SCVEDC Welcomes New Board Members and Co-Chair

BY HOLLY SCHROEDER President and CEO of the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp.

The 52-member Board of Directors for the SCVEDC comprises dedicated community members from the private and public sectors across numerous industries and organizations, including: aerospace and defense, commercial and residential real estate, utilities, finance, education, film and entertainment, advanced manufacturing and more. This unique publicprivate partnership represents a united effort of these regional industries and government leaders, working together to attract, retain and expand a diversity of businesses in our valley.

Although many of our board members are long-time participants, occasionally there is some shuffling of seats as space opens up or the point of contact is changed for an organization. On Jan. 19, the board of directors approved longtime board member John Shaffery, managing partner of Poole Shaffery, to step into

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the role of board co-chair as successor to Roger Seaver. Seaver has served as co-chair for the SCVEDC alongside Calvin Hedman, president of Hedman Partners, since early 2018 and previously announced his plans to retire sometime in 2023.

Stepping into the role after a unanimous vote, John Shaffery brings over 30 years of civil litigation experience and was a founding principle in creating the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp. over 11 years ago. Shaffery’s strong business development experience and passion for regional economic development continue to be vital to SCVEDC’s efforts and brings an ideal background to step into this critical role of co-chair.

Our board is also pleased to welcome five more members to the board. The first inclusions to the board are new faces – Jeff Warmoth, partner at Island View Ventures LLC. and Dennis Verner, general manager of the recently citycontracted Burrtec Waste Industries. Senior Vice President of Global Banking and Markets David Molnar has stepped in as the representative for Bank of America. We are also thrilled to welcome back to the board Bruce Munster, managing director at Merrill Lynch. The final and newest addition, Stephanie Wallace, was also confirmed at last week’s meeting. Stephanie is the director of business development at local print and direct mail marketing firm Mellady Direct Marketing, which has served the businesses of our valley for over 30 years.

The SCVEDC’s overarching goals are to support the creation of high-paying jobs for our trained workforce, stimulate economic activity that grows the regional tax base, and strategically position the SCV and its businesses to better compete in the global economy. SCVEDC offers many services and resources to local businesses to help the access tax credits and incentives, workforce development and training, provides vital data and information, and connects companies for networking and peer support. For more information or assistance, contact us at 661-288-4400 or email info@scvedc.org.