santa Clarita Valley's Largest Employers of 2022

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 of the last two years, 2022 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.

The 2022 Economic Outlook Forecast

The 2022 Economic Outlook Forecast 

Designed to provide attendees with an economic analysis and outlook for the coming year, the 2022 Economic Outlook Conference included global, national, and state perspectives, while focusing primarily on the trends and issues associated with the Santa Clarita Valley and the surrounding business community. Alongside the conference the SCVEDC also releases it's Outlook Book, containing more in-depth data and economic forecast information.

 

Summary Overview:

  • Our population continues to grow steadily and we built almost 2000 new homes in the last 3 years alone. It's expected to average 0.8% per year through 2027, increasing by approximately 12,000 residents.
  • Meanwhile, our jobs base has also grown as we've built millions of square feet of new industrial, commercial, and retail space.
  • We have nearly recovered all the jobs lost during the pandemic and our job creation rate is still up, having added approximately 5,200 jobs in 2022 alone. Many of these jobs were in the hardest hit industries in the Santa Clarita Valley by the Coronavirus Recession.
  • The rate of job growth exceeded the rate of population growth.
  • Industrial vacancy is at zero, but commercial office space is expected to steadily recover. There are millions of square feet of mixed-use space under current construction, already approved, or awaiting approval.
  • Inflation has likely peaked and should normalize by the end of 2023. While overall growth predicted for this year has been downgraded, and stagflation is a continued concern, a bona fide recession is not likely at this time according to Schniepp.

New Extension in Film Tax Credits Is Good News for Santa Clarita

New extension of Film & TV Tax Credit will support continued growth already seen in SCV film industry.

 

When people think filming television and movies, of course Hollywood and Los Angeles are the first to come to mind. Santa Clarita Valley however is one of the most filmed locations in the State, and that includes LA. Santa Clarita is consistently one of the most filmed places in California because it’s located within the industry’s well-known 30-Mile Zone and offers thousands of film-friendly locations that can double for almost anywhere in the world. Throw in a  City Film Incentive Program, Movie Ranch Overlay Zone, low-cost permit fees and expedited permit processing, and it's easy to see how we recently broke our own record this year by generating over $40 million in economic impact!

 

California has long been known as the entertainment capital of the world, and one of the ways the state has been working to keep filming here is through the Film & Television Tax Credit Program. The program has been shown to generate $24 in economic activity for every $1 invested – spurring tens of billions of dollars in economic output, helping create over 110,000 jobs, and bringing shows and films to California. The legislation expands the current film credit program with a $180 million increase over two years and an additional one-time $150 million incentive to be used over multiple years for the construction of certified motion picture soundstages – building out studio infrastructure to keep pace with the growth in production.

 

Valley 200 List Recognizes SCVEDC BOD Members and CEO

The SCVEDC would like to congratulate everyone who made this years list of most influential leaders in the region, including our own President & CEO - Holly Schroeder. Several members of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors have also been named to the San Fernando Valley Business Journal’s Valley 200 list announced on August 1st.

 

“[The Valley 200 list] is 200 people we consider the most influential in our area - the San Fernando, Conejo, Santa Clarita, Simi and Antelope valleys,” writes Charles Crumpley, SFVBJ publisher and editor, in the August 1st, 2022 edition of the bi-weekly business publication. “They are the leaders we depend on, the ones whose work – whether at the office or in nonprofits or in other ways –improve our community and make our local economy sturdier. [W]e also tend to select those who are active – in professional, political and community organizations.”

Honor Ranch Development Project Takes Next Steps

The Honor Ranch Site (Honor Ranch) is a potential development located in a County-owned vacant lot in the Santa Clarita Valley. This 206-acre plot along the eastern edge of the I-5 (north of the Castaic Junction) offers an excellent opportunity for a new jobs-creating development. It consists of a large contiguous land area with high visibility and freeway access.

 

The location has been identified as a potential development site for years. A motion was introduced by 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger on June 14, 2022 that enters LA County into an exclusive negotiation phase for the project. The "Honor Ranch Development Project" has now moved further in the process than ever before towards making this project a reality.

 

Trammell Crow Company (TCC) was chosen as the preferred developer for a 1.8 million SF project consisting primarily of new industrial facilities. TCC will work closely with LA County Public Works on the pre-development phase, as well as negotiating a final agreement. Honor Ranch has great potential to bring more high quality jobs to our valley, allowing more residents in our expanding population to live and work right here in SCV!

SCVEDC Announces 2021 Power Brokers in Commercial Real Estate

Congratulations to the Top 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 we recognize the top commercial real estate brokers active in the Santa Clarita Valley, who will be honored this week at a private breakfast event.

 

 

SCVEDC Releases Adept Fasteners Case Study

Adept Fasteners expands to their new home in Valencia Commerce Center

 

SCVEDC's recent case study about Adept Fasteners provides a look at the company's objectives and space needs. The case study illustrates their reasoning behind the decision to expand their operations in the Santa Clarita Valley by designing a custom layout facility. Adept Fasteners provides engineering fastener solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. The company offers customized inventory solutions supported by technology to meet customers' production needs and delivery times. Adept is an approved supplier for top names in the industry, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, and more.

2021 SCVEDC Annual Report

2021 Annual Report

 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic brought both health implications and serious economic ones, extending into its second year in 2021 as the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation celebrated its 11th anniversary. The SCVEDC continued supporting SCV businesses as they navigated public health orders, supply chain snarls, hiring challenges and the emergence of inflation. SCVEDC continues to focus on business assistance, business attraction and retention, community marketing, and providing quality information and data. The vast diversity of businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley has established a strong foundation for its future economic security.

Five Reasons Why Santa Clarita Valley is Business Friendly

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.

 

 

 

Santa Clarita Named Finalist for LAEDC "Most Business Friendly City" Award

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.

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