THOUSAND OAKS — Local leaders gathered at the Amgen Global Headquarters in Thousand Oaks today to announce and launch a regional job creation initiative developed by County Supervisor Jeff Gorell.
“Gold Team Ventura County” brings together elected, business, labor, utility and other leaders to engage targeted CEOs and industries to move or expand jobs to Ventura County. “Local elected officials at all the levels – city, county, state and federal – need to join forces and lead the effort on local economic development and job creations,” said Supervisor Gorell. “Supported by business experts and other important stakeholders, elected leaders can best open doors and start important dialogues with CEOs on job attraction or expansion. We need to do more to showcase Ventura County as the place to for key industries to grow the jobs of the future, and Gold Team Ventura County will do that.”
Each member of the Gold Team has something to contribute. Economic Development professionals, local elected officials, public policy executives, labor unions, power and gas utilities, commercial real estate agents, all have a role to play in making the County even more attractive for job creation. “Southern California Edison is aware of the importance of this initiative and prepared to offer any assistance necessary to ensure the success of business development in Ventura County”, said Rudy Gonzales, Manager of Government Relations at Southern California Edison.
While not a new concept, this Gold Team is a renewed effort for Ventura County. In 2013, then- Assembly Member Jeff Gorell worked with then-Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom to create a similar initiative that showed positive results.
The invitation-only launch of the new Gold Team took place on November 13 with more than 100 political leaders and business executives in attendance at the Amgen Headquarters in Thousand Oaks. “We are honored to host this event at our Thousand Oaks campus, which is home to Amgen’s global headquarters,” said Ben Chu, Executive Director and Amgen Thousand Oaks Site Lead. “We are proud of how Ventura County has grown over the years since Amgen was founded in 1980, and we support the community’s aspiration for business growth.”