SCVEDC Blog

SCVEDC is Here to Help your Company GROW in 2019

A major function of our work at the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) is to monitor the diverse issues facing businesses in our region and provide support to companies as they work through these issues. This is accomplished in a variety of ways through our business assistance program, our business attraction efforts, and our partnerships with our Board, COC, the City of Santa Clarita and the County of Los Angeles to name a few.

Looking Back on a Good Year

2018 was a very good year for the Santa Clarita Valley, and 2019 shapes up to be good as well. Our local job growth has chugged along in a healthy manner, and we are on track to add several thousand new jobs in the SCV. We are also adding new housing, which is a good thing and will continue to keep our economy in balance as we go forward.

SCVEDC Honored by The Signal as 2018’s Growth Leader

Last week The Signal hosted their annual business awards. Among the honorees was the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) for Growth Leader. Growth is a very important theme here at SCVEDC. In fact, growing the number of high-quality jobs in the Santa Clarita Valley is our mission.

Must-Attend Events for the Business-Minded and Entrepreneurial Spirits

The weather has changed, and the calendar is reading December, which means 2018 is coming to a close. For some companies that might mean the year is slowing down, while for others business is ramping up. Whether you’re planning what to do with your lighter schedule or in full holiday promotion swing, there are plenty of things to keep you focused on growing your business or career into the new year.

SCV Means Business Podcast Update– Innovative SCV Startups & Mission Valley Bank

Among the diverse companies that make up the SCV economy, there are a few that are providing innovative solutions to current and future industry needs. Many of these businesses are highlighted on the new website Innovate SCV, a partnership we are proud to participate in, fueling entrepreneurial endeavors in Santa Clarita with an award-winning business incubator program and a massive network of support and resources.

Walls up at Needham Ranch Phase 1

Trammell Crow Company (TCC) and Clarion Partners, LLC were joined by City officials and community members to officially celebrate the initial raising of the walls for Phase 1 of the highly-anticipated Los Angeles County business park The Center at Needham Ranch. Phase I occupancy is scheduled for Spring 2019.

Eight SCV Companies make the San Fernando Valley Business Journals list of fastest growing private companies

The San Fernando Valley Business Journal recently recognized Los Angeles County’s fastest growing companies and eight Santa Clarita Valley Companies made the list.

The IoT in Aerospace and Defense

With the massive amount of data processing and storage required for the daily operations of Aerospace and Defense companies, automation has become not just a novelty, but a necessity. As we’ve discussed before, the Internet of Things (IoT) has drastically altered the way many manufacturing companies operate by streamlining production and increasing data collection and analysis.

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

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 business is in can have a big impact on what happens during work hours.

SCV Means Business – AMS Fulfillment and Princess Cruises

The Santa Clarita Valley is home to businesses across a number of diverse industries, many of which chose this location to address a few common needs that arise for any growing company. Two such companies, AMS Fulfillment and Princess Cruises, chose the SCV because they found the resources they needed to thrive in this area that weren’t available elsewhere. In October, SCVEDC President Holly Schroeder sat down with leaders from both companies to discuss what makes SCV a great location for business.

SCVEDC Co-Hosts Supply Chain Workshop

On October 25th, more than 30 small businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley and surrounding areas had the unique opportunity to meet resource partners at the Northern Los Angeles County Defense Supply Chain Business Resource Event. Funded by the California Advanced Supply Chain Analysis and Diversification Effort (CASCADE) initiative of the DoD, its purpose was to introduce businesses interested in or already participating in government defense contracting to a host of resource connections throughout the State of California that can help them better compete and win contracts.

SCV Startup Weekend is Just Around the Corner

Startup Weekend SCV on November 2-4 is a unique opportunity for developers, designers, and business people to team up and build a startup in just 54 hours! This event that happens all over the world can help you get from zero to a new company by Sunday night! In cooperation with Google for Entrepreneurs, this is SCV’s own Shark Tank, but much more friendly and supportive in a learning-first environment.

Current Trends in the Aerospace and Defense Industry

Although modern air travel as we know it has not changed much over the past 50 years or so, the aerospace and defense industry has been quite the opposite. Companies in the sector are proving time and again that they aren’t afraid to incorporate new technology and concepts into their products, which are finally beginning to carry over into commercial aircraft as well. Here are four trends to be on the lookout for in the near future:

New Commuter Bus from Antelope Valley to SCV Industrial Center

On September 25, 2018, the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) Board of Directors approved the agency's New Employment Center Commuter Services, creating three new bus routes that will provide service to some of the North County's largest employers in the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita. The new commuter services, to be implemented within the next 90 calendar days, will create Route 788 servicing manufacturers in the Santa Clarita area with two additional routes servicing companies in the Antelope Valley. The goal is to encourage Antelope Valley-based workers to make the positive change to using public transit as a means of getting to work.

Manufacturing Jobs Continue to Evolve

Over the last decade or two across the industry with the rise in automation, a misconception has grown around the direction manufacturing jobs are headed. While it’s true that the days of building products manually are just about dead, manufacturing jobs themselves are far from it.

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.

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.

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.

The Making of a Race Car – Innovations in Manufacturing

At first glance, the modern race car doesn’t appear to have undergone many changes over the past couple decades, other than perhaps a fancier paint job and different sponsors plastered across the body. But take a step further into the world of race car manufacturing, and it’s clear that not only is the technology advancing, it’s setting some of the trends.

Made in SCV – Paving the Way for American Manufacturing

When you think "Advanced Manufacturing," Santa Clarita Valley probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But with nearly 30 million ft of industrial and commercial property in use, and another 2 million under construction since 2015, it's clear the industry has found a home in our great valley. And who could blame them?

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.

The world’s biggest companies impact our daily lives in a very noticeable way. Odds are you’ve Googled something today, used your iPhone to check Facebook, or stopped by a Starbucks for a venti nonfat decaf mocha.

Show Me the Money: 6 Ways to Finance Your Startup

You’ve got to spend money to make money. Even if you found a way to genetically modify trees so they literally bloom with currency, you will still need startup capital to get those saplings going.

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.