February 2015 - Antelope Valley Board of Trade

February 2015
The official news source of the
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
FEBRUARY 27, 2015 43RD BUSINESS OUTLOOK CONFERENCE
Business Outlook Conference to
Pop the Lid on Manufacturing
Southern California’s Antelope Valley region, famous for producing many of the hottest, fastest and coolest toys in the aerospace world, will open the
lid on a whole other manufacturing tool box at the 43rd annual Antelope Valley Business Outlook Conference in Lancaster, Friday, Feb. 27.
“Made in the Antelope Valley,” theme for this year’s day-long conference at the
Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster, will put the spotlight on the wide range of
growing and diversified manufacturing companies that bolster the two-county regional
economy.
The annual conference, organized by the Antelope Valley Board of Trade, is the
largest and most enduring business and industry event for the high desert and mountain region extending from Ridgecrest in southeastern Kern County to Palmdale in
northern Los Angeles County. The 2014 AV Business Outlook Conference at Mojave
Air & Space Port attracted more than 800 people, with all seats sold a week in advance.
Outlook Conference Chairman Josh Mann said this February’s event will introduce
information about only the region’s mainstay aerospace and defense industry companies, but a wide array of lesser-known manufactures creating products ranging from
custom motorcycles and aftermarket equipment to biomedical devices, high-end home
furnishings and accessories, public transportation vehicles and anti-terrorist security
installations.
“I believe investors and business decision-makers from the metropolitan areas attending this year’s conference will have an eye-opening experience,” Mann said. “The
conference traditionally stresses the tremendous potential for doing business in the
Antelope Valley. But this year especially they will see and hear the fulfillment of previous expectations for industrial growth.”
Mann said attendees will receive copies of the Greater
Antelope Valley Economic Alliance annual “Economic
Roundtable Report,” a data-packed demographic book covering the entire region, as well as up-to-date materials from
other regional sources.
A new addition to the program this year will be a report
from the Greater Antelope Valley Association of Realtors on
the current status and prospects for the region’s real estate
market, presented by Mark Troth, third generation Broker
and Co-Owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Troth,
Mark Troth
REALTORS.
continued on page 15
Inside . . .
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5
6
7
13
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19
20
Industry Growth Spurs Economy
Made in the Antelope Valley and More
Mojave Industrial Tools Digs Deep
with Hydraulics
Spaceships to Gold and Borate Made,
Mined Here
Lancaster Home for Battery-Powered
Bus Production
Valley Iron Fabricators Builds for
the Thrills
Film Industry an AV Fixture for Over
Century
Morton Manufacturing Anchors
Lancaster Business Park
GAVAR to Offer Regional Report
at Conference
Japanese Firm Builds Rail Cars in
Palmdale
Calendar of Events
Membership Update
Executive Notes
Antelope Valley
Board of Trade
Industry Growth Spurs Economy
Aerospace and defense industries were, are and will be for years to
come the Antelope Valley region’s leaders
in manufacturing employment and economic growth.
But in the shadow beneath the wings
of aerospace giants, an amazing array of
diversified wealth and job-producing companies are thriving in the same fertile, business-friendly soil and economic climate
that helped make our region world famous
as the center of aerospace research, innovation and development.
Some companies in the spotlight at
this year’s “Made in the Antelope Valley”
themed Business Outlook Conference have
been in business here for decades; others
are as new as tomorrow, but with high expectations for success.
I believe even long-time residents may
be surprised at the number and range of
products made in the Antelope Valley and
sold around the state, the nation and the
world. Visitors from outside our region will
likely be amazed.
So what’s inside the logo box stenciled
“Made in the AV”?
From California City you’ll find: Drilling
machinery from Mojave Industrial Tools;
custom-made, high end area rugs from
Creative Accents; and specialty lighting
fixture components from Fabricor Products, Inc.
Gold, silver and borate ores have been
mined in the region since the late 19th Century, and thanks to new technologies, gold
mining is making a comeback at Golden
Queen Mining’s site south of Mojave.
Mining and milling the region’s huge deposit of borate ore has been ongoing and
growing ever since the famous 20 Mule
Team wagons hauled the ore to the rail head
in Mojave Today Rio Tinto excavates and
mills the valuable, highly demanded mineral at its state-of-the-art plant in Boron.
Equally valuable to growing Southern
California are the rock, sand and gravel quarries owned and operated by Granite Construction Co. in Palmdale, and other aggregate materials providers around the region.
Executive Board
Al Hoffman, President
The Boeing Company
Josh Mann, Vice President
Mojave Partners
Lisa Moulton, Secretary
Anthony Bruneau, Treasurer
Cobb Doerfler and Associates
Scott Cummings, Past President
Bret Banks, Director-at-Large
AVAQMD
Dianne Knippel, Director-at-Large
Southern California Edison
Executive Director, Vicki Medina
Vicki Medina
Executive Director
One of the oldest industries in the region is agriculture. Whether farming is
technically an “industry” is arguable. But
the economic impact of ag products from
across the region is indisputable. The carrots, onions, tree fruits, alfalfa hay, grains,
milk, wine grapes and other crops raised
here continue to underpin the economy.
When the AV Board of Trade began
to survey the field of companies making
things across the region, we were amazed
at the number of enterprises appearing to
qualify, from employers of hundreds to
firms whose payrolls could be counted
on the fingers of one hand. And we know
from the history of Antelope Valley regional start-ups not to discount companies
opening shop in the family garage.
Two of those companies stand out
in particular for their rapid growth and
success: Vision Engineering, a familyowned company that grew to become a
leading manufacturer of high efficiency
lighting; and Precision Labs, founded in
a Palmdale garage-like space in 1995 by
Terry and Silvia Norris. Today Precision
Labs is headquartered in a 7,200-sq.-ft.
building, with a customer list numbering
in the hundreds.
Although it isn’t possible to recognize
each of the places where things are “Made
in the Antelope Valley,” I think our Business Outlook Conference visitors will see
the big picture about what industry is coming to in California these days: The space,
continued on page 14
2 • February 2015
Directors
Mike Belzil, Lockheed Martin
Gustavo Camacho, Camacho Auto Sales
Richard Caulkins, Los Angeles County
Sanitation District
Ingrid Chapman, Chapman Communications
Richard Cook, Around AV
John Currado, Allstate Financial/
Currado Insurance Inc.
