Preceding the Democratic National Conventionkick-off in LA, the LAEDC partnered with LATradeMark and other organizations to host aseries of media events August 7-9, focusing onthe creative industries in our region. The eventswere an opportunity to distribute LA By Designmarketing messages promoting LA County’ssuccess stories in its 12 creative industries.

CalTech/ JPL Science Technology TourJournalists joined a bus tour to CalTech inPasadena, the core of LA’s booming science andtech sector. Tours visited the renownedseismology lab and Human Genome Projectlab. At Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, guestssaw the Mars Yard testing ground for roversand a space flight operations control center.Demonstrating commercial applications ofspace technology and lab research, a panel oftech experts led a discussion on future economicgrowth in the industry.

This Way LA Fashion ShowMedia, government officials and apparelindustry leaders were treated to a dynamic look

www.laedc.org Fall, 2000

2LA By Design Media Events

35th Annual Eddy Awards

4BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT:

Mexico City Expo

KNX Radio Campaign

RBAN - Building Jobs in LA

5REGIONAL NEWS:

San Fernando Valley Saves Jobs

Business Success in North County

New Gateway Cities Manager

6Critical Infrastructure Editorial

by Viggo Butler, David Fleming

7New Members & Partners

Board of Directors News

8

Calendarsee LA By Design Events page 2

Economic Development for the Regions of Los Angeles County

Los Angeles

County

Economic

Development

Corporation

In This Issue

LA Region Shows Off

at local designers’ creations. Opening the show,Mayor Richard Riordan announced LA leads thenation in apparel industry jobs and called theregion the new design capital of the world. Eventpartners included California Mart, and the FashionDistrict BID, with sponsorship from the Port ofLos Angeles.

Digital Coast Tours and Network CruiseWestside and downtown LA firms opened theirdoors for hands-on tours of technologyinnovation at work. Rhythm and Huesdemonstrated Oscar-winning special effects.Razorfish showed off the latest in webdevelopment. EC2 and eCompanies revealedbusiness incubator processes. The 548 Buildingdowntown showcased its renovation from anoutdated medical building to a state-of-the-artwired facility housing high-tech firms. Hi-Wire,an Internet radio netcaster, was another captivatingstop on the day-long open house tours. In theevening, new media industry leaders boarded theFantaSea yacht in Marina Del Rey for a DigitalCoast Summer Cruise sponsored by the LAEDCand Digital Coast Roundtable.

ABOVE: Daily News 8-10-00This Way LA Fashion Show andother media events build awarenessof LA’s diverse economy.

Key Industries

page 2 - Business Leader

LA fashion categories included Venice Beach,Melrose Place, Sunset Strip and Olvera St.

LAEDC President Lee Harrington, DistrictAttorney Gil Garcetti, and California Martowner Judah Hertz joined with the apparelindustry who’s who for a fresh look atfashions from LA designers.

Fashion Show sponsors included ThePort of Los Angeles (below).

This Way LA Fashion Show

JPL hosted a discussion on the future ofaerospace and technology research. Panelexperts included Rohit Shukla of larta (left).

Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo and DigitalCoast Roundtable President MichaelGuttentag celebrate the success of newmedia in Southern California, with morethan 300 Internet industry leaders aboardthe Digital Coast Summer Cruise.

Digital Coast Summer Cruise

LA By DesignProgram Partners:

Science demonstrations at Caltechhighlighted LA County’s leading role intechnological developments. Tourparticipants included Ahmed Enany ofSouthern California Biomedical Council (right).

Science / Technology Tours

William M. MercerLos Angeles Department of Water & PowerFashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

California Apparel NewsCalifornia Mart

University of Southern California

Creative Industries Media EventsAugust 7-9, 2000

Business Leader - page 3

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan& USC President

Dr. Steven B. Sample Honoredat 5th Annual Eddy Awards

The LAEDC has chosen two exemplary leaders in economic development to be honored at theEddy Awards dinner on September 28 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Special Thanksto the

Fifth AnnualEddy Awards

Supporters

EVENT VICE CHAIRPaul M. WatsonWells Fargo Bank

SPONSORSAlfred E. Mann

Bank of America

BP

Colliers Seeley International

Imperial Bank

Latham & Watkins

Lowe Enterprises

Rollo / TMP Worldwide

Shapell Industries, Inc.

Sidley and Austin

Strategic Benefits Group

Unified Western Grocers, Inc.

