Airbolt Industries - Home in the Santa Clarita Valley

Airbolt Industries - Home in the Santa Clarita Valley

One of the key industry clusters in the Santa Clarita Valley is Advanced Manufacturing, with businesses involved in the production of high-value added, technical, or capital-intensive goods requiring advanced inputs and manufacturing processes choosing the SCV. Airbolt Industries Inc. is one of the businesses who have relocated to the SCV – and this is their story.

In 1995, Salvador Ramirez started S&R CNC Machining with a couple of machines in his garage and one customer who was willing to give him an opportunity. Today, that company has become Airbolt Industries, an AS9100 REC C and ISO 9001:2008 certified firm with nearly 20 employees, 21 state-of-the-art CNC machines producing aerospace components (among others!), and a management team led by his son Oscar Ramirez, CEO, and daughter-in-law, Melissa Ramirez, President.

Airbolt was located in the San Fernando Valley, and feeling that interactions with the local government and business agencies were largely negative. Per Melissa, it was more of a dream than a reality to come to Santa Clarita, one that offered the potential to grow their business, given the larger aerospace firms in SCV. So, in early 2016, Oscar and Melissa walked into the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) with no appointment. Just a few minutes later, they were meeting with Holly Schroeder, President and CEO, and the SCVEDC team and learning what Santa Clarita and the SCVEDC business services team could offer Airbolt.

“Our first visit to the SCVEDC was the real reason we moved here. They were always looking after our best interest.”

- Melissa Ramirez, President, Airbolt Industries

Airbolt relocated to the Santa Clarita Valley, and has taken advantage of the numerous services and support available to SCV businesses for the relocation and ongoing operations. That assistance started with knocks on the door offering help rather than problems, moved onto working with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on small business and woman-owned certifications, and proceeded to introductions to the SCVEDC’s industry coalition network for business development opportunities and industry-specific knowledge.

Today, College of the Canyons teaches ESL classes and Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) provides training in technical skills and business topics to Airbolt employees, with the classes offered on-site – making them a doable option for the employees while developing the team’s skills and keeping Airbolt competitive. And Airbolt is exploring apprenticeship program opportunities and the America’s Job Center of California for recruiting employees for their future growth.

The customized workforce training available combined with the highly educated labor force, access to the Ports of LA and Long Beach and rail/highway infrastructure and SCV Foreign Trade Zone are just a few of the reasons that make Santa Clarita a great place for business – and are some of the reasons Airbolt Industries calls Santa Clarita home these days. Check out the Santa Clarita Business Minute interview with Oscar and Melissa on Airbolt’s experience with Santa Clarita and the SCVEDC.

Contact the SCVEDC – our business services team can help your company hit the ground running, by fostering positive relationships with the city, county, state and federal agencies and officials who are essential to the economic development process, guiding your company through the available incentive and workforce training programs, and connecting you with the leading medical device manufacturers and innovators in the industry cluster. Not to mention assistance with the relocation process!

The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) is a unique private / public partnership representing the united effort of regional industry and government leaders. The SCVEDC utilizes an integrated approach to attracting, retaining and expanding a diversity of businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley, especially those in key industry clusters, by offering competitive business services and other resources.