Steven Derryberry, Kestler Derryberry LLP
Karina Drees, Mojave Air and Space Port
Rob Duchow, Southern California Gas Company
John Fergione
Larry Grooms
Mark Hemstreet, Hemstreet Hospitality
Harvey Holloway, Coldwell Banker
Commercial/Valley Realty
Chuck Hoey, Chuck Hoey & Associates
Kelly Kennerknecht, Kaiser Permanente
Ed Knudson, Antelope Valley College
Benjamin Maish, US Bank
Drew Mercy
Rhonda Nelson, Northrop Grumman
Terry Norris, Precision Labs
George Passantino, Passantino Andersen
Communications
Todd Porter, LAMAR Outdoor Advertising
Donald Rhea, ClancyJG International
Regina Rossall, Westside Union School District
Dr. Ken Santarelli, CSU-Long Beach Antelope Valley
Engineering Program
Bill Taylor, Granite Construction
Donna Termeer
Mark Troth, Berkshire Hathaway HomeService
Troth Realty
Stan Turner, Edwards Federal Credit Union
Angela Underwood-Jacobs, Antelope Valley Bank
Tom Weil, City Manager California City
Johnny Zamrzla, Western Pacific Roofing Company
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
is a voice — Your Voice —
for the Antelope Valley Region.
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
President’s Message
Mission Statement
The Antelope Valley Board of Trade’s
mission is “to engage in maintaining
and promoting diverse business and
industry, quality infrastructure, and
a strong legislative voice for the
benefit of its members and the
greater Antelope Valley.”
LIFETIME DIRECTORS
Janice Anderson
Clyde Bailey
Cherie Bryant
Larry Chimbole
Coleen Clutterham
Katie Corbett
Joseph Davies
Michael Dispenza
Gordon Elder
Ron Emard
Dr. Jackie Fisher
Patricia Fregoso-Cox
Roger Hemme
Aida O’Connor
Alis Clausen-Odenthal
Dr. George “Bud” Reams
Frank C. Roberts
Chris Spicher
Jack Stewart
Lew Stults
Kurt Ullman
Monna Wagner
Your comments and suggestions are
always welcomed. Send them to the
following address or by email.
The Antelope Valley Business News is a monthly
publication. The deadline to submit articles and
photos is the 15th. Submit to:
AV Board of Trade
41319 12th Street West, Suite 104
Palmdale, CA 93551
661/947.9033
Email: [email protected]
Website: avbot.org
Printer
Brian McTaggart, Four Star Printing
661/274-1896 • Fax: 661/274-0007
Editor
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Made in the Antelope Valley and More
We have arrived! It is that time again.
The 43rd annual Business Outlook Conference is later this month. For me personally,
it is really hard to believe that a year has
passed by so quickly. It really seems like
just a couple months ago we were gathered at the Mojave Air & Space Port for
our highly successful Breaking Boundaries Conference. That event was as much
about change for our organization as it was
about business, innovation, and inspiration
for our region. Change continues for this
year’s Conference, and much of it will be
readily apparent for those attending. We are
accommodating more exhibitors and vendors; we are continuing to display hardware.
This year we have returned to the AV Fairgrounds and are utilizing both the Hunter
and Van Dam Pavilions. We’ve shifted the
time just a bit, and this was done so that we
could add a true networking and social hour
at the conclusion of the BOC. This component will be a sort of post event ‘happy hour’
with some great food and beverage provided
by the Friends of the Fair.
Made in the Antelope Valley is the theme
this year. We will be showcasing the diverse assortment of products and services
that come out of our Greater Antelope Valley and are provided for use across the USA
and around the globe. It is truly amazing
what is really produced right here in our region – and believe me, it is much more than
our outstanding products and achievements
in the Aerospace and Agriculture industries.
Having some real first-hand experience
at developing, organizing, and executing
one of these Business Outlook Conferences,
I know just how laborious and taxing a task
it can be. Josh Mann and his team of volunteers on the BOCC (as I call it) or Business
Outlook Conference Committee, having
been working very hard to offer our attendees and participants the best Conference
possible. We have a great line-up. We have
great displays and exhibits. We have really
Art Thompson
inside his
office in
January.
AVBOT President
Allen Hoffman
great sponsors. It’s going to be a great Conference in 2015.
Speaking of the Conference and great…
Our 2015 Navigating Change Award recipient is just that – great. This year’s recipient is Art Thompson, a truly amazing engineer, innovator, and entrepreneur. Art is
‘significantly involved’ with three special
companies here in the AV: Sage Cheshire,
A2ZFX, and Emory Motorsports. What Art
has done, and is doing, is mind-boggling…
and very exciting. I’m really space limited
here, but I encourage everyone to check out
Art’s bio and the websites for those companies. You’ll get just a sampling of who Art
is and what he does. Art, with his companies, I suspect is better known outside our
Antelope Valley than perhaps by most of our
businesses and citizens. Because of Art’s
terrific work in aerospace. the movie and
television business, even in aero-medical
and safety, people around the world know
where Lancaster and the Antelope Valley
is…and have learned more about us.
Art is also a Vice Chairman for the Flight
Test Historical Foundation. Art has been
a driving force in the Foundation’s campaign to relocate and expand the Air Force
Flight Test Museum outside the gates of
Edwards AFB, making it accessible for all.
Art continues to work with companies and
organizations here in the US and abroad;
he speaks around the world; and creates all
of his magic right here in our backyard. So
Art Thompson with his own broad and diverse range of products that are Made in the
Antelope Valleyis our 2015 Navigating
Change Award recipient. Congratulations
Art!
continued on page 4
Antelope Valley Business News
February 2015 •
3
Mojave Industrial Tools Digs Deep with Hydraulics
California City – There are three traditional ways to put a
hole in the ground to anchor something tall: Sweat for an hour
with a pick and shovel; bring in a dump truck towing a Bobcat on
a trailer with a crew of two or three; or find two muscular souls to
wrestle a hand-held power auger, a risky venture possibly leading to litigation.
Michael C. Sellard, president & CEO of Mojave Industrial
Tools™, manufactures a growing line of hydraulic equipment
capable of drilling post holes in hard ground, not at the rate of
one per hour, but at the blistering speed of one to two minutes
apiece. And it takes a crew of one to do the job.
Sellard, with a background in electrical and mechanical engineering and a long history in manufacturing, dug into the drilling
technology business in 2008 to help the non-profit “Friends of
Jawbone” (Canyon) install thousands of signs and fences for the
federal Bureau of Land Management.
He said two-man augers would burn out people after only a
few holes. Large trucks with augers damaged the environment
and couldn’t travel narrow mountainous paths in the desert.
Small tractors had to be loaded, unloaded and reloaded all day
long since signs were so far apart.
Mojave Industrial Tools created a portable, self-contained,
truck-mounted machine with hydraulic power and hand-held
controls. They named it “The RoadWorker™, first in a growing
product line for an expanding list of applications.
The smallest RoadWorker™ fits in the bed of a ¾ ton pickup
and can be easily transferred between vehicles. The machine is
also a multi-purpose tool capable of digging, drilling, lifting,
hammering, pounding and vibrating.
