Archive By Author - Jana Adkins
A workforce without walls
Local companies are taking advantage of the rapid advances in technology, changing the way their employees work and go to work - and they're saving money doing so.
Ken Keller: Birth, growth and sustained business success
It starts as an idea, a passing thought that comes back around. A discussion ensues, usually in one brain but sometimes between two or more. What is being talked about is an idea for a new business.
Locals store expands work, play
By Jana Adkins Signal Business Editor HobbyTron, a retailer of remote-control toys and airsoft guns, is having fun in its new home. Relocating its headquarters to the Valencia Industrial Center last year, the company more than doubled the amount of square footage it previously occupied at its San Fernando location. And last month, the company opened a retail store in addition to its warehouse operations for online sales. HobbyTron reports it has been able to ...
Helping each other grow
In the spirit of "it takes a village," a loosely formed group of four local business people got together last year to help local residents build the careers they were seeking.
Newhall Land gets new V.P.
Newhall Land announced Thursday that James "Jim" C. Bizzelle will join its management team as senior vice president of community development.
Builders bet on home market
After home construction nearly came to a halt in the past few years, local builders are once again headed back to work sites.
Bizzelle joins Newhall Land management team
Newhall Land Development Inc. announced today that James "Jim" C. Bizzelle will join its management team as senior vice president of community development. His responsibilities will include forward planning and entitlement issues for both Valencia and the planned community west of Valencia, Newhall Ranch. He replaces Steve Zimmer, who retired earlier this year. Formerly with Pardee Homes Los Angeles and Ventura counties division, Bizzelle served as vice president of community development. He also brings more ...
‘Cloud’ offers businesses a cushion
One of the smartest things a small-business owner can do is take the time to back up company data and files before some kind of emergency, or worse yet, disaster, strikes.
CORRECTED: Loans to help businesses expand
Editor's note: CORRECTS first name of Calvin Hedman. A local Certified Development Company, SoCal CDC, has received certification approval from the Small Business Administration, enabling it to connect small business owners and banks to provide SBA 504 commercial real estate loans to small businesses. Founded in 2010 by Silverio Robledo and Paola Macchiavello, the SoCal CDC is a not-for-profit organization focused on stimulating economic development by helping to meet the financing needs of small ...
Strategist: Easy primaries equal wins
Political candidates who don't face primary opposition are much more likely to win election than those who do, a longtime strategist said Tuesday, because they're able to move toward the center of the political spectrum. Addressing a luncheon of Valley Industry Association members Tuesday, Dan Schnur said the single greatest indicator of failure in an election campaign is a primary challenge. "Every president who has faced one has lost the election," said the director of ...
Home building turns to multifamily
The residential construction landscape has shifted from single-family homes to multifamily projects, builders and officials with trade associations say.
Appraisers regulated out of commission
A shift of regulations intended to prevent lending companies from influencing - or worse, inflating - home values during the appraisal process nearly put an entire industry of people out of work during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, according to industry experts.
Center’s doors swing open
A unique golf-training program, Scratch Golf Accelerated, opened its doors this week in Santa Clarita for players of all skill levels.
Gourmet and family-fresh
A family's passion for creative cooking turned into a mother-daughter business enterprise, The Poached Pair.
Local solutions for worldwide companies
ESolutions, a Web-design company with a storefront, opened in Saugus nearly 10 years ago. The company works with businesses across the country, but it has a very strong customer base locally, according to owner John Duncan. Offering customized Web-based services, eSolutions has partnered with many local companies to provide commerce solutions for their businesses. Customized solutions A local aerospace company needed a system that would allow three-way communication between the owners of an aircraft, the ...
Articles By Author - Jana Adkins
Two new auto dealerships opt to open in Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita is already home to the largest collection of automotive dealerships in Southern California, giving residents a wide selection from which to shop and buy locally. But two more dealerships announced last year they are opening for business.
Santa Clarita’s unemployment rate drops
Santa Clarita's unemployment rate dropped to 6.3 percent in February, according to data released Friday by the California Employment Development Division.
Retailer says buying habits have shifted
First opened in 1972, retailer Bouquet Auto Parts has been a part of the economic changes and trends in Santa Clarita for over 40 years, said its co-owner, Owen Powell.
Office vacancies fall
The economic snapshot report for December 2012 was released by the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation – or SCVEDC – on March 21.
Purchasing a home can be tricky these days
Editor's Note: This is the last of a two-part series on the local real estate market. Last Sunday's story focused on the homeowner, or seller. Today's story focuses on the buyer.
Santa Clarita's unemployment rate rises
After dropping to a low of 6 percent in November, Santa Clarita's jobless numbers crept back up during the post-holiday season and stood at 6.7 percent in January, state officials reported this week.
Men’s Wearhouse founder speaks at VIA B2B
"Compassion and forgiveness are just as important as accountability and hard work," said George Zimmer, founder and executive chairman of the Men's Wearhouse.
SCV: Home sales continue march to recovery
Santa Clarita Valley home sales and prices continued their housing-slump recovery in February, the Southland Regional Association of Realtors reported Tuesday.
Low inventory marks home market recovery
Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part series on the local real estate market. Today's story focuses on the homeowner, or seller. The series concludes next Sunday with the focus on the buyer. In a stabilizing real estate market, marked by rising home sales and moderate price gains, a severe shortage of homes listed for sale characterizes this particular housing recovery. The lack of inventory in Santa Clarita is the "major factor slowing ...
Homebuilder buys more lots for SCV homes
KB Home acquired 54 finished lots in a land purchase agreement with Newhall Land for a new community called Charleston at River Village in Santa Clarita, the homebuilder announced on Wednesday.
Learning how to get revenue from your website
Merely attracting streams of visitors to your website doesn't automatically translate into revenue growth for a business, said Erick Arndt, founder of SCV Startup.
Campaign launched to attract new homebuyers
On the heels of growing builder confidence, and more new home starts than during the Great Recession, a new-home trade association launched a campaign to spotlight homebuilders' new homes, including those new home communities in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Foreign Trade Zone can benefit businesses
Exporters and importers, as well as the warehouse and distribution companies that support them, reap multiple benefits when they operate inside a Foreign Trade Zone – or FTZ, said experts at a recent meeting.
Roman Holiday closed for good
The wine bar business, Roman Holiday, which announced Feb. 12 it was working to re-open after a dispute between partners forced its closure, is definitely closing, sources say.
Art house movie group interested in SCV
Santa Clarita residents have been loosely campaigning for quite some time to have an independent art house movie theater open locally. According to one executive, there is still hope that a theater chain airing independent films may one day locate in Santa Clarita.