University of Southern California

Watson Land Company

Dinner Committee:Chairman - Dr. Robert Dockson

Dr. Richard DrobnickUniversity of Southern California

David W. FlemingLatham & Watkins

Lee K. HarringtonLAEDC

Robert J. LoweLowe Enterprises, Inc.

Joan A. PaydenPayden & Rygel

Dr. Jane G. PisanoUniversity of Southern California

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has led the city of LA in an economic upswing,with a focus on job creation and business attraction. The Mayor created L.A.’s BusinessTeam in 1995 for the attraction and retention of job-creating businesses. The Team hasworked with more than 3,000 companies representing 300,000 jobs in excess of $20billion in private capital investment in Los Angeles. The LAEDC is also proud to recog-nize the Mayor’s Minority Business Opportunity Committee, which champions the growthof women and minority-owned companies, and has generated more than 42,000 jobs.

USC President Dr. Steven B. Sample has continually demonstrated his dedication to theregion’s economic success through quality education for our future workforce. Dr. Sampleconvened a group of LA leaders funded by the Annenberg Foundation to acceleratereforms in local public schools. He was a member of the Van de Kamp Commission toimprove the Los Angeles Unified School District, and a trustee of the Los AngelesEducational Alliance for Restructuring Now (LEARN). Dr. Sample is chair of theCalifornia Business-Higher Education Forum and teaches a new business course titled“The Art of Adventure in Leadership” for USC undergraduates. “The LAEDC is pleased to honor two visionaries whose career achievements in thepublic sector and educational arena have greatly bolstered the LA County economiclandscape for years to come,” said LAEDC President Lee Harrington. Introducing the honorees at the Eddy Awards ceremony is special guest speaker Dr.Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the Marshall Schooland Founding Chairman of the Leadership Institute at USC. The evening’s master ofceremonies is Dr. Robert Dockson, long-time leader of the USC Business AdministrationSchool, LA Area Chamber of Commerce and California State Chamber. “Excellence in higher education coupled with government’s capacity to foster a climatefor business growth are both hallmarks of strategic economic leadership. Our nationallyrecognized honorees have played a major role in helping Southern California achieve theunparalleled prosperity we enjoy today,” stated LAEDC Chair David Fleming, of Latham& Watkins.

International Outreach

page 4 - Business Leader

At its August meeting hosted by CalState University Dominguez Hills, theRegional Business Assistance Network(RBAN) mapped out 2001 plans for theareas of job creation, workforcedevelopment and on-line connections inLA County. For the coming fiscal year, the LACounty Job Creation Fund (JCIF) willinvest $557,000 in job creation activitiessuch as community-based RFPs. Over 2years, the Department of Public SocialServices will target $1 million for RFPs, amicro-loan program, and a technicalassistance incubator. Over 5 years, another$1 million will be invested to researchpotential occupations in growth industriesand to link them to economicdevelopment efforts countywide. Regional implementation ofCalWORKS, or Welfare to Work, jobprograms will also be boosted in 2001.A staff person will be funded in eacheconomic development region tostrengthen ties between workforce train-

The LAEDC led an internationaloutreach delegation to the California2000 Expo and Trade Mission in MexicoCity September 6-8. The event waspresented by the California Trade andCommerce Agency and the U.S. Embassyin Mexico City. In partnership with the World TradeCenter Association, an expo booth wascreated for the region to display theinternational trade attributes of LosAngeles County. The LAEDC alsodistributed LA By Design campaignmaterials highlighting the success of thediverse and creative industries, and thetalented workforce unique to the LA area.

ers, placement agencies and EDCprofessionals. On-line support of job pro-grams is underway with the devel-opment of www.laworkforce.org.“Employers told us they wantedsomething fast and easy to use. Welistened and developed a search en-gine that overcomes the organiza-tional complexity of the region,”says Linda Wong, Director of LAManufacturing Network Initiatives, at theCommunity Development TechnologyCenter. “Anyone looking for training andjob information will be able to find it.This web portal provides the virtualworkforce and economic developmentconnection for the region.” RBAN also offered a special reporton Industrial Land Redevelopment –Tax, Wage and Job Implications in LACounty, presented by Ken Ackbarali,LAEDC Vice President of ConsultingServices. “Redevelopment is vital to jobgrowth in LA County, as very few sites

are available for manufacturing,warehousing and distribution. We need toreverse the process of cities trading awayhigh-pay manufacturing jobs for low-payretail jobs motivated by tax revenues,”states Ackbarali, whose research on LA’sLatino workforce resulted in him receivinga Designated Scholar honor from theTomas Rivera Policy Institute, ClaremontGraduate University. For quarterly RBAN meeting reportsor details on RBAN membership, phone213-236-4858. The next meeting isOctober 26th.