“The Roadworker™” installs signs, peeler and fence posts on
BLM land; lets highway contractors repair guardrails on free-
Made in the Antelope Valley
continued from page 3
The AV Board of Trade welcomes two new Directors to its
Board. Benjamin Maish of US Bank and Mark Troth of Berkshire
Hathaway Troth Realty have been appointed to fill vacancies left
by the departure (due to career relocation) of Marta Golding Brown
and the untimely passing of Bob Johnstone. Ben and Mark are filling
terms that expire in June. However, we expect seeing them on the
forthcoming ballot for full 3 years terms. Both are great additions to
the Board of Directors. Welcome aboard Ben and Mark.
4 • February 2015
ways and even remote, narrow roads without having to close a
lane; drills holes for posts and signs and is used to install everything from trees and shrubs to street lamps, traffic signals and
outdoor basketball hoops.
Over the past half dozen years, Mojave Industrial Tools introduced three additional technically advanced machines, including the new UtilityWorker™ for bigger jobs in more markets,
adding export sales to buyers in Australia, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Singapore.
The ViperTrack™ compact pile driver, offered in three models, lets solar energy developers install PV panel supports faster,
more cost-effectively and with greater precision than ever before.
CEO Sellard said Mojave Industrial Tool’s R&D Department is
always working on improvements for customers in more markets, including Helical anchors for petroleum industry structures.
The company also offers attachments for drilling through solid
rock.
The company’s success may seem all the more remarkable in
that its first prototype was built not in a garage, but in the back
yard of a California City home, and its first expansion was into
a couple of private airplane hangars totaling 4,000 square feet at
California City Airport.
Sellard said that while his company remains small in size, the
inevitable growing pains are manageable, beginning with being
bank debt-free. The biggest challenge at the moment, he said, is
marketing and advertising budgets, coupled with the tendency
for customers want it now. It takes about three months to build a
unit. But Sellard noted the company is now beginning to build up
a limited inventory for delivery.
For more details visit online: www.mojaveindustrialtools.com.
I sincerely hope everyone has the opportunity to attend and enjoy this year’s Business Outlook Conference. For additional information and tickets please call AVBOT’s office at 661-947-9033 or
send a note to Emily at [email protected]. As always you can keep
abreast of the Board of Trade and its events and calendar by checking out www.avbot.org.
Please have a safe and fun February!
Allen Hoffman n
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Spaceships to Gold and Borate Made, Mined Here
By William Deaver
Manufacturing is playing an increasing role in the economy of East Kern, with aerospace supplementing the region’s historic mining industry.
as Calaveras Cement from 1927. The plant, like the CalPortland
operation, is served by the Union Pacific Railroad.
Mining
In September 2014, Golden Queen Mining Co. Ltd.
(TSX:GQM) (OTCQX:GQMNF) entered into a joint venture with
Gauss LLC, itself a joint venture owned 67.5% by Gauss Holdings LLC, an entity controlled by Leucadia National Corporation
(NYSE:LUK), and 32.5% by Auvergne LLC, an entity controlled
by members of the Clay family, whereby Gauss LLC invested
US$110 million in cash in exchange for a 50% joint venture interest in the Soledad Mountain Project.
With completion of financing, Golden Queen Mining Company, LLC (“GQ California”) negotiated a number of contracts
with experienced contractors for four remaining turn-key projects.
These include the crushing-screening plant, the stacking and conveying system, the Merrill-Crowe plant and the Phase 1/Stage 1
heap leach pad. The combined contracts represent approximately
$43 million of new construction commitments by GQ California.
Work on these projects commenced in early January. GQ California expects to proceed with the commissioning of its process facilities in the fourth quarter of 2015.
Delivery of a high-pressure grinding roll, a key piece of equipment, is scheduled for the third quarter of 2015.The workshopwarehouse and a number of infrastructure and site grading projects were completed in 2014. Construction of the assay laboratory
started in late 2014 and is nearing completion.
GQ California selected Komatsu equipment for the mining fleet
to be purchased through Road Machinery, LLC, authorized Komatsu distributor and equipment support services provider. Komatsu Financial will provide GQ California with a $17 million line
of credit to finance the equipment. Two pieces of earth-moving
equipment, a water truck with a capacity of 8,000 gallons and a
grader, were recently delivered to site. Road Machinery, LLC is
developing a facility in Mojave to be able to provide maintenance
support.
Construction of water and power infrastructure is under way.
The Company is committed to support of charitable, business
and economic development activities in the region, including revitalization focused on the town of Mojave. In addition, the Company has invested over half a million dollars to date in the cleanup
of the northern slopes of Soledad Mountain.
Rio Tinto Minerals’ mine and plant in Boron continues to be the
largest manufacturing operation and one of the largest employers
in the region, with 800 employees, around 200 of them engineers.
Borates mined in the largest open-pit mine in California and
one of the world’s most important sources of the material feeds
production of products used in just about every important manufacturing activity worldwide.
Borates are key ingredients in fiberglass, glass, ceramics, fertilizers, wood preservatives and hundreds of other products.
According to the company, the heart of Rio Tinto Minerals’ borates business is the Boron mine, “one of two world-class borate
deposits on the planet.”
Company founders began mining borates in 1872. What began
as an underground mine was transformed into an open pit mine in
1957.
The mule teams that hauled borates out of the company’s original mines in Death Valley to the railroad in Mojave are long gone,
but the symbol endures in the 20 Mule Team Borax® product
brand.
The Boron operation’s shipments to customers around the globe
support the only private dock at the Port of Los Angeles. Products are shipped from Boron to the docks and to customers in the
United States in trains of the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads.
Cement
Cement produced at CalPortland Cement west of Mojave and
at Lehigh Cement at Monolith near Tehachapi continue to help
build California and the southwest.
Cement from CalPortland’s Mojave operation is a key component of the more than $1 billion world class Wilshire Grand mixed
use office and hotel project in Los Angeles which will ascend
73 stories skyward topping out at 1,100 feet making it the tallest
structure west of the Mississippi River.
Cement for the structure’s foundation provided by CalPortland’s Mojave and Colton plants and Catalina Pacific Concrete
was the largest continuous concrete foundation pour in history,
amd is being used to construct the building as it rises to the sky.
The Mojave plant has also contributed cement for many other
structures in California and Nevada including Dodger Stadium
and other notable projects.
CalPortland has been an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Partner since 1996.
Lehigh Southwest Cement’s plant in Monolith was built in
1908 to supply cement for the Los Angeles aqueduct from Inyo
County to Los Angeles.
Monolith was originally known as Aqueduct and the site of the
old Aqueduct School which is now a Kern County Fire Department wildland fire station.
