Three chamber board of directors nominated

The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce's Nominating Committee has nominated Jay Harn, publisher of The Signal, Dana Cop, director of external affairs for AT&T, and Dena Maloney, founding dean for the College of the Canyons Canyon Country campus, for the chamber's three open board of directors positions.

Inaugural Brown Bag Lunch series

The Small Business Development Center Network, in partnership with the College of the Canyons Small Business Development Center, will host the inaugural Brown Bag Lunch featuring David Power of J.D. Power and Associates. The event, which will be broadcast online Sept. 25 at 1 p.m., will feature a discussion with Power about his business experience and he will also answer questions. To RSVP a spot, visit www.brownbagseries.com.

Hart graduate head of Alaska company

Nearly 30 years ago, Ken Forster was living in Newhall, where he attended Hart High School and worked his first job at Six Flag Magic Mountain's animal farm.

Calif. Pizza Kitchen to open location

Bridgeport Marketplace will soon be home to a California Pizza Kitchen, the builder of the Valencia retail center said Thursday.

Entrepreneurs conference set for Oct. 7

The Economic Development Division of the College of the Canyons will host its third annual "Dream and Discover" entrepreneurs conference on Oct. 7 from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Steve Uzzell, a motivational speaker and photographer, will once again speak and will present a new program, "Transitions."

SBDC hosts seminar today

The College of the Canyons Small Business Development Center will host a California Construction Contracting Program orientation today from 3 to 5 p.m. The no-cost seminar is designed to develop and improve the capabilities of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises while also giving business owners the ability to achieve proficiency in the technical skills involved in highway construction.

Jobless rate rises, close to 5%

As the economic slowdown continues and the local housing and real estate markets remain sluggish, the unemployment rate for the city of Santa Clarita increased more than half a percent in July to 4.9 percent, the state's Employment Development Department reports.

Business briefs

Conejo Swimworks opens second store in SCV Conejo Swimworks, a store that specializes in swimsuits and swim accessories, has opened a second location at 22945 Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country. The first location is in Thousand Oaks. The business is an official team dealer for Speedo, TYR, Nike and Dolfin. Bank hires 2 officers for Valencia location Mission Valley Bank has hired two officers for its Valencia location. Willie Pleitez joined the bank as ...

Business brief: Tonthat named CPA partner

Michael M. Tonthat was named partner at Hedman & Associates, CPAs in Valencia. Tonthat has been an associate with the full-service CPA firm for 12 years, serving middle-market businesses and their owners. In a release, the company cited Tonthat's ability to help their clients achieve their financial goals by assisting them with advanced corporate and individual tax planning, business merger, acquisition and sales consulting, estate planning and succession planning. Tonthat also has experience with research ...

Business briefs: Gym celebration, gas card giveaway

Eight-time Mr. Olympia to appear at gym To commemorate its one-year anniversary, Powerhouse Gym and Sports Complex will host a celebration on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.. The event will feature food and the opportunity for visitors to learn more about the gym. From 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., Ronnie Colman, the eight-time Mr. Olympia, will make an appearance. The gym is located at 24640 Wiley Canyon Road in Newhall. SCV Auto Dealer ...

Local JCPenney going green

In a matter of months, the JCPenney store in Valencia will be energy efficient thanks to a soon-to-be installed solar power system that will generate clean electric power and reduce emissions.

Six Flags reports growth

With two weeks left in the full-time operating season, Six Flags, Inc. reported Thursday that revenues for the third quarter through Tuesday have increased 7.6 percent or $23.5 million when compared to the prior year period.

Business briefs

Summit Oaks completes construction Summit Oaks, a Class A office property in Valencia, has finished construction. The five-story, 144,000-square-foot building features a sustainable design and targets a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating. The project was developed through a partnership between Parker Properties, based in Aliso Viejo, and RREEF Alternative Investments, which is headquartered in New York. Snyder Langston was the general contractor for Summit Oaks, which is located at 28515 Westinghouse Place. ...

Former Signal editor awarded for coin article

Sometimes it pays to write about coins. Leon Worden, former senior editor of The Signal, received the Numismatic Literary Guild's James L. Miller Memorial Award for best numismatic article to appear in any medium. Worden was honored for his two-part series titled "Mr. Brenner's Lincoln," which included original research on the design of the Lincoln penny. The series was published in the November and December 2007 editions of COINage magazines. The award was presented July ...

Seminar set for restaurant owners

The Small Business Development Center will host a seminar Aug. 18 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for restaurant owners on how to rethink, retool and redirect their restaurants.

Stores host block party to attract business

Sometimes it just takes a village of business owners to kick off a round of economic activity.

Median household income fell 7.3 percent in recession

SBDC has a record year

The Santa Clarita-based Small Business Development Center had its most successful year to date in 2012, according to the business assistance center on Wednesday.

Enterprise Zone audit reveals no major flaws

An exhaustive five-day audit of Santa Clarita's Enterprise Zone resulted in the program being given a green light with regards to running of the program and credits granted.

Santa Clarita: SBDC Annual Report Highlights Clients' Small Business Success

SANTA CLARITA - In 2012, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hosted by College of the Canyons experienced its most successful operational year to date, with SBDC assisted clients combining to start 53 new small businesses and create or retain 937 local jobs.

U.S. HealthWorks appoints new VP of sales

Jeanne Osterlund has been promoted to Vice President of Sales at Valencia-based U.S. HealthWorks.

Kaiser Permanente expanding its practice

Kaiser Permanente first opened its doors to Santa Clarita residents in 1994. But in October 2012, the integrated managed care medical group purchased a second building in Valencia.

AAF 2013 ADDY Award Winners are announced

Several local companies won ADDY awards last week from the American Advertising Federation's Los Angeles North chapter.

Lean manufacturing to be discussed

Lean Manufacturing is the topic at the Valley Industry Association business luncheon on April 16.

Princess Cruises’ newest ship is floated out

Construction of Princess Cruises' newest ship, "Regal Princess," reached a milestone Friday when the cruise ship was floated out of its building dock at Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.

New name, focus for construction company

When 23-year-old Jim Coffey started Jimco Electrical Construction in 1988, he had little more than a pickup truck to work out of, a couple years of on-the-job training and a buzz of enthusiasm for electrical construction.

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.

U.S. HealthWorks appoints Strickland national director

Scott Strickland has been appointed as National Director of Therapy Services for Valencia-based U.S. HealthWorks.

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.