RBAN Focuses on Job Creation

LAEDC Goes South of the BorderWith Business Attraction Mission

to Mexico City

A networking reception was held forMexico City and California businessleaders featuring the IMAX film WildCalifornia.

RBAN members capitalize on quarterly meetings fornetworking with business assistance program leaders.

“It’s no coincidence that the regions of LACounty are among the most innovative, creativeand diverse communities in the world. Theresources your business needs are here. Onekey resource for you is the Los Angeles CountyEconomic Development Corporation.” Sound familiar? We hope so. Those are theopening lines to LAEDC radio spots which airedover the past 5 months on KNX 10.70 am. Unsolicited positive responses to the adshave been resounding. “Increased awarenessof LAEDC leadership and services among thebusiness news audience has resulted from themorning and evening broadcast ads,” saysLAEDC Chairman David Fleming, who readsome of the ads on the air. The 888-4-LAEDC-1 phone line reported highcall volume generated from the radio campaign,which led to useful business assistanceprojects. Look forward to more from LAEDC onthe airwaves in September and October.

Radio Ads Strike A Chord

Additional cities being visited this yearon the TeamCalifornia business outreachtour include:

INTERNATIONAL CITIESToronto, CanadaMunich, Berlin, Germany

U.S. CITIESBoston, MassachusettsOrlando, Florida

Business Leader - page 5

Bruce Dobb,former ExecutiveDirector of the LosAngeles Harbor-Watts EDC, hastaken over for JudyTurner, who left forother businessconsulting oppor-tunities. Dobb is thenew Gateway Cities Regional Manager,based at the Gateway Cities PartnershipInc. in Paramount. Dobb has worked throughoutSouthern California designing lendingprograms and business retention andexpansion incentives. He has specializedin formulating strategies to promote jobsand economic development in distressedcommunities. Following the 1994 Northridgeearthquake, Dobb created the FinancialRestructuring Assistance Program for theValley Economic Development Centerand the U.S. Department of Commerce,Economic Development Administration.He has also advised the City of LA onthe establishment of a commercial loanlending effort through use of communitydevelopment block grant funds. In 1980,he established the first national economicdevelopment effort that made use of theNational Development Council. Previously, Dobb trained as a bankerand founded a mortgage investment firm.He has 15 years of lending experience,serving as the Southwest RegionalManager for the National CooperativeBank in Washington, D.C. and workingfor the Small Business Administration. Hehas chartered a Small Business Investmentcompany in Southern California titledBest Finance. Dobb is an NASDregistered representative and holds anMBA from the George WashingtonUniversity in Washington, D.C. His finance expertise will be an assetin directing business assistance projects.

Founded in1986 by Rick andRena Pocrass,Chocolates a-la-Carte has grownfrom a small retailventure into an a t i o n a l l yr e n o w n e dspecialty foodsupplier. Recentlythey expandedtheir 140,000 square-foot facility in SantaClarita and reported they could not havedone it without the help ofNorth County regionalmanager David Myers. The LAEDC andGreater Antelope ValleyEconomic Alliance assisted the companywith an Industrial Development Bond(IDB) application, interfacing with theEmployment Development Departmentto assure Chocolates a-la-Carte met the

Robinsons-May and Health Net choose to remain in the Valley,as a result of direct business assistance from the LAEDC.

San Fernando ValleyRetains Two Major Headquarters - 3700 Jobs

Family Business Grows in North County

IDB employee hiring requirements. As aresult, the firm will be adding

approximately 100 newemployees to their existing200-person staff, and willexpand their production andwarehouse plant..

Chocolates-a-la-Carte was a sponsorof the August 8th This Way LA fashionshow, supplying an impressive desserttable. For a sample of their creations, visitwww.chocolatesalacarte.com.

Health NetLocation: Woodland HillsJobs: 1800

May has been an established employer for45 years.

Robinsons-MayLocation: North HollywoodJobs: 1900

The San Fernando Valley proved tobe big-business-friendly this past August,retaining two national corporateheadquarters which were both in aposition to seek new office locations.

