SCVEDC Blog

This past October, Ondré Seltzer, who had served as the Interim President & CEO since July 2024, was unanimously selected by the Board of Directors’ hiring committee to take on the role permanently. This decision followed a thorough and competitive search process, which was immediately succeeded by a similar search for a candidate to fill Seltzer's previous Vice President role. After another nationwide search, the SCVEDC is thrilled to announce that Natalie Vowell will assume the new Vice President of Business Development position for the Santa Clarita Valley.

Santa Clarita Valley, CA – The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation (SCVEDC) is pleased to announce that Ondre Seltzer, who has been serving as the Interim President & CEO since earlier this year, has been unanimously selected by the Board of Directors hiring committee to take on the role permanently. The decision comes after a thorough and competitive search process, underscoring the board’s confidence in Seltzer’s vision and leadership capabilities.

“Ondre has been a key driver in our economic development efforts, and his leadership during the interim period has been exceptional,” said SCVEDC Co-Chair John Shaffery, Founding Partner at Poole Shaffery. “His ability to build meaningful partnerships and navigate complex economic challenges makes him the ideal person to lead SCVEDC into the future. He’s consistently proven himself to be a dynamic leader who understands the unique needs of Santa Clarita Valley’s businesses and its community.”

Valencia, California – June 13^th 2024 – Nycote Laboratories Corporation; a leading provider of advanced coatings solutions, is proud to announce a significant expansion with the purchase of a modern detached industrial building. This strategic move underscores Nycote's commitment to meeting the growing demands of its customers and further solidifies its position as a leader in the aerospace, defense and related high tech industries.

Over the past few months, there have been some internal staffing changes for long-standing members of the SCVEDC. Our prior Director of Business Assistance for 7 years, Sue Arellano, retired back in May and was replaced by Dr. Jey Wagner. This September also saw our previous President and CEO Holly Schroeder making her own career transition after leading the SCVEDC for over 10 years. With Dr. Wagner taking over the President and CEO role for Holly, we are pleased to announce that veteran economic developer Ondré Seltzer will be taking over Wagner’s prior role as VP of Workforce and Economic Development.

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.

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.

New Ownership, new location, and a new way of doing business

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY, CA – Avon Rents, a one-stop vehicle rental company serving the greater Los Angeles area for over 40 years, has recently expanded into the Santa Clarita Valley. Avon operates one of the largest independently owned and operated fleet of commercial vehicles in Southern California. While their fleet primarily serves the film industry with production trucks and trailers, Avon also offers a new and improved variety of cargo vans, stake beds and cube trucks for small businesses and individual rentals.

It's always bittersweet when you lose a coworker so beloved as Sue Arellano. For those who don't know her, Sue was the Director of Business Assistance here at the SCVEDC for over 7 years. Her impact on the businesses and the community in the Santa Clarita Valley during her tenure is impossible to quantify. Whether it was helping with permitting issues, tax credits and business incentives, or assisting with workforce and training solutions, she was always willing to fight alongside our businesses to achieve their goals. Sue has taken the next step in her life and retired after many years of hard work and commitment to our community, and we couldn't be happier for her. 

The trend of workforce shortages and a tight labor market has continued to be at the forefront of issues facing businesses. The Santa Clarita Valley has not been immune to the effects of this. We are however very ideally positioned to tackle this issue, and the SCVEDC has been collaborating extensively with a number of different organizations to find viable solutions for our local employers. Workforce development and training is more crucial than ever for economic developers engaging in business assistance and retention. To that end the EDC is excited to welcome Jey Wagner, Ed.D. as our Vice President of Workforce & Economic Development!

Press Release - New aerospace company joins SCV's thriving local cluster

SANTA CLARITA VALLEY, CA – This month Lockheed Martin announced the completed transition of their hybrid airship IP and related assets to a newly formed commercial company, AT² Aerospace. AT² is developing airship solutions to support commercial and humanitarian applications around the world. The development of airships is anticipated to provide new freight alternatives for shippers, as well as the
ability to reach remote locations efficiently.