The Monolith plant was acquired by Lehigh Cement Group,
owned by Heidelberg Cement since 1977, in 1986 and was known
Gold Mining
Space Ships
A new generation of space vehicles and their launch aircraft
and other equipment is being manufactured at the Mojave Air and
Space Port.
Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Company and Scaled Composites are manufacturing space ships and White Knight launch aircraft in hangars and the nation’s first Federal Aviation Administration-certified commercial spaceport.
(A second SpaceShipTwo is under construction, and information is available in a short YouTube video available at: http://www.
space.com/28298-second-spaceshiptwo-under-construction-factory-video.html)
continued on page 7
Antelope Valley Business News
February 2015 •
5
Lancaster Home for Battery-Powered Bus Production
Just two years and four months after announcing
an agreement to bring two manufacturing facilities to Lancaster,
BYD Motors, a leading international firm specializing in rechargeable batteries, vehicle manufacturing and green energy technologies, rolled out two Lancaster-designed and built buses at the 2014
American Public Transportation Association Expo in Houston,
TX.
One vehicle, “The Lancaster eBus,” is a break-through, 60foot, articulated battery-electric bus that can drive 170+ miles on a
single charge with up to 120 passengers.
The second vehicle from the BYD Lancaster factories, a 40foot battery-electric transit bus tested by Antelope Valley Transit
Authority,“drove over 1,500 zero-emission miles from Los Angeles all the way to Houston for the Expo under its own power,” said
AVTA Board Chairman Norm Hickling.
AVTA tested BYD buses in the hottest parts of the 2014 summer with full air-conditioning running and 5,250 pounds of sand
bags to simulate a full passenger load, traveling up to 250 miles
per bus charge and covering almost 750 miles in 24 hours.
It was on May 1, 2013 that the city of Lancaster and BYD Motors announced the company’s decision to begin operating an electric bus manufacturing plant and an Iron-Phosphate energy module
(large-scale battery) manufacturing facility in Lancaster. The news
conference marked the first manufacturing facilities in the United
States for BYD Motors, a Los Angeles-based subsidiary of the
Chinese firm BYD Ltd Company (1211.HKE).
“We truly are making history,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “The
City of Lancaster is honored to play host to BYD, a first-rate firm
known around the globe as a leader in battery and sustainable
energy technologies. Our community looks forward to working
hand-in-hand with BYD as they develop and perfect their e-bus
and energy storage technology right here in Lancaster. The opening of not one, but two manufacturing facilities will provide local
workers with hundreds of jobs as BYD expands its operations here
in the United States, and also represents a significant investment
into our local economy and in California.”
The relationship between Lancaster and China-based BYD
(short for “Build Your Dreams”) began in 2009, when Los Angeles
County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. President, Bill Allen, introduced BYD
Motors to city officials.
The following year Supervisor Antonovich led a trade mission
to China, inviting Mayor Parris and City representatives to join
in an effort to attract firms to Lancaster. The Lancaster delegation
visited BYD headquarters in Shenzhen, China to further develop
the relationship.
BYD’s US corporate headquarters are located in Los Angeles,
while the Lancaster facilities mark the firm’s first manufacturing
facilities in North America.
BYD purchased the former Rexhall Industries recreational vehicle manufacturing facility in Lancaster for its electric bus manufacturing operations. An earlier decrease in RV demand caused
Rexhall to consolidate operations and sell its excess capacity plant.
In January the California Competes Tax Credit Committee approved tax credits totaling $3 million for BYD.
Attendees at the AV Business Outlook Conference will see
BYD buses, and see and hear a scheduled program segment featured by the City of Lancaster.
State CARB Honors Precision Labs for Achievement
The California Air Resources Board has selected
Palmdale-based Precision Labs Calibration as 2015 winner of
CARB’s Cool California Small Business of the Year Award. The
award will be presented at the California Environmental Protection Agency building in Sacramento on Feb. 12..
The award recognizes California small businesses which demonstrated measurable reductions in their greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions and documented the costs and benefits of their actions.
Last year Precision Labs Calibration became the Antelope
Valley’s first net zero electric commercial company. That means
that Precision Labs’ electric consumption, over time, is less than
or equal to the amount of electricity produced; basically the power meter will sit at zero or spin backwards.
The award closely follows national recognition Precision
Labs received on William Shatner’s “Moving America Forward”
program The presentation was on behalf of Rear Admiral Kevin
Delany’s recognition of leaders who have shown outstanding performance and tenacity in stimulating development throughout the
country.
Founded in Palmdale in 1995 by Terry and Silvia Norris,
Precision Labs is today headquartered at 644 East Rancho Vista
Blvd., with a 7,200 square foot building just south of the Lockheed Martin complex, 14 employees, and a customer list number-
6 • February 2015
ing in the hundreds. The service area is from Canada to Central
America, with worldwide customers.
Precision Labs calibrates equipment for the aerospace, medical, manufacturing and automotive industries, among others. The
company is certified to ISO 17025.
From the start, Terry and Silvia recognized that Antelope Valley was quite affordable, and located near Los Angeles. These
conditions were ideal for the location of their calibration lab.
After 18 years, the company can look back and see that its
humble beginnings from a garage size lab in no way foretold
its current corporate abilities. The bullet-proof glass, multiple
security systems with video and layered entrances protect the
customers’ equipment from physical threats. Layering of entrances also enhances the temperature stability afforded the three
temperature zones, each uniquely designed to enhance measurements, as do the nine separate laboratories within the building.
The leadership of Precision Labs Calibration also strongly
supports the local community. CFO Silvia Norris is treasurer of
the AV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. CEO Terrance Norris
is the President of the AV Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a
director on the AV Board of Trade.
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Valley Iron Fabricators Builds for the Thrills
Valley Iron Fabricators-Erectors, Inc. specializes
in the fabrication and installation of structural and miscellaneous
steel. Since 1981 the Lancaster based company covered jobs ranging from the open pit mines of US Borax, to aerospace industry
plant modifications, to many of the world’s wildest and most exotic amusement park rides.
Founder and CEO John Topor’s more than three decades of experience in fabrication and erection, combined with his leadership
team’s more than 100 cumulative years of experience, put Valley
Iron Fabricators in the record books for its roles in creating enormous and enormously popular thrill rides.
Valley Iron Fabricators-Erectors, Inc. has worked on some of
the world’s best roller coasters including Guinness Book recordholders: Fastest Roller Coaster- Superman the Escape at Six
Flags Magic Mountain; Biggest Looping Roller Coaster – Viper
Spaceships to Gold
at Six Flags Magic Mountain; Fastest Launched Coaster: Superman the Escape; and Fastest Stand-up Roller Coaster - Riddler’s
Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Beyond the list of record-holders, VIF thrill ride projects extend
to other theme parks in California, Florida, Georgia and Texas,
with foreign projects erected in Belgium and South America.
