September 2-15, 2014 Section B

Mayor Robert Garcia with his staff at the Main Branch Library. Pictured from leftare: Devin Cotter, legislative deputy; Daniel Brezenoff, deputy chief of staff;Maria Banegas, administrative aide; Mark Taylor, chief of staff; Mayor Garcia;Sharon Weissman, senior advisor; Carolyn Jones, legislative fellow; IsaacRomero, field deputy; and Tim Patton, senior administrative deputy.(Photograph By The Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Inside This Issue• Q&A With Mayor Garcia• The Growing Corporate Presence In Long Beach

Corporate PresenceAnd The 1st Annual Interview With Mayor Garcia

1_LBBJ_Sept2_SectionC_LBBJ MASTER LAYOUT 9/1/14 3:58 PM Page 1


MAYOR ROBERT GARCIASeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 3-B

At 36 years young, no one would be surprised if

Robert Garcia were a bit nervous in taking the

leadership reins of one of the largest, most diverse

cities in the country – both in population and eco-

nomic interests. Quite to the contrary, Garcia exudes an infec-

tious confidence that makes people pay attention to the new

mayor of Long Beach.

Garcia is at least 20 years younger than the previous three city-

wide elected mayors of Long Beach when they took office

(Ernie Kell, 1988-1994; Beverly O’Neill, 1994-2006; and Bob

Foster, 2006-2014), allowing him to better relate to the increas-

ing number of Millennials (those born 1980 to 1995) and many

of the Generation X segment, who have relocated to the city or

returned to their hometown over the past decade.

These new residents are involved in the city’s growing tech

and creative sectors, and are concerned about mobility and sus-

tainability issues – areas in which Garcia is savvy. In fact, one

of his budget recommendations is to rename the city’s technol-

ogy department to better reflect this growing movement: the

technology and innovation department.

The Peruvian-born, openly gay mayor beams as he describes

the singular moment of his past that helped him attain the role of

mayor – and that was becoming an American citizen. “That gave

me a lot of confidence and most importantly gave me a sense of

duty to my community and to my country. So for me, that is what

drives me: a consistent appreciation for our country.”

In this interview, which included Business Journal Senior

Writer Samantha Mehlinger and Staff Writer Brandon

Ferguson, Mayor Garcia discusses his priorities and shares his

vision for the future of Long Beach, in addition to covering a

variety of topics from the pending city budget to economic

development to public safety. He also talks about his respect for

former Mayor Foster and about his plans to continue the fiscal

discipline policies of his predecessor. – Publisher GEORGE ECONOMIDES

Mayor Robert Garcia and his staff flip through some of the books avail-able at the Main Branch Library. In his Fiscal Year ’15 budget recommen-dations to the city council, Garcia has proposed adding $200,000 to sup-plement the library’s material and information budget. Pictured from leftare: Mark Taylor, chief of staff; Maria Banegas, administrative aide; DanielBrezenoff, deputy chief of staff; Devin Cotter, legislative deputy; MayorGarcia; Isaac Romero, field deputy; Sharon Weissman, senior advisor; TimPatton, senior administrative deputy; and Carolyn Jones, legislative fellow.(Photograph By The Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

A Q&A With First-Year Mayor Robert Garcia


MAYOR ROBERT GARCIA4-B Long Beach Business Journal September 2-15, 2014

Looking Back On The CampaignLBBJ: Looking back on the campaign for mayor, is there anything that surprised you

or that you didn’t quite expect?

Garcia:One of the great things about running for mayor is that you learn so much more

about your city. I have always considered myself a Long Beach guy, somebody who loves

Long Beach so much, and someone who knows a lot about the city. What surprised me

going through the campaign was how much more I learned about the city. I was able to

go to streets I had never heard of and neighborhoods I had never been in, and talk to peo-

ple – all types of people – I had never met before. That surprised me. That is one of the

great things about campaigns – you really get to know your city and the people there in a

completely different way. You listen to them, and you find out what their wants are, what

their needs are. That was surprising, because I always pride myself on knowing Long

Beach very well – and I did – but I learned so much more.

LBBJ: Have you reached out to Damon Dunn since the election?

Garcia: Damon and I spoke after the election. We spoke by phone a few times. We also

met in person as well and had a nice conversation.

LBBJ: We also understand that you met with Randy Gordon of the Long Beach

Chamber, whose political action committee opposed you. How did that meeting go?

Garcia: It went fine. We met maybe three weeks or a month after the election. We had

a brief breakfast just to chat about the election. He had reached out and so we sat down

and we had a good frank conversation. I shared with him my point of view on the election

and about how the chamber acted, what they did and didn’t do during the election. So I

gave him my two cents on that.

LBBJ: Have you been invited to speak to their chamber board?

Garcia: Randy did invite me to speak to the board at some point in the future.

Organizational ItemsLBBJ: Have you completed the hiring of your staff?