The Economic Alliance of the SanFernando Valley and the LAEDC wereinstrumental in extensive discussionsbetween Robinsons-May Company andthe LAUSD over the property whereRobinsons-May headquarters is located.Reaching amicable agreement meantretaining significant jobs and tax baserevenue for the surrounding communityof North Hollywood, where Robinsons-

L.A.’s Business Team, in the Mayor’soffice, met with Health Net to resolveissues that might have caused the companyto relocate. The Economic Alliance of theSan Fernando Valley provided research tothe Business Team and Warner CenterProperties addressing business advantagesin the area, such as labor force availability.Meetings brought positive results. TheHealth Net headquarters will remain in theircurrent space thanks to regional teamefforts, reports LAEDC regional managerSaul Gomez.

Gateway Cities WelcomeNew Regional Manager

Chocolates a-la-Carte’s expanded facility in Santa Clarita

Bruce Dobb

page 6 - Business Leader

The following editorial was published in regionalnewspapers including The Daily News (9-3-00),Pasadena Star News (8-24-00).

Using high-speed “Maglev” (magneticlevitation) trains to help solve SouthernCalifornia’s transportation gridlock has becomea prime focus of the Southern CaliforniaAssociation of Governments (SCAG). Whilethe SCAG should receive some credit forseeking solutions to our traffic woes, Maglevis not it. Our freeways are already among the mostcongested in the nation, and with the five-county region expected to add 5.2 million moreresidents over the next twenty years, thecrunch will only get worse. In order to meetthe transportation demands of this ever-increasing population, the entire communityneeds to step up and play a role in finding anappropriate solution. The business community, for one, is readyto get involved. The LAEDC created the CriticalInfrastructure Council in 1999 to studyalternative solutions for the transport of goodsand people. Our Council has taken a preliminarylook at the SCAG proposal comments. We agree

Solving Southern California GridlockEditorial By David Fleming and Viggo Butler

with LA City Council member Ruth Galanterregarding the unproven nature of high-speedMaglev technology; the questionable use of aninter-urban system for an intra-urban area; andthe need to connect airports to populationcenters. We would add that SCAG’s projectedcost and fare structure is so steep that mostcommuters will be unable to afford to rideMaglev, making private finance problematic. The Critical Infrastructure Council does,however, believe that an advanced train systemmay be an appropriate solution for SouthernCalifornia. One possibility is to opt for a proven butslower version of Maglev that has beendeveloped in Japan. Known as HSST, thisversion of Maglev has been designed for usewithin urban areas and is capable of top speedsranging from 80 to 120 mph. HSST has thefollowing advantages:

- HSST could be built sooner and for lessthan half the cost of high-speed Maglev. HSSTdoesn’t use expensive super-conductingmagnets so doesn’t travel as fast as the high-speed Maglev, but it doesn’t cost as mucheither. HSST cars are less expensive as well.

- HSST is designed for frequent stops andhence is a more commuter-friendly system.

- HSST could use the same rights-of-way(above freeway medians) as the SCAG proposal.

- Since the technology costs so much less,and enables greater ridership, we could affordto build a more extensive system serving morecommunities. In addition to SCAG’s east-westroute, a north-south route along the 405Freeway connecting Orange County, LongBeach, South Bay, West LA and San FernandoValley would connect high-propensity flierswith airports and serve commuters as well.

- With a 160 mph upgrade in development,HSST could ultimately be extended to Palmdaleand San Diego.

- When connected with high-speed busways,HSST would provide a comprehensive system.

LAX will display the LAEDC portrait of the region’s civic leaders, with the message “Welcome to LA - Diversity’sCreative Edge.” Also posted on the mural spanning 46 feet by 8 feet tall, will be “Meet the leaders or our 88 cities andcounty.” Look out for the historic portrait, created by famed photographer Greg Gorman, in the international terminal.

David Fleming is LAEDC Chair, and ViggoButler serves as chair of the LAEDC CriticalInfrastructure Council.

We shouldn’t focus only on high-speedMaglev simply because the federal governmentwill pay a portion of the overall cost. And weshouldn’t draw lines in the sand either. We needto come together as a community to find ananswer that addresses our collective needsand improves quality of life.

