Just two months after the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation received its first executive director, the group has released its two-year plan to strengthen the region’s economic climate. On Sept. 13, the group announced its nine general goals, as well as eight short-term and long-term projects it plans to launch over the next six to eight months. “The ultimate goal is to create jobs and develop our economy,” said Jonas Peterson, executive director of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation. “The strategic plan lays out our goals, objectives and specific work tasks for how we’re going to make that happen.” The group’s goals include retaining, expanding and nurturing existing businesses; educating the public about the impact of shopping locally; supporting the development of an educated workforce; attracting targeted industries; drawing more outside money to the Santa Clarita Valley; enhancing the quality of life in the region; promoting adoption of clear, reasonable and predictable processes for land development; promoting and sustaining economic development corporation programs; and ensuring financial viability and long-term success of the organization. New zone The group has already started working on some projects to help build on some of those goals. It submitted an application last week to the state for a new Enterprise Zone that would expand the city’s current zone to include unincorporated areas of the Santa Clarita Valley. If the new zone is accepted, more businesses in the area would have access to hiring tax credits, along with other credits and incentives. At the time the group released its strategic plan, it had also already been working on a target industry analysis designed to discover the region’s niche markets and identify potential growth for those markets. The analysis is expected to be complete within two months. The organization’s other projects slated for the coming months include implementing a comprehensive, regional business retention program; setting up a regional GIS-enabled building and sites database to market key properties to businesses moving to or expanding within the Santa Clarita Valley; creating a marketing-focused Web site; exploring the feasibility of having a national golf tournament held within the region; conducting a basic market assessment to identify economic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; and organizing a regional marketing and branding plan. Peterson said that through the business retention program, the group plans to conduct surveys and one-on-one interviews with businesses in order to identify and address their needs. “We want to link them up with resources, public or private resources, to help them be successful right now,” Peterson said. “We also want to figure out what we’re doing well, what the strengths are of the local economy, and use that to attract new firms.” Database As for the properties database, Peterson said the group wants to add features such as radius mapping, demographics analysis and components that allow clients to compare sites to each other. The system’s model is expected to be the first of its kind used in the state. The organization’s marketing strategy is to create a positive image for the Santa Clarita Valley as a whole, as opposed to simply marketing the city. Its other goals and projects also take a regional focus. “We are big believers in the concept of regionalism,” Peterson said. “We think it enables our partners to save money. … It helps us cooperate. It helps us align. In the world of business recruitments, we need everybody speaking the same language.” Santa Clarita Projects: Expand Enterprise Zone2. Create regional business retention program3 Build properties search database4. Create marketing Web site5. Research possibility of national golf tournament6. Conduct target industry analysis7. Conduct basic market assessment8. Organize regional marketing and branding plan
Nurturing Local Businesses is Goal of Santa Clarita Plan
