Group Helps Add 2,800 Jobs to Area

A nonprofit corporation created to attract businesses to Oxnard has helped add about 2,800 jobs to the Oxnard-Port Hueneme region since it was formed in 1994, a corporation report states.

Steve Kinney, president of the Greater Oxnard Economic Development Corp., presented the report to the Oxnard City Council on Tuesday, saying his agency has worked hard to draw businesses to the city.

“Our philosophy is really, ‘Whatever it takes,’ ” Kinney said.

Using figures compiled by UC Santa Barbara’s Economic Forecast Project, Kinney said the corporation through recruiting efforts helped attract more than 1,800 jobs to the Oxnard-Port Hueneme area. The report estimates those jobs resulted in another 1,000 jobs.

The report states that overall the jobs generate about $53 million annually in payroll and purchases.

The report said one of the corporation’s greatest triumphs was helping lure GTE to Oxnard from Thousand Oaks, bringing about 900 jobs to the city.

But Kinney also reminded the City Council that some major employers have left. Nabisco Foods and Nestle USA Inc. shut down their operations in Oxnard, putting nearly 700 employees out of work.

Kinney told city leaders the corporation is bringing businesses at less cost to the city. When the economic development program was part of the city before 1994, it operated on a $553,000 budget. After privatizing the corporation, the city has had to provide less money to the program, Kinney said.

According to Kinney, the corporation will operate on a $366,000 budget for fiscal year 1996-97.

During Tuesday’s presentation, Kinney announced that two companies plan to move to Oxnard, including Moorpark-based Scoche Industries, an auto accessories manufacturer that will bring 85 jobs to the city.