SCVEDC Blog

The History and Evolution of Aerospace Manufacturing

When it comes to the manufacturing industry, it’s impossible to ignore the aerospace cluster which employs more than 350,000 people in California alone. In fact, for the first time in over a decade, more jobs in the industry are flowing into the United States rather than to foreign countries. We’ve come a long way from the wooden aircraft of the early 20^th century flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright, however, so let’s look at how aerospace manufacturing has evolved since the first flight in 1903.

Protecting Your Business from the Outside-In

When running a business, your responsibilities can seem endless. From managing employees to keeping production running smoothly, approving budgets to handling client contact, the last thing you want to worry about is an IT breach or security nightmare. And if you happen to work in an area where natural disasters are a regular occurrence, the threat of losing entire systems and databases is just as imminent as a cybersecurity risk.

Save the Date - Defense Supply Chain Business Resource Event on October 25

Are you looking to grow and diversify your business? On October 25, businesses in Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley and surrounding areas will have the unique opportunity to meet resource partners at the Northern Los Angeles County Defense Supply Chain Business Resource Event. All businesses interested or already participating in government contracting are welcome. Defense contractors or subcontractors are especially encouraged to attend.

Behind the Behind-the-Scenes

If you’ve ever been to a theme park, 4D show, concert, trade show, or even a museum, chances are you’ve seen some form of visual and special effects. But even after experiencing them, you probably have no idea how much actually goes into the production behind the scenes beyond CGI and other digital effects.

Dream Team Beaute, Inc. Signs Deal to Relocate to SCV

Sun Valley based Dream Team Beaute, founded in 2014 by Kimberly Clark and Esme Mancia, is relocating their operations to the Santa Clarita Valley. Acquired last summer by Northwest Cosmetic Laboratories, Dream Team is a high-speed, innovative company that manufactures some of today’s most popular and award-winning cosmetic product lines. Their forward-thinking ideas and concepts can be seen throughout the pages of most major fashion publications, earning the respect of peers throughout the beauty and cosmetic professions.

Crissair Honored by Lockheed Martin

Santa Clarita Valley-based Crissair was recognized today by Lockheed Martin as one of their elite suppliers for the F-35 jet. This prestigious honor is given to fewer than 1% of suppliers.

Evolution Through Innovation

It’s almost impossible to imagine how businesses operated 10, 20, 30+ years ago without any of the everyday technology we’ve become accustomed to. Imagine the manufacturing industry without automation and computers. The same process that currently takes a few hours probably took a couple days.

Recent Advancements in Medical Technology

Over the past two decades we’ve seen quite the revolution in terms of medical devices and manufacturing, but perhaps the most interesting part is actually the technology driving the healthcare industry today. Considering that just one hundred short years ago a simple cold could mean a death sentence, the advances from just the last decade are almost unfathomable.

Technology in Medical Manufacturing

Advances in medical device manufacturing have transformed not only what procedures we can perform safely, but also how we perform them. And while this is hardly a revelation, it’s never been at a more exciting place than it is today. The United States is currently responsible for 40% of the global medical device market and nearly 2 million jobs, with exports exceeding $41 billion in 2017 alone.

There’s no denying that our current society is dominated by technology. Go anywhere – the gym, the grocery store, even the park – and you’ll see countless people looking down at the screens in their hands. Even restaurants cater to the addiction, with many sporting free Wi-Fi and televisions in prominent places for their patrons to encourage them to stay longer and consume more.

The State of eSports in LA (and Why You Need to Pay Attention)

Each year, video game players across the globe compete in tournaments for prize money that tops the salaries of many professional football players.

Magic Kingdom – Filming "A Wrinkle in Time" in SCV

If you're one of the 10 million people who bought a ticket to see "A Wrinkle in Time" earlier this year, you probably gaped in awe at some of the fantastic and colorful settings.

Yes, some of them were computer generated – that's par for the course on a big-budget blockbuster these days – but some scenes were shot on location (courtesy of Santa Clarita Studios) right here in Santa Clarita Valley!

Live, Work, Play: The Ideal Lifestyle for Your Startup

Everyone wants a better work environment. We’ve told you before how millennials in particular are demanding it. And workers who are happy are certainly more productive. But there comes a point where achieving a better work environment has to cross beyond the office threshold into the community at large. The lifestyle of the community your startup is in can have a big impact on what happens during work hours.

The 4 C's of a Strong Startup Community

No startup is an island.

A venture cannot succeed without support: from clients, from employees, and from the community at large. Any business that tries to operate in a vacuum will be a business that fails. Likewise, a startup that ignores an opportunity to advance the supporting community can count on dire days ahead.

Businesses Expanding in SCV

We are pleased to announce that a local company is expanding its footprint in the Santa Clarita Valley to accommodate business growth and another is relocating a division of its company from Sylmar.

