El Segundo Named “Most Business Friendly City” by LAEDC

By Brian Simon

A South Bay community of only 16,500 residents and five square miles, El Segundo was named the “most business friendly city in Los Angeles County” by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation at the latter agency’s 25th annual Eddy Awards event in October. In garnering the first-ever Eddy for this category, El Segundo outlasted a number of considerably larger cities, including finalists Burbank, Lancaster, Long Beach and Santa Clarita that were selected from the County’s pool of 88 cities.

Competing cities sent presentation packets to the LAEDC in the summer for consideration of the award. A blue ribbon panel of judges, consisting of economic experts from both the LAEDC and prominent outside agencies, scored contestants based on the following criteria:

-Demonstrated commitment to economic excellence as a priority
-Excellence in programs and services designed to facilitate business entry, expansion and retention
-Economic development activity over the past three years
-Competitive business tax rates and fee structures
-Availability of economic incentives
-Effective communication with and about business clients

Though the final vote was close, El Segundo emerged a clear winner thanks to an impressive and balanced list of amenities provided to businesses, said LAEDC President and CEO Bill Allen. “Congratulations to everyone in the City of El Segundo for providing such a shining example of what a city can do to create quality jobs for its residents and for the role it is playing in helping to ensure the economic vitality of this entire region,” he said.

According to Allen, among the areas that most impressed the judges were El Segundo’s speedy permit and plan check process; 24-hour average turnaround time for issuing business licenses; modest fee structures for utility users and transient occupancy taxes; innovative business tax credit programs; implementation of customer service surveys; use of the assistant city manager as an ombudsman to facilitate projects; and incorporation of an economic development strategy in the City’s general plan.

El Segundo was also singled out for having the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies of any city in the county and for its ratio of one business license for every three residents. Allen noted that El Segundo’s packet included the highest number and strongest quality of endorsements from business leaders than any of the other finalists. Among the more than dozen testimonials were thanks from a high-ranking Los Angeles Air Force Base official who applauded El Segundo’s efforts in saving the facility from potential closure and maintaining more than 55,000 regional jobs in the process; and an acknowledgement from the CEO at the newly-arrived 365 Main, who touted the City’s customer service acumen. “That indicates a level of passion and appreciation for the city,” Allen said. “Through its public/private partnership, El Segundo has built a thriving economy while preserving a quality of life that attracts a highly educated workforce. This is a city that really gets it and every city in the county can learn from El Segundo.”

The LAEDC is currently promoting El Segundo as its most business friendly city through its website and other marketing avenues. “We’re taking some of the best practices in the top communities, packaging that and presenting it to other cities,” said LAEDC Vice President, Business Development Greg Whitney, who hopes that will spur more communities to participate in the contest and as a result, step up their efforts on behalf of businesses.
El Segundo itself has begun to incorporate the award in its own marketing efforts by including an Eddy emblem and award tagline on new light pole banners strung along Sepulveda Boulevard between Rosecrans Avenue and Imperial Highway, and highlighting the honor on its business website (http://www.elsegundobusiness.com/) and quarterly enewsletter.

El Segundo Mayor Kelly McDowell, who accepted the award on the City’s behalf, said, “LAEDC’s recognition is a powerful endorsement of our city’s long-standing commitment to its business community. We offer our businesses an array of incentives to help them succeed, but what sets us apart is our firm commitment—by the City itself and by our residents—to be personally accessible, quick to respond and fully aware of what businesses need in order to thrive.”
Meanwhile, Allen hopes El Segundo’s story will inspire other cities to improve their own efforts with businesses. “We want to encourage other cities within Los Angeles County to provide the highest level of economic development service for businesses that are thinking of expanding or relocating to our region,” he said, noting that though the county’s population had increased by 2.5 million people in the last quarter century, only 500,000 additional jobs had been created. With that statistic in mind, the new award is meant to promote those cities that are more proactive in attracting businesses and jobs than others.