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Lancaster recognized as ‘Most Business Friendly City’

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Eddy Award LancasterLANCASTER – The City of Lancaster was named “Most Business-Friendly City” at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s 18th annual Eddy Awards Thursday evening. Lancaster is the first city in the history of the program to have won the award twice, with its first win in 2007, city officials announced in a news release.

“We are deeply honored that an organization of this caliber has once again recognized Lancaster with this very prestigious award,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “Since 1996, LAEDC and its president, Bill Allen, have played a key role in many of Lancaster’s recent successes, including the attraction of BYD’s e-bus and battery manufacturing facilities.”

The LAEDC is the premier economic development organization in Los Angeles County, since 1996 having helped retain or attract more than 190,000 annual jobs in the County with an estimated labor income of $11.8 billion.

During last night’s ceremony, the City of La Mirada was also named Most Business-Friendly Smaller City, with a population under 50,000.

“This year’s Most Business-Friendly Cities, Lancaster and La Mirada, understand that domestic and global competition for jobs, businesses and entire industries has never been fiercer,” said Bill Allen, LAEDC president and CEO. “The City of Lancaster vigorously competes by training its residents for tomorrow’s jobs, not for yesterday’s; by keeping costs and fees down to attract new businesses and jobs; and by supporting its start-up sector, which will drive the city’s economic growth in the future.”

The winners were selected based on the following criteria:

  • Demonstrated commitment to economic development as a priority
  • 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

“Considered one of the least expensive places to conduct business by the Kosmont-Rose Survey, Lancaster’s economic stimulus package, streamlined permit process, and reduced transactions fees have spurred economic, community and real estate development,” states a press release issued by the LAEDC. “The downtown revitalization project created a vibrant urban center with 50 new businesses and hundreds of new jobs.”

“On behalf of the City of Lancaster, I would like to thank the LAEDC for organizing this world-class program and for honoring us with this prestigious award,” stated Parris. “We will continue to work side-by-side with our stellar business community to ensure that our city remains the Most Business-Friendly.”

(Information via press release from the city of Lancaster.)

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29 comments for "Lancaster recognized as ‘Most Business Friendly City’"

  1. Thank you for this dialog. This is where I come to learned what really troubles our city. No one holds back. Everyone has some really good ideas and suggestions.

    Oscar Mejia
    Lancaster City Council Candidate

  2. Costs to bring “new” business to Lancaster

    AV Chevy – (from Palmdale) $300,000

    Morton Mfg. (from Santa Clarita) $2.1 million

    Costs to bring new businesses to Palmdale:

    Family Christian Store (from Lancaster) – $0

    Patton Steel (from Lancaster) – $0

    Aerowire (from Lancaster) – $0

    Dick’s Sporting Goods (new) -$0

    In Shape Fitness (2 new stores) – $0

    • And Fresca II and Smart & Final which opened its big store in Palmdale while closing the old one in Lancaster. Home Town Buffet closed in Lancaster.

      Lancaster has to buy ‘friends’ while businesses that can, pick up and leave Lancaster.

      Land is cheaper in Lancaster which is probably the only reason for a company to locate there unless they get a ‘loan’ or a giveaway.

      I bet a lot of Lancaster’s small businesses would love to move to Palmdale if they could afford to and they would probably do more business.

      The future is in Palmdale. Lancaster’s BLVD is a nice curiostiy but certainly not the ‘heart of the Valley’ or the ‘premier shopping and dining’ destination. The BLVD would be great in Rosamond or Barstow but in a town of 150,000 within a valley of 500,000 it’s pretty pathetic.

  4. I don’t like the Blvd. at all. Too narrow. They need to make every other street a one way street.
    I am also uneasy being in Lancaster because of the crimes. Unless I absolutely can’t find something in Palmdale, that’s the only reason I’ll go to the other side.
    One more thing…..Palmdale deputies are much nicer and reliable.

  5. Whether the detractors on here like it or not, Lancaster is becoming a “foodies” paradise in its own right. Foodies are people that like to try authentic, home made food from a variety of ethnic and culinary perspectives and generally frown on corporate frozen food from a box.