SCV Students Learn About Careers in Advanced Technology at MFG Day

The Advanced Technology Presentation about "Careers in the Making...Design, Engineering, Fabrication and More..." in celebration of National Manufacturing Day was a huge success. The evening was both inspirational and informative. Panel speakers from local companies offered advice on how to pursue high wage, high demand careers across a wide variety of advanced technology industries. The panel also featured a student representative from the High Altitude Student Payload (HASP) who helped the audience realize the potential for hands-on, advanced learning opportunities right here in Santa Clarita at College of the Canyons. Our keynote speaker offered encouragement that even the toughest obstacles can be overcome with drive, passion and hard work.

Post Your Internship Opportunity on SCVInternships.com

Many companies are now planning for their summer internship programs and there is a convenient local resource available to help match companies with potential student interns. Santa Clarita Valley Internships, powered by the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC), provides resources for both students and businesses. If you’re looking for an internship or an intern in the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV), this is the place to be!

Manufacturing Jobs Aren’t Dying – They’re Evolving

You know the scene: A conveyer belt laced with bits of metal and plastic hums along, past a line of burly men in grease-stained white coats and yellow hats, each of them assembling a small bit of the whole. At the end of the line, off rolls a shiny new car, ready for a test drive.

What Millennials Want at Work (and Why You Should Care)

Grab your AirPods and get #woke, it’s time to talk about millennials. Figuring out what this generation (born in the 80s and early 90s) wants out of life and work has become an industry in and of itself, and for good reason.

Suburbia will Drive the Future of Technology

Your house knows when it’s time to wake you up and does so by streaming your favorite music. You shower. You shave. You get dressed.  You ask your intelligent personal assistant app what the weather forecast is. You get dressed and toss an umbrella into your bag (she said it would rain). Outside, a drone is delivering a small brown package to your neighbor, and the automated car you ordered from your smartphone is just pulling up to the curb.

Santa Clarita Valley – A Great Location for Business

The Santa Clarita Valley is booming! The economic growth observed in recent years is expected to continue. Santa Clarita is a cost-effective and easier alternative to other business centers in Los Angeles County. There are many factors that make the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) a great place to do business.

5 Reasons to Set Up Your Startup in the Suburbs

Choosing a site to set up your tech startup can be a challenging task for an entrepreneur. Once you’ve outgrown your garage and need a dedicated space, you’ll need to start considering not only rent, but other expenses like parking, taxes, travel time, and cost of living.

Startup Grind Launches Santa Clarita Chapter

On September 12, Startup Grind powered by Google for Entreprenuers, came to Santa Clarita with an exciting event for entrepreneurs featuring Loot Crate Co-Founder, Michael Arevalo. Loot Crate, a subscription service that launched five years ago delivering a monthly box full of geek-related merchandise to consumers, is now a $116 million business that won the No. 1 slot on the 2016 Inc. 500 list of America's fastest-growing private companies.

10 Characteristics of Successful Startups

There is no single path to startup success. If such a yellow brick road existed, laid bright and obvious to entrepreneurs of all stripes, thriving in this competitive market would become as simple as stepping into a pair of ruby slippers. The best that entrepreneurs can hope for in 2017 is to learn what they can from those who've come before in a community that supports, inspires and connects, like the Santa Clarita Startup Grind, which launched in September.

Where to plant your tech startup

Starting a new business can be overwhelming - there are so many decisions to make, and one of the most important is deciding where to plant your tech startup. A year ago, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal ran an article about the Santa Clarita Valley’s (SCV) burgeoning high-tech community, dubbing us the “Silicon Suburb." In the months since then, we’ve seen a rapid increase in both startup companies and the local resources available to support them on the road to success.

Five Growing Industry Clusters in the Santa Clarita Valley

Geographic concentrations of interconnected businesses, suppliers, service providers and associated institutions in a particular industry are often referred to as an industry cluster. According to a study by Harvard University, when companies from the same industry are clustered together within an environment, it results in higher employment growth as well as higher wage growth. Additionally, the presence of strong clusters creates growth in other, unrelated industries, as well as the emergence of new industries. Strong industry clusters are an engine of economic growth in the region.

50 acre business park to break ground in Santa Clarita

New Development in the Santa Clarita Valley makes the news again as Trammell Crow Company (TCC) and Clarion Partners announce the acquisition of 54 acres of land for the development of The Center at Needham Ranch, a state-of-the-art business park in the City of Santa Clarita, CA. This project is the first phase of a larger 132-acre, fully entitled site approved for up to 4.2 million square feet of Class A industrial space. Phase 1 is scheduled to break ground in August 2017 and expected to begin deliveries during the Q3 2018.

Santa Clarita Valley delivers access to the top

As kids head back to school, it’s important to keep in mind the graduates of more advanced schooling, whether it’s technical or vocational training, or a two or four-year college program. With today’s hottest industries requiring a trained and educated workforce, the Santa Clarita Valley delivers on so many fronts. There are over 50 two and four year schools, both private and public, located within 30 miles of Santa Clarita, and if you’re willing to expand your search to 50 miles, that number jumps to 97! And those schools include some of the nation’s top talent-building schools.

Summer’s last hurrah before it’s back to school in the Santa Clarita Valley

As August approaches, you can hear the sighs of relief from parents as summer vacation draws to a close and school gets back in session. Here’s a summary of those all-important first day of school dates for Santa Clarita: