Response to Business Survey Optimistic
Nearly two-thirds of business leaders who answered a Chamber of Commerce survey believe the city’s economy will improve in the coming years and almost half say they plan to expand their businesses in 1998.
The survey of 53 business owners and managers was taken in November as part of a six-year economic development strategy, which the chamber is preparing to unveil in January, said chamber President Bruce Cohen.
“I think this survey does reflect optimism,” Cohen said recently. “It says that businesses feel there is potential after struggling for several years through the recession and the earthquake.”
The city’s small-scale government, its access to transportation corridors and the chamber’s economic development projects were cited by those polled as the three primary advantages of doing business in San Fernando, Cohen said.
Conversely, a perception of crime problems by outsiders--as opposed to actual crime--was cited, along with a weak customer base and competition from nearby communities as major obstacles for local businesses.
“We have to do a better job dealing with image problems,” Cohen said. “There are so many beautiful spots in the northeast San Fernando Valley. We need to get that out to other residents of the Valley and Los Angeles.”
Although only 53 surveys out of 1,200 sent out by the chamber were returned in time to be evaluated, Cohen said that the results were “statistically reasonable.”
Councilman Doude Wysbeek, who has owned an electrical business in the city for more than 20 years, praised the chamber for conducting the survey, but cautioned about reading too much into the results.
“This is a good start. We need to do some realistic, long-term planning,” Wysbeek said. “But if you don’t get at least 10% back, you can’t get a real feel for it.”
The survey, which was conducted in English and Spanish, was the first of three that the chamber is conducting on behalf of the city of San Fernando and the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, which provided a $110,000 grant to help finance the project.