Perhaps slightly less thrilling, but important to the bottom-line,
Valley Iron Fabricators does aerospace industry facility modifications, CBC pre-engineered steel buildings, structural metal
framing,structural steel erection, sheeting, siding and decking,
millwright work, public works and project planning and management.
Valley Iron Fabrictors-Erectors, Inc. is located at 42328 ½ 10th
Street West in Lancaster. For information: www.valleyfe.com.
continued from page 5
A short distance from Virgin’s “FAITH” (Final Assembly, Integration, and Test Flight Hangar) hangar, Stratolaunch Systems,
a Paul G., Allen Company, is building what will be the largest
airplane in the world when it is completed.
The huge aircraft will be used to launch vehicles on flights into
low earth orbit at lower cost with greater safety and more flexibility.
The Stratolaunch air launch system is made up of four primary
elements: a launch aircraft, a multi-stage booster developed by
partner Orbital Sciences, a mating and integration system, and an
orbital payload. Initial efforts will focus on unmanned payloads;
however, human flights will follow as safety, reliability, and operability are demonstrated.
The carrier aircraft, built by Scaled Composites, weighs more
than 1.3 million pounds and has a wingspan of over 380 feet, the
same length as a football field. Using six 747 engines, the carrier
aircraft will be the largest aircraft ever constructed.
Other Aerospace Firms
Several other firms are busy at the Mojave Air and Space Port
including XCOR Aerospace and Masten Space Systems.
Both are developing vehicles and hardware that can eventually
be manufactured following successful flight testing. Masten has
already won the first place, $1 million award X-Prize competition
for building a lander vehicle capable of making a simulated landing and liftoff on the Moon with their Xoie vehicle.
XCOR is close to flying their Lynx two-place spacecraft which
is being constructed at their Mojave hangar while the engine is
tested at the airport/spaceport’s rocket engine test facility which
have hosted more rocket engine tests than any other place on the
planet.
Incotec
Based at the Mojave Air and Space Port, Incotec is a world
leader in coating application and has supplied fastener coatings to
the global aerospace supply chain for over 20 years.
Incotec’s customers rely on the firm to continuously create innovative products for the future.
Antelope Valley Business News
The Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 are great examples of this;
Incotec has been working closely with these companies to come
up with state-of-the-art coating solutions for composite structures.
The company partners with Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed, Bombardier, Goodrich, Comac, and Northrop to produce materials to meet
their needs.
Incotec employs a full time research and development staff with
over 100 years of experience in the aerospace coatings industry,
producing materials capable of spraying to tolerances of .0001 of
an inch.
PPG Aerospace
Located just south of Mojave, PPG Aerospace produces a large
percentage of the aircraft coatings and sealants for the aircraft industry.
Customers have included the Space Shuttle, whose pilots have
visited the modern and spotlessly-clean facility to express their appreciation to PPG employees.
TriCal Chemicals
Located south of Mojave, TriCal Chemicals (formerly Niklor)
is a distributor and applicator of soil conditioning and fumigation
products with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, including California’s important strawberry industry.
For more than 50 years TriCal has helped provide a beneficial
soil environment for American farmers to produce healthy and
bountiful crops that feed our nation.
Kemira Water Solutions Inc.
Kemira Water Solutions Inc. is a unit of Kemira Group, the
global leader in coagulants for water treatment chemicals.
The Mojave plant, located just north of town on Highway 14,
manufactures products that provide chemicals for municipal water treatment and industrial solutions. The range of solutions covers drinking water and waste water treatment as well as sludge
treatment
February 2015 •
7
8 • February 2015
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Antelope Valley Business News
February 2015 •
9
10 • February 2015
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Antelope Valley Business News
February 2015 •
11
12 • February 2015
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Film Industry an AV Fixture for Over Century
Since silent film makers shot a “Keystone Cops”
movie on location in Red Rock Canyon north of Mojave in
the first decade of the 1900s, the desert and mountain Antelope
Valley region has been in the movie business, and then the TV
series business, and the TV commercial business, the still camera advertising and art business, the rock music video business
and onward to online content.
Records from the regional film offices in Bakersfield and
Lancaster, which help and expedite on-location shooting
throughout North Los Angeles and Southeastern Kern County,
assure that year-in and year-out for more than a century, entertainment and advertising media producers have mined the
Greater Antelope Valley for its wealth of scenic images, and
then exported those images to audiences around the world.
Every community in the region has appeared in film or television at some point over the past century. Red Rock Canyon
where it all began has been depicted as being in Texas, Colorado, the Middle East, Planet Mars, and Hell, among other locations. Vasquez Rocks, just off the SR-14 Freeway south of
Acton, has been the setting for western cowboy shoot-em-ups,
countless FBI TV chases and the classic duel to the death between Star Trek’s Capt. Kirk and the evil reptilian Gorn.
Pauline East, who heads the Antelope Valley Film office for
the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, noted that the region’s
role as Hollywood’s back lot has changed over the decades, especially in the category of feature films which tend to offer more
production days, hence larger economic benefit to the region.
Part of the decline in feature films is owed to runaway production from Hollywood to other states and even overseas. Another
factor is advancement in green screen technology which allows
locations to be created digitally.
Still, feature film work in the Antelope Valley region continues. East reported that the area she serves benefited from 185
feature film projects from 2009 through 2014.
For the 2013-14 fiscal year, 49 feature films did work in the
AV over 125 production days.
East said the AV Film Office area’s year-over-year report for
all mediums increased slightly, thanks to increases in television
series and commercials. The most recent report shows:
Production Breakdown:
FY 2013-2014
# Of Projects
Production Days
Commercials
49
69
Television
30
52
Features
49
125
Still Photography
115
148
Music Videos
44
54
Miscellaneous
47
89
Total:
334
537
continued on page 16
Antelope Valley Business News
February 2015 •
13
Morton Manufacturing Anchors Lancaster Business Park
In November 2013 well-established aerospace industry fasteners-maker Morton Manufacturing hosted a celebration for the
grand opening of its new 88,000-sq.-ft., plant constructed from
the ground-up on a 10.06-acre parcel in the Lancaster Business
Park.
Launched in 1967, Morton Manufacturing specializes in the
production of nickel-alloy bolts for gas-turbine aircraft engines.
The firm, whose client list includes such companies as General
Electric, Pratt Whitney and Rolls Royce, began seeking a new
location in 2011 when incoming orders began to greatly outstrip
the production capacity of their Santa Clarita facility.
With approximately 40 percent of its existing workforce already residing in the Antelope Valley, Morton Manufacturing’s
search for a new site quickly led them to Lancaster.