Garcia: I have. It’s a great team. I wanted to make sure we brought in all stars and peo-

ple who love Long Beach and are ready to work and believe in the vision. So we have the

team complete.

LBBJ: So how big a staff are we talking about?

Garcia: The mayor’s staff, as you know, also serves as the chief legislative office. The

mayor’s staff has always been divided into two. You have what’s called the administrative

office, which provides services, not just to the mayor’s office but to the whole city coun-

cil, then you have the policy staff. [See staff photos on cover/Page 3 for names and titles.]

LBBJ: Do you have a personal secretary?

Garcia: No.

LBBJ:You formed a transition team prior to taking office. What has been its role and

will it continue to meet for the foreseeable future?

Garcia: I wanted to make sure we brought together a diverse group of people who rep-

resented all parts of Long Beach. I had a relationship with all of them in some form and

I respected them. I wanted to make sure they were able to share with me their vision of

Long Beach. They don’t all agree on everything.

I wanted a few things. First, I wanted their assistance in appointing and advising on

commission appointments, and they have done a great job of that. They have provided

dozens and dozens of names for commission appointments. We will be making over 100

commission appointments in the next couple of months. So it has been a great opportunity

to get some of that information. In addition, a lot of them are going to be commissioners

because I want to keep them involved in that form. Doug [Otto] also did a lot of the inau-

gural events and chaired a lot of the inauguration stuff, which was fantastic.

The team has been meeting every few weeks to talk about a variety of issues. We have

talked about sustainability; we have talked about education; we have talked about eco-

nomic development. And we have had roundtables to hear team members’ ideas and dis-

cuss what they think we should be doing. I found it very informative; we’ve gotten some

great ideas. I have also met individually with most of them, sitting down both individually

and in small groups just to hear their thoughts and hear where they see the city at, and

where its future is. So it has been great. I’m very thankful for their time. These are vol-

unteers, doing it out of their love for the city and their support of me. I am just very thank-

ful. They are right now putting together a transition team report which will be out some-

time in the next month or so. That report will capture what our main goals and themes are.

LBBJ:Will that be released?

Garcia: It will be released to the public, absolutely. It will be timed and released before

the 100-day mark.

LBBJ: You mentioned commission appointments. Didn’t former mayor Bob Foster

appoint a bunch of people before you took office? There are still 100 seats left?

Garcia:Yes.

LBBJ:What about the harbor commission? When are you going to make an appointment?

Garcia: The decision has been made. We will be making an announcement shortly.

LBBJ: Have you met individually with councilmembers?

Garcia: I have. I have now met multiple times with all of them.

LBBJ:What about city management, the city attorney, city auditor and city prosecutor?

Have you met with each of them?

Mayor Robert Garcia uses the Express Lane at the Main Branch Library to check out some of his favoriteleisure time reads. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)


MAYOR ROBERT GARCIASeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 5-B

Garcia:Absolutely. One of the first things I did after I was elected was have breakfast

with the citywide elected officials. We got together and had a great discussion, and that is

something that had never really happened before. We actually are having a standing reg-

ular meeting. We’re going to work together. I told them we’re all on the same team. We all

have to make sure the city is functioning correctly.

In addition, one thing that was important for me was to make sure I visited with all of

our city departments. So my first week I visited with the employees at the port and sat

down with all of our employees at the clerk’s office. This morning I met with all of the

employees in technology services. I’m going to have Q&A discussions with all of our

departments. When I visited the clerk’s office, the clerk told me the mayor hadn’t met with

his whole team since he had been city clerk. I think the same was true for the port. It’s

important for all of our employees to know that the mayor, one, supports them, but, two,

expects excellence. That it is our job to make sure we are being good stewards of taxpayer

dollars, and that every day we are out there working. We’ve got to be working to make the

city better. They’re excited to work together. This morning we had the whole technology

services department in the meeting and we talked about innovation and how we all can

create a 21st century government, but it is going to take all their work to do it.

LBBJ: Looking back on your 36 years, is there one moment that stands out that has

helped you get to this position?

Garcia: Absolutely. The one moment that stands out for me is when I became an

American. That is by far the single most important thing that has ever happened to me. I

view my life in terms of before I was an American and after I became American. Most of

my life leading up to that was the process of trying to become an American, living an

immigrant experience, having to go through the waiting lines, being ripped off by attor-

neys, and all that process. My whole family was immigrant and didn’t have a lot of sup-

port. But, then, once you get to that point where you become a U.S. citizen, for my family

and me, it was like, we then had access. For us, it created a sense of equality where we

had access to all these great opportunities, educational opportunities. And it made me

realize that I was as American as everybody else. That gave me a lot of confidence and,

most importantly, gave me a sense of duty to my community and to my country. So, for

me, that is what drives me: a consistent appreciation for our country.(Please Continue To Page 7)



MAYOR ROBERT GARCIASeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 7–B

LBBJ:We believe you were the first councilmember to post

your meeting schedule online. Are you doing the same thing

now as mayor?

Garcia: We are looking for technology to do that. We

started doing that on the city council but the technology

wasn’t there. We were haphazardly having to enter the infor-

mation. There is no system. Right now we’re redoing and

we’re buying new software for our whole commission back-

end system. We’re also looking for something similar for cal-

endaring commissions. So, if we are able to find something I

would be happy to do it. I am as open a book as you can get

when it comes to stuff like that.

PrioritiesLBBJ: Have you established a set of goals and objectives,

and, if so, what are they?

Garcia: I have. For me, there are a few important things that

I am really focused on right now. But first, the most important

thing is passing a responsible budget and keeping on course

when it comes to being fiscally responsible. That is the single

most important thing and the most important job I have as

mayor. I want to make sure we’re passing a budget that consid-

ers the future, that is really taking a step forward when it comes

to meeting the challenge of unfunded liabilities in the future

and that doesn’t overspend.

I feel very fortunate that I got to live through the recession

as vice mayor and as a councilmember. I saw what happened when councils before had

decided to make commitments that we couldn’t keep, and overspend. So I came into this

with the mindset that, when we have extra money, we put it away. And if we don’t start

putting more money away on our future unfunded liability, we are going to be in pretty

bad shape in the future. So the budget and being responsible on the budget is the single

most important thing.

Second, economic development is going to be important

because, on the revenue side, the more economic development

we can generate, the more we can support business coming in

and providing good jobs. The more that our port is operating

in a way that is universally respected and that people feel good

about – and the more they want to make the investments here

because of the infrastructure – that is going to provide and

support all the 30,000 local jobs and the hundreds of thou-

sands of regional jobs.

I want to make sure that the port is truly the port of the

future, that it’s innovative, that we’re building the infrastruc-

ture, that the bridge is being done with the right support, that

we’re building Middle Harbor out, and, as competition con-

tinues to grow across the world, that the port is well posi-

tioned to succeed. Because that is our number one industry –

goods movement, logistics, trade. So we have got to support

the port and its operations. I have done everything I can to

ensure the port knows we’re all fighting for the same thing.

I’ve met with all the employees, the harbor commissioners.

We’re on the same page. We’re all on the same team, just

moving forward. I feel really good about where the port is

right now, to be honest. So that is the second thing: the port

and economic development.

Other issues that are very important to me, as an educator

myself, I think the mayor and the city have a role in education,

and that role is about collaboration. It is not about control, but

it is about collaborating with our educational partners. I developed a policy addressed to

all three institutions early on and laid out some goals for us on the education side and

where the mayor’s office and the city can be a partner. We have the Long Beach College

Promise, which is really a national educational partnership. We have the number one

applied-to Cal State in the entire state of California; we have this great community college

“I have done everything I can to ensure

the port knows we’re all fighting for

the same thing. I’ve met with all the

employees, the harbor commissioners.

We’re on the same page.”

(Please Continue To Page 9)


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CELEBRATING THE SUCCESSOF THE

CITY OF LONG BEACH



that does all these really wonderful things and we have, as we know, a world-renowned

urban unified school district. Part of all that is this Long Beach College Promise that

they’re all members of. The city needs to engage and be a part of the Long Beach College

Promise. We haven’t been before, and it is important for us to become part of it now.

The city has a role in connecting young people to internships so I have committed and

pledged to double the number of internships during my first term. The City of Boston, as

an example, has 50,000 public school students and 15,000 internships. The City of Long

Beach has 80,000 public school students and 1,500 internships . . . Using technology, and

with our connections and experience in the education sector, we’re going to double the

internships from 1,500 to 3,000. You can take that to the bank.

And, in fact, maybe we can do even better than that. We have to remember that, every

time we give a youngster an internship, that student is more likely to get a job with that

organization. Which means that, that company is not hiring outside the city, they’re hiring

somebody who wants to be in Long Beach. That person then has the money to put back

into the economy or get additional college credit, or whatever it is they are receiving from

that internship. We are partnering with all three institutions to look at internships as part

of this educational agenda.

In addition to that, I have always believed the best investment educators and communi-

ties can make is in early childhood education, and I think there is a role for the city to

facilitate and promote early child-

hood education in preschool. It is

happening in other municipalities

across the country and we’ve got

to be involved in that as well. So

there is a lot we can do on the

education side. I am committed to

a very strong education agenda.

Finally, technology and innova-

tion. We’re restructuring our tech-

nology services department at the

city to be focused on innovation.

We’re going to create a 21st cen-

tury city. We are going to invest in

innovation and ensure we are

doing everything we can to make

government more accessible and

open for people.

LBBJ: What do you expect to

accomplish during your first 100

days in office?

