BRAID NEWS
Business Retention Attraction In Downey
Volume 3, Issue 1 Winter - Spring 1997
Oldest McDonald's Re-Opened in Downey
Gateway Cities - Working Together
Construction Up in Downey
Street Faire '97
Largest Employers in LA County
Museum Brings Art to Downey
Home Brew Shop Opens in Downey
The California Economy: Top 10 Reasons to be Optimistic
Spearman Hard at Work
Committee Members
Mission Statement
Oldest McDonald's Re-Opened in Downey
All eyes were on Downey when the world's oldest "Speedee" McDonald's reopened
to international media attention. Several events were staged at the 43
year-old site, the oldest in the worldwide chain of 20,000 restaurants and
the last one with red-and-white striped tile exterior. After opening in
1953, it immediately became the standard for fast food franchises across
the country. The building and its 60 foot high neon sign with "Speedee
the Chef" are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic
Places. Employees wear 50's style uniforms of paper hats, white shirts
and bolo ties. The restaurant serves the original menu of hamburgers,
cheeseburgers, fries and old fashioned milkshakes. You can get more recent
McDonald's items such as Big Macs and Happy Meals.
As promised, McDonald's reopened the facility as it was with walkup windows
and outdoor seating. They also constructed an 850 square foot addition
housing a museum, gift shop, rest rooms and more outdoor seats.
Gateway Cities - Working Together
Led by the City of Downey, the cities of Southeast Los Angeles County the
Gateway Cities are learning to act regionally to compete globally.
Leaders of the region recently formed the Gate-way Cities Council of
Governments. This action-focused partnership among industries and cities
will study and resolve the region's challenges and overcome the economic
crisis that has afflicted the region. By uniting as a group, the region
will have more political clout to obtain federal funds for programs.
Twenty of the 27 cities have joined. The Gateway Cities combine to form a
region that is equal in size to some of America's largest areas. With over
700,000 jobs, the region accounts for 20 percent of all jobs in greater
Los Angeles. From 1988 to 1994, 260,000 manufacturing jobs dis-appeared
in Los Angeles County. Many of them concentrated in durable
manufacturing industries that have traditionally called the Gateway
Cities home. The Gateway Cities began by taking a comprehensive look at
the structure of its industrial economy. Groups of industries were
brought together with regional "supplier" institutions (utilities,
colleges, environmental agencies) to develop "user-driven" strategies to
address bottom-line problems. Industry groups from the region meet with
community stakeholders. These groups include aerospace and metals;
energy; transportation and distribution; and fashion, apparel and
textiles. This gives them the opportunity to express and hear each
other's needs, explore the competitive challenges they face, consider
their vision of the future and willingness to develop initial practical
steps together.
Working individually and together, businesses and
public sector leaders have now defined a set of economic objectives.
These are supported by a new under-standing of how to apply the region's
strengths and to innovatively meet market requirements.
Regional Objectives
- Improve the region's economy
- Advocate funding for transportation projects
- Provide leadership in achieving the goals of clean air and a robust
economy
- Perform required sub-regional planning by monitoring a database which
provides numerous funding sources.
Construction Up in Downey
Construction activity rocketed from $19 million in 1995 to nearly $47
million in 1996. This reverses several years of slow growth after
activity peaked at nearly $44 million in 1991. This growth was fueled
by several large projects such as the Ralph's Market Complex, Home Depot
and Sears. Other projects currently under construction include a
three-story Kaiser addition, the City's Senior Center/Gymnasium project,
a four-level downtown parking structure and a 10-screen theater complex.
Projects scheduled to be built in 1997 include an Office Max, Sav-On
Drug and a large Kaiser Permanente tenant improvement. Construction
activity for Downey is looking very good for the next several years
Street Faire '97
Downey is in full swing with the computer age. "Roland the Running PC"
will be at the Economic Development Booth for the Downey Avenue Street
Faire on May 3rd. Computers will be available for people to view the
Gateway Cities Web Page and see the amount of information available via
the internet. Another part of the booth will demonstrate the GIS
(Geographic Information System) program the city is currently using to
map the downtown area. Eventually, staff will be able to click on a
property and get information on the parcel size, owner, zoning and current
land use.
Largest Employers in LA County
Aerospace and defense firms still remain among LA County's largest
employers with Hughes Aircraft in first place. Boeing North American's
9,200 employees (formerly Rockwell International) includes 3,200 at
their Downey facility (LA Business Journal, 1996).
Museum Brings Art to Downey
For 40 years, the Downey Museum of Art has provided the residents of
Downey a showcase of work from local and national artists. The latest
exhibit, "National Watercolor Society," runs from March 13 thru April 27.
The art museum, which hosts a wide variety of exhibitions from national
tours to local competitions, is the only one between Downtown Los Angeles
and Long Beach. Its permanent collection includes hundreds of items
donated and acquired over the years with a special emphasis on the
artwork of Southern California. Many of them are from nationally
recognized artists.
The museum has the largest collection of Los Angeles
artist Boris Deutsch's work outside New York's Museum of Modern Art. To
make the museum better known to Downey residents, new Executive Director
Janice Ledgerwood wants to start an Educational Outreach program in
Downey schools where local artists would teach art to children and
seniors. Individuals, corporate donations and grants help fund the
museum's operations. There are also nearly 400 "museum supporters" made
up of students, residents and businesses. Downey Museum of Art is
located at 10419 Rives Avenue in Furman Park. Hours are Wednesday
thru Sunday, 12 - 5 p.m. For more information, call (562) 861-0419.