“Our search for the ideal location for our new state-of-the-art
manufacturing facility led us to the City of Lancaster, and we
are very glad it did!” exclaimed Yolanda Morton, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Morton Manufacturing. “We greatly
appreciate the business-friendly environment and consideration
shown to us by all staff members at City Hall. It is a pleasure
working with a city so dedicated to making all-encompassing
transitions such as ours easy. We are excited to now be member
of the City of Lancaster business community.”
With the opening, Morton Manufacturing provided 350 Antelope Valley jobs, including 220 existing employees and an expected 130 new positions for local workers.
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said, “In the midst of a recession and ensuing economic challenges, Lancaster and Morton Manufacturing have succeeded in facilitating a partnership
which will reap tremendous benefits for both the business and
our community.” He added, “Morton now has the room it needs
to grow and we are thrilled to be their new home. Their arrival
marks only the beginning of a new wave of manufacturing here
in Lancaster, as well as an incredible employment opportunity
for our local residents.”
The type of base manufacturing jobs Morton Manufacturing
provides are highly sought after by local municipalities. Considered “wealth inducing,” these positions create new wealth in an
economy. In fact, according to the Manufacturing Institute, every
dollar generated by the sale of a manufactured product supports
$1.40 in output from other sectors. This is much more beneficial
than money simply trading hands, as occurs in the retail and service sectors.
Lancaster Vice Mayor Marvin Crist said. “Manufacturing jobs
induce service jobs at an estimated 3 to 1 ratio. As such, Morton
Manufacturing’s move should not only bring 350 manufacturing
jobs to Lancaster, but also result in a significant number of additional service sector jobs. In all, this move should result in a total
local economic impact of up to 1,200 jobs.”
Lance Camper Celebrates 50th Year
Lance Camper, headquartered in Lancaster,
specializes in the manufacture of recreational vehicles – including truck campers, compact travel trailers and toy haulers.
Launched in 1965 in the San Fernando Valley by two cousins, President Jack Cole sought to relocate in the mid-1990s
when the rapidly expanding firm outgrew its site. Cole selected
Lancaster based on its business-friendly atmosphere, affordability, and abundant room for growth. Lance Camper now
occupies 20 acres in the Lancaster Business Park, including a
manufacturing facility and a separate parts and service facility. The firm has doubled its employee base since relocating to
Lancaster in 1997.
Lance Camper prides itself on its unique engineering. Lightweight, yet strong design, as well as energy efficiency, set Lance
apart from the competition. To achieve this one-of-a-kind design,
the firm imports a number of materials, including light-ply from
Europe. This material allows Lance to build lightweight, yet incredibly strong cabinetry in its recreational vehicles, thus facilitating transit while also enhancing functionality and durability.
Lance was one of the first RV companies to truly incorporate
CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines in the manufacturing process, and continues to invest in new CNC machines
that offer the latest in technology. CNC machines allow unmatched precise and repeatable cutting of a variety of materials
that go into the building of RVs.
14 • February 2015
Since its opening in 1965, Lance Camper has grown to be
known as America’s most popular truck camper. Many of those
early models are still on the road in testament to the company’s
philosophy that Quality Comes First. Now Lance is making
its mark with travel trailers that are quickly becoming the new
ultra-light towable of choice, and most recently with the latest,
“No Compromises” toy haulers.
Lance manufactures from a State-of-the-Art Production Facility - a 141,000 square foot, 22 acre campus - campus because Lance continues to learn from its dealers and from every
customer who provides ongoing feedback for improvement and
new product design.
Ideas born from this process include LanceLock™, the use
of Azdel™, Lite-Ply™ and the removal of all Mercury, making
for an eco-friendly, toxin-free RV
Consumers Digest awarded the entire Lance line their highest rating, and Lance Camper recently received its 12th RV
Dealers Association DSI Quality Circle Award, to RV manufacturers that demonstrate achievement in product quality and
dealer service and are best in the industry.
Lance Camper Manufacturing Corporation is celebrating its
50th anniversary this year with the release of 2015 models.
To learn more about Lance visit: www.lancecamper.com.
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
BOC Pops the Lid on Manufacturing
continued from page 1
Included among the day’s keynote speakers will
be an Antelope Valley-focused economic forecast
from Bill Watkins, Ph.D., Executive Director of California Lutheran University’s Center for Economic
Research and Forecasting.
Headlining the program of keynote speakers will
be actor and American manufacturing advocate John
Ratzenberger, who followed his fame as postal carrier Cliff on the long-running TV series hit “Cheers”
by hosting the five-season-long TV show “Made in
Bill Watkins, Ph.D.,
John Ratzenberger
Wally Amos
America.”
Nationally known cookie king “Famous” Wally Amos will deliver the inspirational keynote address with remarks on how he came
back from business adversity.
Outlook Conference doors open at 7:30 a.m. for registration, networking and a healthy breakfast. The program is schedule to begin
at 8 a.m. with luncheon buffet at noon. Following the formal program completion at 3:30 p.m., attendees are being invited to remain for
an hour-long reception hosted by Friends of the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.
For ticket reservations and information, visit the Antelope Valley Board of Trade website, www.avbot.org email [email protected] or
call the board office (661) 947-9033.
GAVAR to Offer Regional Report at Conference
A new feature at the Antelope Valley Business Outlook
Conference this year will be a regional real estate report from
the Greater Antelope Valley Association of Realtors.
Presenting the program report will be Mark Troth, a practicing Realtor in the Antelope Valley for over 32 years and a
third generation Broker and Co-Owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Troth, REALTORS.
Troth REALTORS has been located in the Antelope Valley
since 1957 and currently has over 70 Associates affiliated with
the firm.
Mark has been President of the Greater Antelope Valley
Association of Realtors, twice having been named the Association’s Broker of the Year and in addition receiving the
U.S. Pole Products Light Up Night
An early benefactor of Palmale’s go-to attitude was U.S.
Pole Company, Inc., a key manufacturer or outdoor lighting under
the U.S. Architectural Lighting and Sun Valley Lighting brands.
U.S. Pole came to Palmdale in 2002, opening a $4 million,
105,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on Avenue O. The company currently has a 157 person Palmdale-based skilled workforce.
U.S. Pole founder and President was quoted as saying about
the decision to expand its manufacturing operations to the Antelope Valley: “Palmdale is the right place for us. It has a vibrant
workforce; it’s a growing community, and most importantly, it’s
a livable community.”
U.S. Pole Company, Inc. has been making quality products for
Industry Growth
Association’s President’s “Award of Excellence.”
Mark has also served the community as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Lancaster, Chairman of the Board
for the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, and a member of
Citizen’s Oversight committees for both the Antelope Valley
Union High School District and Antelope Valley College.