Garcia: In the first 100 days,

one goal was to put together an

all-star team, which we have

done. The second was to ensure

we pass a responsible and sound

budget, which we are going to do

and are working on right now.

And the third was to launch our education initiatives. We will be doing that very shortly;

we have already begun to talk about what those are. I’ve mentioned them to you. But we

are going to launch a really big and exciting way as part of a new collaborative project.

So we have been working very closely with Cal State Long Beach and the new president,

who I have developed a very good friendship with, as well as President Oakley, who obvi-

ously I have worked with and for a long time, and with the superintendent, who in fact

after this interview I’m meeting to continue this conversation. We’re going to be launch-

ing a project that is going to take education in the City of Long Beach to the next level.

It’s going to be a big idea. It’s going to involve all of our institutions we have partnered

with on this kind of educational agenda.

LBBJ:When are you going to announce this?

Garcia: This will be announced around mid-October. We’re going to get past the

budget but it will be within the first 100 days.

\

City BudgetLBBJ:You’ve issued your recommendations for the next budget year. Can you explain

each of those briefly?

Garcia: Sure. First thing I did was reinforce what Mayor Foster had presented. I have

a lot of respect for Mayor Foster and what he did, particularly with the budget and what

he did financially. We worked together and did some really tough things, but the right

“We’re going to be launching a project

that is going to take education in the

City of Long Beach to the next level. It’s

going to be a big idea. It’s going to involve

all of our institutions we have partnered

with on this kind of educational agenda.”

(Please Continue To Next Page)



things. So the first step I took was to reinforce the issues

that he had brought up in his budget message, which

included looking at skill pay, our negotiation process, and

where we are financially when it comes to our retirement

programs and our health benefits. So all of that is on the

table first. And I made it very clear that, as we go into nego-

tiations with our employee groups, we can’t shy away from

having a discussion and a negotiation process about all of

those things. That was number one.

The second thing I did was propose that we take $2 million

of the surplus from 2014 [current budget year ending

September 30] . . . and put that into our CalPERS stabilization

fund reserve so that we don’t spend it on other things. Again,

just having lived through this [recession], the more money we

can put away the better.

I also recommended that we fund a historic preservation

planner within the budget.

LBBJ:We used to have one, right?

Garcia: We did. Unfortunately, because of the recession,

that position was eliminated. It is very needed. We have

great historic districts, as we know. They need that support.

We need to have someone there who is monitoring them and

ensuring that these . . .

LBBJ: That position is out of [Long Beach] Development

Services?

Garcia: [It is] out of development services, and it is a plan-

ner position. I also recommended restructuring two parts of the city departments through

the budget. One is to rename technology services the department of technology and inno-

vation and restructure the way the department works, with a focus on innovation and part-

nerships with the university and our educational institutions. The second recommendation

was to reorganize and restart an economic development department within the city, and

so we’re taking six, seven positions that are elsewhere and putting them together into a

new department, which will be economic development. The name of the department will

be economic and property management development.

LBBJ: Out of the city manager’s office?

Garcia:Yes. And that will be a whole new division created as part of this budget. Also,

as part of my budget, I asked that we do not immediately contract out the street sweepers.

Instead, we ask the street sweepers themselves to come up with the savings and for them

to look within the department to provide savings. That’s something I believe we should

always do, rather than just deciding to contract out – see if the department itself can be

more efficient.

I will give you an example. In Long Beach, there is a four-hour window for street

sweepers to come by and sweep the street. Well, you know, that can be two hours. That’s

better for residents, it creates savings and efficiencies, and this is a way of looking to them

and having them step up and be a part of the solution.

LBBJ: But you’re going to lose parking ticket revenues. I am sure people will be

happy with that.

Garcia: Absolutely.

LBBJ: On the contracting out of street sweeping, what kind of savings are you looking

for city employees to come back with, and how much time do they have to come back with

recommendations?

Garcia: We’re going to give them this next fiscal year to look at – so, by the time

the next budget process starts. We have been very clear with them. If, at the end of this

year we don’t see any type of initiative and savings, then we are going to have this dis-

cussion again.

LBBJ: Was there a proposal put forward by staff or another councilmember that

showed what the savings would be if it were contracted out?

Garcia: There was. The city manager put out a memo. I want to say that the savings

could have been about $800,000 to $900,000 dollars if we were to contract out. However,

there are two caveats. One, just because something is less expensive doesn’t mean it’s a

better service. And, two, when you’re talking about services like refuse and street sweep-

ing, what always happens is, if you contract the service out and you do get immediate sav-

ings, by the time that contract is up, they basically control your destiny. Part of the deal is

they purchase all of your equipment and they own all of it. You are then at the mercy of

that contract. I think there is value in having our own team do this work because they are

held accountable to us. We’ve got to make them more accountable, we’ve got to prove the

service and then find efficiencies. We think we can find $400,000 to 500,000 worth of

efficiencies and savings out of the department that we can do ourselves.