Home Brew Shop Opens in Downey
If you are looking for a unique business, "Brewer's Rendezvous" in Downtown
Downey is definitely the place. Owner and long time Downey resident Robert
Johnson opened the "home brew shop" last August. Johnson's interest in
beer making started as a hobby nine years ago. The main item Brewer's
Rendezvous sells is beer-making kits. A typical start-up kit with
ingredients can cost less than 100 dollars. Beginners have over 60
varieties of pre-done recipe kits to choose from. Advanced brewers who
have their own recipe can purchase individual ingredients. They also
sell kits to make wine, soda and vinegar.
"Beer is one of the oldest
food products. People have been making their own beer for over 5,000
years," said Johnson. "It's very easy to get started." Brewer's
Rendezvous stocks over 150 specialty beers from around the world
including many rare "craft beers" from Belgium and Germany. "Belgium
is known for its fine beers ," said Johnson. "For a country with less
people than Los Angeles, Belgium produces over 800 varieties of beer
most of them by small micro-breweries." He also sells a variety of
unique wines, sodas and gift items such as shirts, mugs, puzzles and
books. Customers are drawn from throughout the region and as far away
as Upland and Chino. There are less than three dozen home brew shops in
Southern California. To attract more customers, they advertise
nationally in industry journals and in local papers. "I underestimated
the number of people in Downey who already brewed their own beer, and
since I have been in business I have created many more brewers," said
Johnson.
Johnson looked into several areas to open his business but
decided Downtown Downey was the ideal location. He felt it was centrally
located and easy to get to. Johnson is also working on forming a local
Brewing Club. Brewer's Rendezvous is located at 11116 Downey Avenue.
For more information, call (562) 923-6292.
The California Economy: Top 10 Reasons to be Optimistic
From a December 17, 1996 Long Beach Business Journal article by
Bank of America's Economist Howard Roth
- Down sizing of the aerospace industry is largely over with job
losses slowing. The industry will likely expand again over the next
few years.
- State government's fiscal health has improved considerably. The
economy has stimulated tax revenues making the budget easier to balance.
- The net number of people leaving the state is slowing while the
number of people moving to California from other states is growing.
- Exports continue to expand strongly with exports produced in
California growing 19% in 1995. High tech exports are particularly
strong.
- Personal income has quickly increased by 6.2% in 1995 and 7.6% in
the first half of 1996. Strong growth is predicted in 1997.
- Taxable sales have picked up sharply after leveling off in 1993.
Sales grew 5% in 1994& 1995 and 7.6% in the first half of 1996.
- Unemployment continues to fall and is at the lowest rate since
December 1990. It is expected to fall further in 1997.
- Job growth has picked up and strengthened in California for the
4th year in a row in 1996. For the first time since 1990, job growth
was stronger in the state than in the nation.
- Jobs are growing quickly in promising and high-paying industries
such as computer services, biotechnology, film pro-duction, security
brokerage and telecommunications software.
- Californians have become more confident about the state economy.
The consumer confidence index for the Pacific West has risen considerably
in the last 3 years.
Spearman Hard at Work
BRAID member Vicki Spearman was named president of the Downey Board of
Realtors "After spending over 20 years in this industry, I still
believe the most important part of my job is to make people's dreams
come true," said Vicki Spearman of Century 21 - 24 Hour Real Estate
in Downey. "I have the privilege of serving a second generation of
buyers and sellers, many who often are the children of my original
customers." Spearman was recently installed as the president of the
Downey Board of Realtors. However, this is just one of Spearman's many
responsibilities and interests.
For 12 years, Spearman served as the
Relocation Director for the office. In 1994 she was recognized by
the board as "Realtor of the Year." A long time Downey resident, her
concerns extend beyond the real estate industry. Spearman is continually
working to better the community. Her memberships include the BRAID
Committee, Soroptimists, 2nd Century Foundation and the Sweet Adelines
chorus. She also serves as president of the Friends of the Downey City
Library. "Downey is more than just where I work, this is where my
husband and I went to school and where we raised our children," Spearman
said proudly. "It's in everyone's best interest that we all take an
active role in maintaining and improving our community. I truly love
it here!"
Committee Members
Joyce Lawrence, Mayor, Chairperson
Gloria Abrams, Stonewood Center
Dee Bacus, Saywell Florist
Clarence Bailey, Bill Bailey Meats
Michael Black, Accountancy Corp.
Louis Buitron, Downey National Bank
Johnny Croshaw, Johnny & Company
Don Duffy, Specialty Vehicle
Edward Earl, Aqua-Tec Co.
Greg Fuller, All American
Ebie Ghaneian, Cafe N' Stuff
Chris Greenbeck, Downey Land Ltd.
Ronald Kolar, L'Abri Management
Maria Larkin, Advantage Real Estate
Bill Lehman, Lehman Construction
Raul Lopez, Lopez Insurance
Keith McCarthy, Council Member
Ron Salzetti, JC Penney
Nick Shubin, Ventra Inc.
Vicki Spearman, Century 21
Tony Tesoriero, Frantone's
Mission Statement
The BRAID Committee will assist the City of Downey in developing and
recommending actions to the staff and City Council that promote retention
of businesses and jobs in Downey and attraction of new businesses. The
Committee will identify current and changing needs of local businesses,
suggest business and job retention activities, and help prioritize those
actions. BRAID Committee members will be conduits between the City's
program and the private sector, building a public-private link to promote
sustained economic and employment growth within Downey.
BRAID News:
Is a published newsletter by the City of Downey Economic Development -
BRAID Business Retention Attraction In Downey.
Executive Editor: Steven Yee Editor & Design Layout: Jason Mikaelian.
If you have any questions or comments, please call Jason Mikaelian at (562)
904-7152 or email at: jason_mikaelian@tpg.sce.com.
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http://downeyca.com
City of Downey
Economic Development
11111 Brookshire Avenue
Downey, CA 90241