Last week, the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) announced that Logix Federal Credit Union will be moving its headquarters to the Santa Clarita Valley. By now, hopefully, you know the basic facts of the deal:
Logix has grown from a small credit union serving employees of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to an institution with over 150,000 members and $4 billion in assets, and therefore needed a larger facility to accommodate its expanding employee base. Logix acquired a 12-acre parcel in the Valencia Commerce Center where it will build a 176,000 square foot building. The site is at Commerce Center Drive and Franklin Ave and construction will begin soon. Once completed, the HQ will house approximately 400 employees, with the potential to grow to 800 employees in the future. That will make Logix one of the largest private employers in the Santa Clarita Valley.
The SCVEDC takes an active role in recruiting companies like Logix to locate in the Santa Clarita Valley. In the case of Logix, we worked with their executive team for nearly half a year as they evaluated their final scenarios and location options. We provided data analyses and comparisons; we conducted multiple tours of the SCV and potential properties; we introduced their team to the decision-makers who would oversee the construction project; we connected them to community leaders who could answer questions about what it would be like to have their Corporate Headquarters in the SCV. In the end, they were sold on the Santa Clarita Valley.
To use the words of Logix’s CEO Dave Styler: “After careful analysis of options that included alternate locations, as well as expansion on the current headquarters site, the Logix Board determined the best long-term option is in the Santa Clarita Valley.”
SCV long been a good business location, and many companies have seen fit to establish their corporate headquarters here. Princess Cruises made the leap early, having been recruited to Valencia by Newhall Land in 1998. When Mechanixwear needed more space, it selected a prime location in the Valencia Commerce Center for its flagship headquarters building. More recently, Sunkist relocated from the San Fernando Valley, purchasing a building for its headquarters that also houses the headquarters of Precision Dynamics.
The reason that these companies make the choice to locate in the Santa Clarita Valley is because we offer a perfect environment for business growth. High-quality business parks like the Valencia Commerce Center, developed by Newhall Land, provide superior locations, a modern infrastructure, and first-class buildings that are desirable to companies and their employees. Those employees are part of a dynamic and professional workforce that is well-educated, motivated, and enthused about working in the Santa Clarita Valley. And of course the Santa Clarita Valley offers a great quality of life, with good schools, libraries, parks, recreation, and entertainment for all interests.
It is because of the attention that has been paid over the years that the SCVEDC can successfully attract a company like Logix. We can authentically present information about the SCV, our business environment, and the overall community. We present a compelling story that would be attractive to any company.
I want to thank the many SCV community leaders and SCVEDC Board Members who assisted in this effort: for their time, their care, and their commitment to continuing the great quality of life we have here in the Santa Clarita Valley. This is what keeps the Santa Clarita Valley “Still Golden®.”
This post was also published in the >Santa Clarita Valley Signal on August 26, 2015.