LBBJ: Have you had discussions with councilmembers

about your recommendations?

Garcia:Yes. Let me mention the last recommendation. I also

recommended we do some one-time funding – $200,000 for

library materials. I think we’re a little bit short on where we

need to be to also transition our collection digitally . . . it’s

amazing how many checkouts we’re having with people check-

ing out digital materials. They’re checking them out onto their

iPhones or their iPads, so I want to make sure we provide that

support so we don’t get left behind with changes in technology.

And also we put another $50,000 to the arts council. They have

a new director and they’ve got some new initiative there. So

those are my budget recommendations. And to answer your

question, yes, I have talked to the council.

LBBJ: Let’s talk more about arts. You said $50,000?

Garcia: An additional $50,000.

LBBJ: An additional $50,000. So what’s the total?

Garcia: So the total they’re getting is about $450,000. I’ll

have to double-check.

LBBJ:Where do you see the role of the business community

in supporting the arts, since the arts are important in attracting

and retaining business?

Garcia: There is absolutely a role for business in attracting

and supporting the arts.

LBBJ: Do you have any ideas on how?

Garcia: Sure. First, when we had redevelopment, we allo-

cated a percentage toward funding the arts. So that was in place. We don’t have that any

more. I think as a community we have to have a conversation at some point about how and

if the development communities can have that – every great international city has a thriv-

ing arts scene. And we’re better off because of it.

LBBJ:We’re facing huge pension obligations. How do you plan to address those?

Garcia: It is a huge challenge, but, as we move forward into future budget cycles,

the reason we are projecting deficits a few years out is in direct relation to what we’re

paying into our CalPERS system. While all deficits are bad, these deficits in fact are

actually kind of responsible management because we’re finally paying what we

should have been paying a long time ago. In the past, we had not been making the

type of payments we should have been making. Now, fast forward a few years into our

future, we will begin to make those payments. So, while you will see some deficits in

the future, those deficits essentially are CalPERS payments. We’re going to have to

lean up a little bit, but it is in the long run financially to our benefit. We’ll be seeing

the long-term benefits decades out. There will be a point in the future where that will

be smoothed out and we will actually start to see the return on our investments. I think

it’s a really good thing.

LBBJ: In general, do you feel comfortable with where the city is financially?

Garcia: I don’t know that I feel comfortable. I feel like we are doing everything we can

to put ourselves in a stronger position, but we should never be completely comfortable

with where we are financially. When you get too comfortable, you start overspending and

you start creating a problem you don’t want to end up with.

The Business CommunityLBBJ: We have talked about some issues in the business community and there are

some more we want to bring up. Let’s start with: do you consider the city business friendly

and where is there room for improvement?

Garcia: I think the city’s business friendliness is a work in progress. It’s like painting

the Golden Gate Bridge – it’s never done. You can never be business friendly enough.

There are always regulations. Things are always changing and so I think we are always

having to adapt and change and get better and innovate. Are we more business friendly

today than we were a few years ago, or 18 years ago? I think we are. But I also think we

have a long way to go, and I think that we still have challenges in our permitting process.

There are still challenges in streamlining some of our business licensing issues, but we

have some good people there who want to make things better. In addition to that, we have

done some really great things. Take the Downtown Plan. Ask developers in Downtown or

the Molinas [of Molina Healthcare] how efficient the Downtown Plan was for them to get

their projects in place and they are going to give you glowing reviews. We have done some

really big things like the Downtown Plan and others, and we continue to do reforms to

make the city more business friendly.

LBBJ: You talked a little bit about economic development and what you want to see

there and the formation of this division. What about programs to retain businesses, attract

“I think the city’s business

friendliness is a work in progress.

It’s like painting the Golden Gate Bridge –

it’s never done. You can never

be business friendly enough.”



business and to help businesses that are already here to grow? Is that part of what you’re

seeing in this new division? And, secondly, there is not a lot of data available about Long

Beach. Before you can develop an economic development plan, you have to have good

data. That’s our concern. Do you have any thoughts on these items or are you going to

leave it to the new division to come up with a plan?

Garcia: I do have thoughts on that . . . To answer your questions, first I think economic

development is everyone’s job. Just because we have an economic development depart-

ment doesn’t mean every single person in the city shouldn’t be thinking about jobs and

economic development. There has got to be a culture of economic development. The sec-

ond thing is, we have to do a better job of working with those who are doing it right. Take

Long Beach City College and some of the programs they have: the [Goldman Sachs]

10,000 Small Businesses program, the workforce development programs they’ve got, and

some of the classroom-to-job training programs. These are already in place. They’re suc-

cessful, and the city’s got to be more of an integrated partner in some of those programs.

Same thing goes for the university. They have incubator projects happening and there is

foundation money in place for some of these workforce economic development efforts.

