Group Sees All the Parts for a High-Tech Hub

With the ‘90s quickly coming to an end, there has been a lot of talk about the future of Ventura County’s economy.

Although few doubt that agriculture will continue to play an important role, it’s other businesses--such as semiconductor manufacturing and specialized motor designing--that many believe will become the area’s economic linchpin.

Understanding that, many area business leaders, government officials and educators are discussing ways of transforming Ventura County into a high-technology hub.

Because they see the area as something more akin to the Silicon Valley than the San Joaquin Valley, members of this region’s high-tech business cluster are working to build bridges among companies and to refashion the area into one customized for cutting-edge work.

“There really is a great deal of potential, but there is a lot of work to do,” said John Mungenast, who is leading the group’s work. “We need to start talking about ideas that are going to make this a better place for companies and a better place to do business.”

Although still in its infancy, the cluster--one of about a dozen industry clusters operating countywide--is an informal group of about 70 people developing strategies to encourage businesses already here and to position the county for a greater role in high technology.

The cluster started about a year ago with a $20,000 grant from the county. It has spent much of that time getting area firms to participate and learning what hurdles it must overcome to help the industry flourish.

“The bottom line is to get these businesses to start thinking about the future and how to make it better for them,” said Joe McClure, executive director of the Ventura County Economic Collaborative, which is coordinating the cluster’s work. “That communication is what is going to make this successful.”

Although the ultimate goal of creating a business identity to rival Silicon Valley’s may seem lofty, Ventura County has a number of assets that many believe will help the group realize that vision.

There is already a solid high-technology industry, employing more than 10,000 county residents at several hundred companies.

For the most part, those companies are very specialized, from producing highly efficient semiconductors to designing sophisticated brake systems for cars.

According to Deloitte & Touche’s annual survey of emerging Southern California high-tech firms, 10 of the 50 fastest-growing companies are located in this county.

Ventura County also has a distinctive quality of life. Its schools are consistently rated near the top in the state. It has two of the nation’s safest cities with populations over 100,000. It is both close to and removed from the sprawling Los Angeles megalopolis, giving the area a different feel that many fleeing suburbanites crave.

In addition, there is a new Cal State University emerging in Camarillo, with an administration eager to work with area business to develop a high-tech curriculum to provide a stock of trained workers.

“Ventura County has a lot of assets you really can’t find anywhere else in the region,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. “Those assets are what is going to help it grow the economy in a way that business and government leaders want.”

Yet, there are some significant issues the cluster and county must address.

One is creating an identity to entice high-tech manufacturers and consumers to look to Ventura County.

Another is available housing and rising property values. Homes, industrial property and vacant land have all been in high demand through much of the decade and have sent prices soaring to near-record levels.

“That’s the real liability,” Kyser said. “If there isn’t going to be room for companies to grow and houses for employees to buy, then that could turn a lot of people off.”

Ventura County Supervisor Frank Schillo doesn’t believe that will be much of an obstacle.

Schillo, who has worked with the cluster, believes there is enough space for businesses to locate in the county and expand.

“This county has a lot of things to offer, and room to grow is one of them,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the word out there that Ventura County is ready to do business.”