Ventura County Business

Why Businesses in Ventura County Need Strong Internet

admin — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Lots of businesses in Ventura County have thrown their hats into the ring, but how does a business manage to become one of the greats with all of this competition? Usually it is through a combination of different elements, but one of the most prominent and the most important is having a reliable network. Lots of businesses reach the top through hard work, connections, commerce and dedication but what do you think makes that possible on a grand scale? The answer is the internet and the company’s willingness to leverage a powerful internet connection in order to expand the business.

Most businesses know that if they want to stay ahead they need dedicated internet connections in order to form a robust and manageable network infrastructure. And, much like our day-to-day lives, the internet is inextricably woven into the fabric of the day-to-day work schedule. We use internet for email when sending meeting invites or company-wide memos, we use it for streaming radio in order to get us through a particularly tough grind and we sometimes use it for all of our shipping and purchasing needs – all remarkably valid uses in order to maintain business efficiency, but also things that can accumulate to massive, network slowdown without an efficient network.

New Slogan Looks to Grab New Businesses’ Attention

www.vcsbdc.com — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

“Grow your business. Live your life.” So goes the official advice of Ventura County. In terms of economic development, this will serve as the county’s new slogan to entice outside businesses to relocate to a new Ventura County headquarters. The federally funded ad campaign will function across a multitude of mediums, including print, online, tv, radio and, everyone’s favorite, direct mail advertising. What does Ventura County have that say Los Angeles, a locale the campaign hopes to poach companies from, doesn’t have? When competing against a major player in the global economy such as the City of Angels and its surrounding area, it’s not always what you have that helps to set yourself apart, rather what you don’t have. Ventura County lacks the pollution, sprawl and congestion that plagues Los Angeles, yet is close enough in proximity to enjoy many of the same resources. For this reason, the slogan fits aptly, implying yes, this is still Southern California, a hotbed for business, but it is a not Southern California in that it gives you space enough away from the well-documented distractions and inconveniences to actually live your life outside of work. Combined with a highly education resident base/potential work force and relatively lower costs both to open new ventures and live outside of the office as compared to many areas throughout the region, Ventura County could pass as a proverbial business paradise for entrepreneurs and burdened business owners fed up with high tax rates and the traditional LA social gauntlet. The campaign has been funded by the 2009 federal stimulus, contributing 282,000 towards revitalizing a once economic climate that recently reached a high for the past decade in regards to industrial vacancy rate. In addition to reaching out to new businesses outside the Ventura County borders, a secondary objective is to help keep wavering owners considering relocation firmly situated where they are and guarding against any further rise in such alarming statistics. With more businesses, more jobs and more economic activity, Ventura County truly can become the corporate paradise it’s ad campaign envisions.

Business Development Assistance in Ventura County

www.vcsbdc.com — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:17:23 +0000

Though many of the economic vital signs are returning to the Ventura County area, that doesn’t mean opening a business is a cake walk down easy street. The recession has altered the dynamics and fundamentals of entrepreneurship, whether it’s getting a loan, employee compensation, insurance plans or one of the thousands of other decisions that go hand in hand with opening a company’s doors for the first time. For wannabe business owners in the Ventura County area, there are fortunately a lot of resources at one’s disposal to help navigate first time owners, and even experienced entrepreneurs unfamiliar with the area, across the often confusing waters of business development. Here is a look two organizations that might lend some help to new companies just setting up shop or even prove valuable to businesses already established in the area.Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County The EDC-VC. as it’s known in its abridged form, recently added a small business development center as part of its already impressive list of services. Offering loans to help Ventura based business compete in increasingly competitive times, the EDC-VC also provides Global Entrepreneurship Training, for those with sights on conquering international trade, talking advantage of its Pacific Rim locale. With resources for to expand new business and turnaround those that are in a state of crisis, the EDC-VC is an ally for any business owner in Ventura County.Ventura County Economic Development Association The VCEDA strives to stimulate business and ensure a high quality of life in Ventura County. While serving as an advocate for local businesses, the VCEDA also serves to promote community responsibility among its companies, such as well thought out environmental policy, management and land use, not to mention reliable work force education, ensuring adequate training and smart work environments for employees of all ages. The VCEDA promotes well-rounded businesses in Ventura County, benefiting the area through more than just financial gain.

Simi City Town Center For Sale: A Sign of the Times

www.vcsbdc.com — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:16:48 +0000

The year 2005 seems much longer than a mere 5 years ago. Mired in economic uncertainty since the latter part of 2007, concerned, overworked and underpaid people around the globe long for a simpler time just a few years in the rear view mirror. It was 2005 in which Town Center opened in Simi City, CA, located in Ventura County’s southeast sector, taking advantage of the calm, well-tempered climate both atmospherically and economically. The open air mall and shopping center had been in the works for nearly two decades with the final product spanning over 600,000 square feet, prominently displaying high end shops, retailers and boutiques and a selection of chain and local restaurants. The Town Center was envisioned to serve as a new source of jobs, projected to offer 1,200 to the community, and a 2.5 million dollar sales boost to boot. At the time of its opening, the Town Center was valued at 350 million. Today, the once prized locale is up for sale, reflecting the troubling economic times that have engulfed even the most well-to-do southern California communities.One of the major concerns for the Simi City Town Center, and its inhabiting stores, is the top-drawer nature of the mall. In a time when discretionary income is down across all sectors of the population, the first purchases to be cut are nonessential luxury items. With a more strictly budgeted clientele base, it only follows that Town Center’s brand name retailers will turn less profits than originally envisioned. With that said, occupancy in the facility remains high, currently 86 full with a total of 90 tenants setting up shop in the available space. Economic downturn is by no means the only factor in the decision to sell. Competition from surrounding retailers and outlets, many of which do in fact offer cheaper alternatives, was said to be perhaps the largest consideration in putting the Town Center on the market.