Mark currently serves on the Board of Directors for the
Antelope Valley Fair Association and as Treasure for the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Director of the AV
Board of Trade.
Mark and his wife Jodie are parents of two grown daughters and two grown step-sons.
the Outdoor Lighting Industry for 30 years. They are a prime Manufacturer. Every product they market is made in their factories.
U.S. Pole designs, engineers,tools, manufactures, finishes, assembles and ships from their Palmdale factories and this complete manufacturing capability (the most complete in the USA)
gives the Company the ability to achieve its goal to be the best
Outdoor Lighting Manufacturer in this country.
U.S. Pole products stand the test of time through their electro
statically applied, multi step finishing process which provides a
durable weather resistant finish coat to enhance the products appearance both at initial installation and through years after.
Today, the U.S. Pole Company, Inc. remains committed to
founding principles of vertical integration of product diversity
and of manufacturing everything in the United States.
continued from page 2
the workforce, the affordability, the lifestyle and the businessfriendly climate of the north Los Angeles and southeastern Kern
County region we call the Antelope Valley.
Antelope Valley Business News
Enjoy the conference. Tell us what you think. And please feel
free to get involved and stay involved.
February 2015 •
15
Japanese Firm Builds Rail Cars in Palmdale
Kinkisharyo International, a world leader in rail car
production, is doing final assembly work on 78 cars for the Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO) in a Site 9 hangar at Palmdale Regional Airport leased from
Los Angeles World Airports. Additional leased hangar space is
expected to provide for manufacturing operations.
The first pilot car was delivered to Metro in October, 2014,
with final assembly underway on a second unit. The company
expects to have about 250 employees at the Palmdale facility.
Full production on the 78 cars was expected to start this spring.
Kinkisharyo International, the El Segundo-based U.S. arm of
Kinki Sharyo Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, received a contract in
2012 from Metro for an order of 78 light rail cars, and options for
an additional 97 cars. If options for another 60 cars are exercised
by the Metro board the total contract with Kinkisharyo would be
about $890 million.
In a letter Palmdale’s Director of Economic Development,
Kinkisharyo General Manager for Program Donald S. Boss wrote,
“We look forward to partnering with the City and the opportunity
to develop a long term working relationship. On behalf of all of
us at Kinkisharyo, we thank you for your patience and appreciate
the effort that you and your team went through to make this deal
happen. We will be proud to call Palmdale our new home.”
“This is a monumental project for Palmdale and the Antelope
Valley as a whole,” said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, adding, “I
believe this is just the beginning of a manufacturing renaissance
here in the Antelope Valley.”
Kinkisharyo’s other clients include Boston’s MBTA, New
Jersey’s Hudson-Bergon Light Rail and Newark City Subway,
San Jose’s VTA Light Rail, Seattle’s Sound Transit Central Link
Light Rail. Dallas’ Dart Light Rail, Hong Kong’s KowloonCanton Railway, Singapore’s Mass Transit System, Japan Rail
Group, Philippine’s Manila Light Rail Transit System, UAE’s
Dubai Metro, Egypt’s Cairo Metro and the Trans-Australian Express train coaches.
For more information, contact Palmdale’s Economic Development and Communications Department at 661-267-5125.
For more information on the company, visit
www.kinkisharyo-usa.com.
Vision Engineering Has its Name in Lights
Founded in Palmdale as a metal stamping company in
1997, family-owned Vision Engineering experienced exponential growth, hitting the fast lane in 2010 when new contracts
from lighting Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
prompted the company to vastly expand its plant, with enthusiastic city support.
Home-grown Vision Engineering became a leader in developing and manufacturing affordable, high efficiency lighting
components emerging from its patented Coining technology.
Coining, or cold forming, is a process in the forging industry
where 3 dimensional shapes can be formed to exacting tolerances. Vision Engineering has developed this technology and
applied it to lighting. Using their technology, multiple geometric surfaces can be created to control the distribution of the light
resulting in extremely uniform solutions.
Film Industry
Company President Henry Avila notes that continuous research keeps Vision Engineering dedicated to maintaining the
highest standards in next generation LED technology. Each innovative luminaire is designed to incorporate quality and efficiency in one comprehensive lighting solution while maintaining affordability and minimal energy use.
Vision Engineering’s products illuminate a seemingly unlimited list of applications, including freeway exit signs,
billboards,supermarket refrigerators, business offices, factory
floors, homes, airliner cabins and entertainment industry studios.
Vision Engineering’s headquarters and plant is located at 114
Grand Cypress Avenue in Palmdale. The website is: www.visionengineering.com
continued from page 13
On-location filming in the Los Angeles area increased 9.6 percent last year with television dramas showing the biggest leap, according to a report by FilmL.A.
Television was the bright spot for on-location filming with an
overall increase of 12.2 percent in shoot days. One-hour dramas
recorded the highest jump at 28 percent, followed by television
pilots with a 15.4 percent increase. Sitcom filming was down 26.7
percent.
The report concluded that the state’s film and television tax
credits played a big part in keeping television production in the
16 • February 2015
Los Angeles area. Out of 26 cable series filming in the state last
year, half received the tax credit.
Commercial filming also increased 9 percent, with commercials made for web distribution growing in particular.
The report said, “Increased broadband connectivity, coupled
with the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other media
consumption devices, has created promising new opportunities for
online advertising.”
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Full Service Printer Who Can Satisfy All Your Printing Needs
Your University in Your Community
CSUB-AV
ANTELOPE VALLEY
43909 30th Street West
Lancaster, California 93536
(661) 952-5000 FAX (661) 952-5126
email: [email protected]
www.csub.edu/AV
Paul Kinison
Publisher
Largest Publisher of Military Base Papers in Western U.S.
(661) 945-5634
Fax (661) 723-7757
456 East Ave. K-4, Suite 8
Lancaster, CA 93535
Web address: aerotechnews.com • E-Mail: [email protected]
GEORGE “Bud” REAMS
Property Manager
MONTE VISTA BUILDING SITES, INC.
661-272-2355
www.hoffmannhospice.org
Download our new app on android or apple for more information.