That’s got to be integrated with the city. So it’s important to take that kind of partnership

and collaborative approach that we have, and work closer together.

In addition to that I, like you, believe in metrics and data. I think we have to have a data-

driven government. That’s how you make smart decisions. Like you, in the past I have

been frustrated that there is not as much clean data as we would like. I really want to make

sure that we have clean data, that we are asking the right questions and that we are able to

pull up this information quickly. That is an expectation I will have of this new department

– to be able to provide this good data. That’s a big part of it.

LBBJ: Do you consider the PBIDs [property and business improvement districts] vital

in helping the business community?

Garcia: Extremely vital. In fact, I think that the future of economic success in large part

is relying on partnerships with the PBIDs. Look at the work that has happened in our

PBID areas and, in fact, we’re growing. Bixby Knolls is a great example. Second Street,

downtown. Now you’ve got this PBID in North Long Beach that’s developing. You’ve got

the PBID out in the east side in the Zaferia area. You’ve got some really great work hap-(Please Continue To Next Page)



pening. I find that the dollars invested in PBIDs – when the

city gets involved and supports them – it stretches the dollar.

These PBIDs, particularly the managers of them, they love the

area. They are on the ground. They’re invested in the area.

They know the area. They are going out of their way to attract

business, bring in small businesses, take care of the street and

keep the infrastructure up. I think PBIDs are a big part of it. I

support them. I think we will likely see a few more of them in

the next few years. We need to start a PBID on Anaheim to

support the Cambodia Town area. That’s an incredibly impor-

tant PBID. There is discussion about creating a PBID in West

Long Beach along Santa Fe [Avenue]. There are discussions

out there and I am very supportive.

LBBJ: There are some cities raising the minimum wage and

some legislation being batted around about the minimum

wage. What are your thoughts on that?

Garcia: The state just recently raised the minimum wage. I

have always believed that, when there is equity in raising

wages, it is always the best way. What I mean by that is, when

the state does it, it provides equity amongst all cities and all

municipalities. I thought that was the right thing. We did a liv-

ing wage campaign not that long ago that raised wages. The

city council by ordinance also did living wage increases at cer-

tain locations. That’s in place. That is what has moved forward.

As far as anything beyond that, that’s not on the table right

now. It’s not being discussed.

LBBJ: So there is no effort to raise the minimum wage for

restaurants?

Garcia: Not in Long Beach. . . . I think it is important that we recognize that,

whether it is county or city, there are very different legal interpretations of what cities

can and can’t do when it comes to wages. We have done so far in Long Beach what

has been within our legal parameters to do. I supported the living wage increases that

we’ve done. I think the state did the right thing with the increase as well. So I think

we’re in a good place. Certainly I can’t speak for anyone else who may be having the

discussion. We’re right now focused on getting the budget passed and doing what we

need to do.

LBBJ: During your inaugural address, you spent quite a bit of time talking about the

poverty level.

Garcia:Yes.

LBBJ: Do you have any thoughts on what you’re going to do moving forward?

Garcia: Everything we’ve been discussing, I think, relates to the poverty level. I view

the decrease in the poverty level [as a result] of everything we’re working on. When you

provide access to a quality education . . . when you’re making sure that the city is func-

tioning the right way and that people have access to government, you’re creating an envi-

ronment where you are able to help decrease the poverty rate. The poverty rate is very real.

It is here in Long Beach. We can’t ignore it no matter where we live. We all can make an

effort to lower that rate. It’s quite sad.

LBBJ: Did you bring up something in your budget recommendations about more

affordable housing?

Garcia: Yes and no. The recommendation was, we are legally obligated to spend

some of the increment money that we have back on affordable housing. There is

nowhere else it can go. It has to be spent on affordable housing. My recommendation

was to take that money we have to spend on affordable housing and put it into a hous-

ing trust fund. By putting it into a housing trust fund, you have some flexibility with

those dollars. You also have the ability to then maximize it if there are additional hous-

ing opportunities out there. An example is, I am very interested in building housing

opportunities for faculty and teachers. If you are a teacher and have your certificate

and [you] marry another teacher in Long Beach, and one is working at, say, Wilson

[Classical High School] and the other is working at Lowell [Elementary School], you

can’t afford to buy a house. The two of you cannot afford to buy a home in Long

Beach. We’ve also got to create those middle class opportunities . . . I would love to

see a faculty housing project or a teacher housing project in the City of Long Beach.

I think those are opportunities.

LBBJ: We don’t have a whole lot of places we can put housing, especially areas that

are safe.

Garcia: I think there are plenty of places. The one thing I would also say is, if you put

faculty and teacher housing anywhere, you immediately make that community safer . . .

We’re looking at everything.

Public SafetyLBBJ: Do you consider Long Beach safe?