Ventura County Pension Concerns

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:16:14 +0000

Public workers in Ventura County are sure to face an unwelcome reduction in the coming months. In keeping with statewide efforts to cut budgets, Ventura County employees can expect to see large scale pension reform, leaving them with less incoming cash to fund their retirement. One strategy for combating deficits between the future demand for pension checks and the limited supply of projected funds is by having employees contribute to their own pensions by setting aside higher percentages of their current earnings, reducing the total strain on the local county and city budgets when it is finally time to make good on pension promises. While unionized city workers express a general willingness to help, they take issue with permanently cutting their take home income in order to provide for future pension payment problems. Furthermore, these problems are in no way related to worker performance, stemming from the faults and misjudgments of others, making the idea of common workers baring the burden for cutbacks appear illogical.So far, efforts towards this end have had moderate success, though there is still a very long way to go in terms of addressing the mounting pension concerns. This year alone, Ventura County will send out an estimated 138 million in pension payments, a number that is only expected to increase over the next few years unless radical reform takes place. Ventura County is not alone in facing this quandary, as much of the country is finding itself in a similar situation. The overriding cause of the problem is that the government failed to properly allocate funds for the large number of soon to be retiring employees who have been promised lifetime pension plans. As quality of life and the resulting life expectancy increases, an overlooked side effect is that people take more years out of pension plans, with set retirement ages now coming even decades before death. This inevitably leads to more total payouts to former employees over a longer period of time than was expected at the time pension plans were being drawn out.

Ventura County Homes on the Rise

www.vcsbdc.com — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:15:34 +0000

In light of the bleak housing market entrenching much of our nation, dating back across the tail end of the decade, almost any news regarding rising home prices is good news. While still far from out of the muck, Ventura County homes have shown some vital signs of life over the past few months, exceeding recent trends and expectations and continuing up a slow hill towards recovery. June numbers indicate the median sale price for new and resold homes was 384,000. This marks a 4,000 increase from the previous month’s number. As compared to June’s numbers a full year ago, this year showed a 19,000 rise in home prices, showing a resiliency in the Ventura County economy as the national economy continues to loom in uncertainty. The 384,000 June price actually indicates the highest median figure for sale price in Ventura County since September 2008, which posted a slightly higher 385,000 median. To further brighten spirits, this is the 8^th month in a row in which the current year’s numbers trend higher than the previous year, indicating at the very least a stepping stone towards recovery.The news is better for some home-sellers than others. For pricier homes, figures are still much slower to rise. As Ventura County features a number of wealthy residents and large estates, it may still take some time for high value property values to return to their lofty price tags. On the other hand, even some of the more reasonably priced homes with marked improvement over the last 12 months would still be considered expensive homes in other areas, as southern California real estate tends to skew much higher than the national average. Therefore, any positive signs of life in the area should not be made light of as it pertains to the housing market. Though progress seems to crawl along at a snail’s pace for many residents, Ventura County is finally trending in the right direction.

The Tech Coast

www.vcsbdc.com — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:14:59 +0000

In what has traditionally been known as the “Gold Coast” area, Ventura County has been funded by a figurative goldmine in the form of the rapidly developing and highly profitable technology market. The “Tech Coast,” as it is now commonly referred to, is home to major presences in the telecommunications, healthcare and biotech industries. Booming tech markets have turned this coastal county into one of the most affluent in the state, ranked 6^th in California in terms of per-capita income.The biotechnology market is centered in the Conejo Valley region, situated in southeast Ventura County and expanding into northwest Los Angeles County. Among the major biotech players located in the area are Amgen and Baxter. The Conejo Valley, though rich in biotech resources, cannot exclusively be considered a biotechnology hotspot. Large international corporations choose to make a home in Conejo Valley as well from automobile makers to makeup manufacturers. Among the big names that have major operations in the region are Audi, J.D. Power & Associates, Jafra Cosmetics, THQ, Volkswagon and Wellpoint.Offering more than just pristine beaches and sunshine to potential technological entrepreneurs, the Tech Coast lays claim to a lot of capital and takes pride in being an epicenter for business development. One such group that plays apart in getting burgeoning techies off the ground is the Tech Coast Angels. The TCAs not only help finance young tech companies during the developmental process, they also provide working connections along with personal knowledge and wisdom to smooth the road towards success. With 70 of the members having run startups themselves, mentoring and operational assistance is readily available. While the Tech Coast Angels have a long history of developing technology industry businesses dating back to 1997, their resources are available to entrepreneurs across industry lines as well. With the organization and drive behind not for profit organizations like the TCAs, the Tech Coast’s prosperity is sure to continue on for years to come.