    Especially with all of the small mom-and-pop type places that have sprung up around Lancaster in the last five years. Just on the BLVD alone, one can have El Salvadorean food, world-class and boutique wines, Chinese food, gourmet flat-bread pizza and salads (Lemon Leaf), award-winning and on-site micro-brewed beer (Kinetic), Armenian and Persian food (Olives), freshly-made juice smoothies, Old World Italian (Barone’s), baked good, cupcakes and Mexican pastries, an authentic candy shoppe, etc. Palmdale has some authentic, mom and pop ethnic restaurants as well, but not on the same scale as Lancaster. Thats’s the truth whether you like hearing it or not.

    I get a kick out of these imbeciles who come on here and bash Lancaster all of the time while trying to promote Palmdale. It’s really silly and quite frankly, stupid. Lancaster and Palmdale cater to different tastes and there’s nothing wrong with that.

    • I walked the BLVD at lunchtime on a weekday and most of the places are almost empty.

      I guess they get everything ‘To go’. And, Sundays are pretty dead.

    • i have to agree with you mike. there are a lot of good places to eat on the blvd and in palmdale. it was rex who said lancaster had no good restaurants. he was wrong about that just like he is wrong about almost everything.

    • Bahahahaha,now that’s funny,Mike. A foodies paradise indeed ! Palmdale doesn’t need to be promoted, and I have nothing against the restaurants in Lancaster,but that city is getting none of my money until they get rid of Wrecks and his cronies.

      • “Wrecks”??? I love it. I wish I’d thought of that.

        Burbank has a little over 100,000 people
        West Hollywood about 35,000
        San Fernando about 25, 000

        Lancaster has 150,000 and I bet those other smaller cities have more good places to eat.

        But, they don’t have a ‘Wrecks’ Parris to brag and brag and brag and brag like a guy who comes up short somewhere. Isn’t he the type?

        Why would anyone want to join him in the bragging?

  6. Let’s see, Bank of America is now gone on Business Ctr. Drive. That was over 1500 jobs. They’ve been laying off folks since last year and finished this month. KMart is laying off and shutting down. The Morton Mfg plant that was featured here on these pages isn’t even hiring until Jan 2014.

    Retention, lol

    • K-Mart is closing because AV Hospital stole their lease and is going to tear down turn that eye-sore building (along with that furniture store that sells crappie furniture) into a medical building complete with really big parking lot!

      • George,

        You can’t expect folks like John Q Public (Yes, another alias.. someone to scared to post with their real name..) to actually KNOW what they are talking about.

        You need to lower your expectations for the usual TheAVTimes.com trolls. ;-)

    • In al fairness, the BoA closing down, can only be blamed on bad loan practices by BoA. The Lancaster site isn’t the only one closing.

  8. Lancaster’s best gift to businesses is providing good roads for their citizens to drive to Palmdale where the good businesses are.

  9. Well, Lancaster should also get an award for leading Palmdale in crimes according to today’s Valley Press.

    So much for Rex making Lancaster safe.

      • So. Lancaster leads in total crimes in the Antelope Valley according to the front page of the Valley Press today. It didn’t say that east Palmdale led in total crimes in the Antelope Valley.

        Now, do you comprehend?

  10. well the chinese certainly think so. they have no better patsy to infiltrate our country and get up close and personal to our military facilities than the oh so willing mayor paris and his lemmings at the city. maybe north korea will be next to give them an award.

    • Business retention??? Let’s see. Fresca II and Smart and Final moved from Lancaster to Palmdale on their own, I believe, and didn’t need a loan from the city.

      Of course, Lancaster is the ‘nose bleed’ section of the Antelope Valley, so land is cheaper. I bet many small businesses would rather be in Palmdale if they could afford to and would do more business if they did. Sunday afternoon is dead on the BLVD with several restaurants closed or closed early.

      • The BLVD needs a well known chain such as Macaroni Grill, Fuddruckers, Islands Burgers, or a theater with new movies such as Regal or AMC. The small businesses out there aren’t attracting enough people.

        • The Lancaster people who come here and complain that the AV Mall is ‘corporate’, blah, blah, blah, would have to be hypocrites to welcome any big chain on the BLVD, wouldn’t they?

          • I believe that Mayor Ledford said a 5 Guys was coming to the Mall. But, I’m not sure if it will be in the left-space from the old Gottschalk’s that Dick’s will be in.