Antelope Valley Business News
(661) 942-0435
Fax: 942-7485
email: [email protected]
42220 10th St. W. Ste. 101
Lancaster, CA 93534
February 2015 •
17
James W. M. Charlton
Living Trust, Business
& Real Estate Law
1031 W. Ave. M-14, Ste. A
Palmdale, CA 93551
661-265-0969
800-388-9878
fax 661-265-1650
[email protected]
Based in the AV since 1995
Your Local Source for IT / Computer Support
Low Voltage Design/Deployment
1041 West Ave. M-14, Suite B
Palmdale, Ca. 93551
661.272.9999 Ext. 105
18 • February 2015
Barzin Omidi, CEO
Antelope Valley Board of Trade
Calendar of Events
February 2015
February 3
February 4
February 5
February 10
February 11
February 12
February 13
February 17
February 18
February 24
February 26
February 27
11:30 AM Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber Luncheon, Hilton Garden Inn, Palmdale, 538-0607
5:30 PM California City Council, City Hall, Council Chambers, 760-373-8661
11:30 AM Quartz Hill Chamber Luncheon, Cascades at Rancho Vista Golf Course, 722-4811
7:00 PM Palmdale City Council, City Hall, 267-51511
3:30 PM JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING, Fire Training Facility, 947-9033
8:30 AM HEALTHCARE COMMITTEE MEETING, AV Partners for Health, 947-9033
3:30 PM JOINT EDUCATION COMMITTEE/MSET CONSORTIUM MEETING, AVROP, Palmdale, 947-9033
4:00 PM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING, AVBOT Office, 947-9033
5:00 PM Lancaster City Council, City Hall, 723-6000
11:30 AM Lancaster Chamber Luncheon, JP Eliopulos Hellenic Center, 948-4518
8:00 AM TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE MEETING, AVTA, 947-9033
9:30 AM AEROSPACE COMMITTEE MEETING, AVTA, 947-9033
11:30 AM Antelope Valley African American Chamber Luncheon, Hilton Garden Inn, Palmdale, 272-5807
7:30 AM BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S MEETING, Antelope Valley College, 947-9033
12:00 PM Tehachapi Chamber Luncheon, Veteran’s Hall, 822-4180
5:30 PM California City Council, City Hall, Council Chambers, 760-373-8661
11:30 AM Palmdale Chamber Luncheon, Cascades at Rancho Vista Golf Course, 273-3232
11:30 AMNO BUSINESS BRIEFING LUNCHEON
5:00 PM Lancaster City Council, City Hall, 723-6000
4:00 PMNO PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING COMMITTEE MEETING
11:30 AM Mojave Chamber Luncheon, Mariah Inn, Mojave, 824-2481
8:00 AM 43RD ANNUAL BUSINESS OUTLOOK CONFERENCE, AV Fairgrounds, 947-9033
12:00 PMNO MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING
(Area Code 661 unless otherwise noted)
Rio Tinto Minerals Back Bobcats - Rio Tinto
Minerals are very pleased to share the news about
the Boron High School Football team. The Boron
Bobcats were finalists in the NFL Together we
Make Football competition and won a trip to the
Super Bowl. The Bobcats are a small team of 23
players from a school with only 160 students. They
may only have a small squad but they have big
hearts, and the country rallied behind them to send
them to the Super Bowl at the University of Phoenix
Stadium in Glendale, Az. on Feb. 1. Rio Tinto
Minerals are proud supporters of Boron Junior/
Senior High School through sponsorship, donations, scholarships, grants and volunteers. In 2014, the value of support
totaled more than $35,000. The company and the community encouraged colleagues, friends and relatives from around
the world to get behind the Bobcats by going online and voting. Representatives of the team will be guests of Rio Tinto
Minerals at the Business Outlook Conference on Feb. 27.
Antelope Valley Business News
February 2015 •
19
ANTELOPE VALLEY BOARD OF TRADE
41319 12th Street West, Suite 104
Palmdale, CA 93551
(661) 947-9033
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.avbot.org
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PA I D
EZ DIRECT
MISSION STATEMENT
The Antelope Valley Board of Trade’s mission is
“to engage in maintaining and promoting diverse
business and industry, quality infrastructure, and
a strong legislative voice for the benefit of its
members and the greater Antelope Valley.”
Membership Update
new members and renewing members! Thank you for your support of the Antelope
Valley Board of Trade who continues to be the Voice — Your Voice — of our Valley. We look forward to seeing you
at the Business Luncheons held monthly on the 4th Tuesday.
NEW MEMBER: BUSINESS
Made to Order
Kevin Sanders
4083 West Avenue L #380
Lancaster, CA 93534
718-8844
www.madetoorder.com
National E&S Ins. Brokers, Inc.
Driscoll & Driscoll Insurance
Ross Driscoll Sr.
41235 11th Street West
Palmdale, CA 93551
266-4444
www.nationaleands.com
www.driscollanddriscoll.com
RENEWALS: BUSINESS
Advanced Printing and Graphics
Chris Tombaugh
244 East Avenue K-10, Suite 105
Lancaster, CA 93535
948-1114
www.apg4u.com
Antelope Valley Florist
Chris Spicher
1302 West Avenue J
Lancaster, CA 93534
948-6006
www.avflorist.com
AV Chevrolet
Lou Gonzales
1160 West Motor Lane
Lancaster, CA 93534
952-2300
www.avchevy.com
AV Transit Authority (ATVA)
Julie Austin
42210 6th Street West
Lancaster, CA 93534
945-9445
www.avta.com
Berkshire Hathaway Energy
Paulette Rush
15637 Avenue A
Rosamond, CA 93560
749-0936
www.berkshirehathawayenergyco.com
AV Resource Conservation District
Richard Campbell
44811 Date Ave., Suite G
Lancaster, CA 93534
945-2604
www.avrcd.org
Edwards Federal Credit Union
Stan Turner
10 South Muroc Drive
Edwards AFB, CA 93524
258-4407
www.edwardsfcu.org
Choices in Learning
Bernie Longjohn
41307 12th Street West
Bernard Longjohn
Palmdale, CA 93551
265-0096
Choicesinlearning.com
Lancaster School District
Michele Bowers
44711 North Cedar Avenue
Lancaster, CA 93534
948-4661
www.lancsd.org
Southern California Edison
Dianne Knippel
42060 10th Street West
Lancaster, CA 93534
726-5608
www.sce.com
RENEWALS: ORGANIZATIONS
Av Conservancy
Wendy Reed
PO Box 3133
Quartz Hill, CA 93536
943-9000
www.avconservancy.org
Antelope Valley Film Office
Pauline East
4319 W Avenue L6
Lancaster, CA 93536
510-4231
www.acfilm.com
Desert Mountain Resource
Conservation and Development
Council
Alice Lauritzen
1259 E. Ridgecrest Blvd, Suite, #7
Ridgecrest, CA 93555
760-446-1974
www.desertmountaincandd.org
The Palmdale Aerospace Academy
Matt Winheim
38060 20th Street East
Palmdale, CA 93550
273-3680
www.palmdalesd.org/TPAA
United Way
Sue Porter
42283 10th Street West, Suite 103
Lancaster, CA 93534
874-4282
www.unitedwayla.org
RENEWALS: INDIVIDUAL
Honorable Judge Richard E. Spann
(retired)
Larry Grooms