NEW LAEDC MEMBERSAnjac Fashion Buildings

Apartment Association, California Southern Cities

Azteca ProductionsCalifornia Apparel News

Cee Sportswear, Inc.City of Santa Fe Springs

Design Zone, Inc.DynCorp

Gerber Technology, Inc.Guaranty Bank of CaliforniaHan Tone International Corp.

Kaji & AssociatesKaren Kane, Inc.

Los Angeles DodgersMarcus & Millichap

Planning Company, Inc.Textile Association of Los Angeles

Westin Bonaventure

NEW LAEDC PARTNERS

JUNE –Guest Speaker: David Janssen, Chief Administrative Officer ofLA County reported good news for the region’s fiscal future.The 2001 LA County budget increased $300,000 with asurplus of $48 million. The largest employer in the regionremains LA County itself, reflecting the region’s high need forpublic services. As a result, the County Board of Supervisorswill soon increase from five current members to nine.

From the Field: LAEDC Regional Managers Tod Swordand Elaine Cullen offered feedback from their businessassistance projects in the South Bay and San GabrielValley, respectively. Emphasis is on the need forworkforce development and employee trainingincentives, particularly in the high-tech sector. Quantityand quality of industrial space, as well as labor are alsoa high priority to growing LA area businesses.

JULY –Guest Speaker: Rohit Shukla, President and CEO of larta,addressed LA’s business leaders on growth issues in thetechnology industry, speaking out against ordinancesrestricting telecom companies from burgeoning indowntown LA. Shukla referred to the core of metro LosAngeles as the reluctant city at the center of a ring of fireof activity. He calls for cooperation of companies tomaintain the still robust digital coast growth.

Global Perspective: USC Marshall Schoolof Business IBEAR participants, withLAEDC VP Greg Whitney, presentedstrategies for drawing direct foreigninvestment from Japanese businesses.Proposals included increasing overseasmanagement awareness of LA’s diverseindustry base, motivating policies forreducing business costs, andcommunicating those cost incentives toJapanese business owners with use of

translated materials. LAEDC Board members from the Japan America Alliance Society andJapan Business Association discussed their business development initiatives with the MBAcandidates.

AUGUST –The Democratic National Convention in downtown LA during thismonth took precedence over the monthly LAEDC board meeting.

Business Leader - page 7

BOARD MEETING NEWS

Asia Society

Central City Association

Japan America Society ofSouthern California

larta

Southern California Biomedical Council

Events Calendar

Los AngelesCountyEconomicDevelopmentCorporation

515 South Flower Street32nd FloorLos Angeles, CA 90071

Business Leaderis published quarterly by the LAEDCMarketing Department. Please sendcorrespondence to the address aboveor send e-mail to jdvorak@laedc.org.

Editorial & DesignJeanette DvorakSenior Marketing Coordinator

www.laedc.org

D E C E M B E R1 UCLA Extension Tourism Outlook Conference

Co-sponsored by LAEDCFeatured Speaker - Jack KyserPHONE: 310.206.7509

5 KNX 10.70am Economic ForumFeaturing 2001-2002 Economic ForecastPHONE: 213.236.4887 for details

20 LAEDC Board of Directors Meeting8am Jonathan Club, downtown LAPHONE: 213.236.4811

JANUARY17 LAEDC Board of Directors Meeting

8am Jonathan Club, downown LAPHONE: 213.236.4811

Roadmaps to Industry Clusters

Manufacturing Report 2000

San Gabriel Valley Economic Forecast

Antelope Valley Economic Forecast

Economic Edge - Aerospace / Technology

For a complete list of publications,visit www.laedc.org

or phone 1-888-4-LEADC-1.

FALL 2000 Research

Publications

OCTOBER18 LAEDC Board of Directors Meeting

8am Jonathan Club, dowtown LAPHONE: 213.236.4811

25 2001 South Bay Economic ForecastTorrance Marriott HotelConference 3-6pm; Reception 6-7:30pmPHONE: 310.792.0323

26 RBAN 3rd Quarter MeetingLocation TBA - PHONE: 213.236.4858

N O V E M B E R6 California Comdex Conference-Las Vegas

Sponsored by California Trade & Commerce Agency

PHONE: 916.327.5806

13 CalWORKS Quarterly MeetingLocation TBA, PHONE: 213.236.4839

15 LAEDC Full Membership Meeting8am Jonathan ClubPHONE: 213-236-4811

For more on LA By Design eventsor the Partnership Program, visit

www.labydesign.com