Garcia: I do consider Long Beach safe. In fact, Long Beach

is safer today than it has been in 40 years. Long Beach is safer

than sometimes people give it credit for. That doesn’t mean we

still don’t have some public safety challenges in certain neigh-

borhoods, and it doesn’t mean that we aren’t experiencing in

some neighborhoods an increase in property crime, because we

are. We take that very seriously. But is Long Beach safe?

Absolutely.

LBBJ: Do you think there is more that needs to be done in

terms of public safety?

Garcia: There is always more that needs to be done.

We’re doing what we can with the resources we have, and I

think what we’re doing is incredible work. The police

department and the fire department are doing a great job

and, as this budget continues to slowly get better, you’re

going to see more improvements. We’ve invested in a lot of

technology for our safety teams. We’re actually going to see

an increase in police officers, although a small increase. I

think all that’s going in the right direction. We brought the

academies back. I’m feeling really good about where we’re

going in the future.

LBBJ: We’re going to most likely lose our police chief

[the favorite to be L.A. County’s next sheriff]. How is that

[hiring] process going to work? Is that strictly up to the city

manager?

Garcia:We haven’t discussed that process yet.

LBBJ: But the way it works under our City Charter, isn’t it that the city council hires

the city manager, [then] the city manager hires the employees?

Garcia: That is correct.

LBBJ: Are you supportive of the fire chief’s Rapid Medic Deployment program?

Garcia: Everything that I’ve seen so far and the data that has been presented have

shown us that it is actually decreasing our response times. You can’t get too far ahead with

only having a month’s worth of data obviously, but it is a pilot program. Am I supportive

of the pilot program? I am. We’re looking at how this is going to play out over the next

year, but the chief is very confident that it is better firefighting and it in fact provides bet-

ter medical service. He has been pretty clear also that this is a pilot program. We’re going

to see if this thing actually works the way we expect, and we’re doing everything we can

to ensure our health, safety and medical deployment is 100 percent safe. And at the end

of the day, we’re very concerned and focused on the safety of the individual. I support the

chief, and believe the chief has been rolling this out the right way. So we’re going to see

how this all plays out.

And Finally . . .LBBJ: Your relationships outside the city are important too. Are you developing the

relationships in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento that will help Long Beach?

Garcia: I think I came in with those relationships and they are only stronger now. I do.

I have a very good relationship with the mayor of Los Angeles.

LBBJ:You mean the one we’re suing [for the proposed BNSF rail project]?

Garcia:Yes. We’re not suing him, but yes. I have a very good relationship with him.

I have a great relationship with our Sacramento legislative delegation. I was just in

Sacramento this last week and met with the governor and with the leadership of the

state. I have great relationships, not just with local members of Congress, but also with

many other members of Congress. I had breakfast yesterday with [L.A. County]

Supervisor Don Knabe. So those relationships are there and are getting stronger. They

are important for the city. There are situations that will come up where you have to

pick up the phone and work something out with these folks, so it’s important.

LBBJ: Are you laying out a four-year plan or an eight-year plan?

Garcia: I’m laying out a four-year plan. Right now, I believe that [in] any planning

you do, you’ve got to think about 10 to 20 years out. If you’re only planning for the

next three or four years, then you’re not doing the right thing. A lot of what we work

on today is not going to be achieved for a while, but I think that’s smart planning.

You’ve got to look long term.

LBBJ: Is there anything you’d like to add?

Garcia: Just that I love Long Beach and for me it is an honor to be mayor of my home-

town and a place I love so much. �

“If you’re only planning for the next three

or four years, then you’re not doing the

right thing. A lot of what we work on

today is not going to be achieved for a

while, but I think that’s smart planning.

You’ve got to look long term.”


CORPORATE PRESENCESeptember 2-15, 2014 Long Beach Business Journal 13-B

� By SAMANTHA MEHLINGER

Senior Writer

T he presence of large corpora-

tions in Long Beach continues

to expand as more businesses

make their mark on the city by investing

in new buildings and growing the local

workforce.

Nautilus International Holding

Corporation recently became the latest com-

pany with international reach to commit to

moving its headquarters to Long Beach,

relocating after operating 91 years in nearby

Wilmington in the City of Los Angeles. The

maritime firm signed a purchase agreement

on August 18 to build a new 40,000-square-

foot headquarters on 2.57 acres at Douglas

Park. Nautilus oversees Metro Ports, a steve-

doring and marine terminal operator with

facilities at the Port of Long Beach and at

ports throughout the country and in Canada;

Metro Risk Management, which is focused

on claims administration and risk manage-

ment; and Metro Cruise Services and Metro

Shore Services, companies servicing the

cruise industry.

James Callahan, president of Nautilus,

told the Business Journal the move is “a

concrete demonstration of our nine-decade

relationship with the city and the port.” In

addition to constructing the new headquar-

ters, the company demonstrated its com-

mitment to Long Beach by signing a 20-

year operating agreement with the Port of

Long Beach, he said.

Nautilus joins a steady stream of busi-

nesses relocating their headquarters to Long

Beach, in particular to Douglas Park.

Shimadzu Precision Instruments recently

decided to relocate its aircraft manufactur-

ing division, Shimadzu Aircraft Equipment

USA, from Torrance to Douglas Park, where

the firm is building a 58,796-square-foot

facility. Shimadzu is building alongside

refrigeration equipment and air conditioning

manufacturer TurboAir, which relocated its

international headquarters to Long Beach

late last year. United Pacific, a distributor of

after-market classic auto parts and truck

accessories, also relocated to Douglas Park

from the South Bay late last year.

Perhaps one of the largest companies to

invest in Long Beach in the past year is

Mercedes-Benz USA, which in June broke

ground on its one million-square-foot facil-

ity to house its Western Regional offices

serving the West Coast, Vehicle

Preparation Center and Learning &

Performing Offices at a former Boeing

property off Lakewood Boulevard, across

from Douglas Park.

In addition to these and other new mem-

bers of the business community, the city is

home to many locally established compa-

nies with large footprints regionally, nation-

ally, and in several cases internationally.

Some of these businesses, such as Farmers

& Merchants Bank, have been here for more

than a hundred years. Others, like Moffatt &

Nichol, an international maritime engineer-

ing firm, grew out of local homes with only

a handful of workers, to multiple offices

with hundreds of employees. Despite their

widespread reach, they remain firm in call-

ing Long Beach their home. The Business

Journal interviewed 23 of these companies,

both new and old, about why they choose to

operate in Long Beach.

Central Location And The Ports

D epending on the industry a com-

pany represents, executive leader-

ship may have different reasons for being

located in Long Beach. For example, aero-

space firms like being in a city with a rich

aviation and aerospace history, while engi-

neering firms want to be close to the San

Pedro Bay Ports, which need engineers for

many capital improvement projects. But

one need look no further than a map to find

the number one reason nearly every firm

reached by the Business Journal indicated

they want to be in Long Beach. As Rob

Land, JetBlue’s senior vice president of

government affairs, put it: “Long Beach is

centered beautifully between Orange

County and the heart of Downtown L.A.”

The Growing Corporate Presence In Long Beach: Why New And Established Businesses Call Long Beach Home

“We can’t see ourselves being

anywhere else but Long Beach.

It’s a great city, great community.”

Kevin Peterson, President and CEOP2S Engineering



CORPORATE PRESENCE14-B Long Beach Business Journal September 2-15, 2014

Eric Nichol, president of Moffatt &

Nichol, said being located 20 miles from

Orange County and Downtown L.A. in

either direction “has been very helpful” to

his company, enabling it to tap talent from

workforces in both areas. The engineering

firm, founded in Long Beach in 1945,

employs about 130 people in Long Beach

and 650 in 60 offices worldwide.

As a maritime engineering firm, being

located near the Port of Long Beach is a plus,

Nichol pointed out. Moffatt & Nichol is

involved in capital improvement projects at

the port, such as developing an automated

system of guided vehicles for the Middle

Harbor Redevelopment Project. Historically,

the company has left its mark on Long Beach

by mooring the Queen Mary in the harbor

and building the Gerald Desmond Bridge,

which is now being replaced.

Long Beach remains a good spot for P2S

Engineering, founded in Bixby Knolls in

1991, due to its central location, reflected

Kevin Peterson, president and CEO. “It’s a

great location for a consulting engineering

firm like us because 120 miles from this

location we can service a broad base of

clients,” he said, referencing areas such as

Riverside, San Diego and Santa Barbara. “I

would say that probably 70 percent of our

work is done in that 120-mile radius,” he

added. Locally, P2S does a lot of work with

the Port of Long Beach, particularly related

to reducing pollutants emitted into the air

from ships calling the port, Peterson said.

Global engineering firm AECOM

opened Long Beach offices around 2008

partially because of its central location,

according to Travis Taylor, associate vice

president of the company. Taylor, who

oversees AECOM’s Southern California

division of its environmental business line,

is a Long Beach native. “It [Long Beach] is

centrally located between Orange County

and Los Angeles near a very large indus-

trial base, including the ports,” he said of

the pros of operating in the city.

Being near the Port of Long Beach is

important to companies relying on ship-

ments from abroad, such as United Pacific,

which outsources some of its manufactur-

ing, according to CFO Paul Lin. “The close

vicinity of the ports is particularly attrac-

tive,” Lin said. “You can save a lot of

money in trucking from the Port to Long

Beach [to Douglas Park] versus to Ontario,

where it could be triple the price in truck-

ing to haul the containers.”

DENSO Products and Services

Americas, Inc. is located in Long Beach

partially due to proximity to the port,

according to Richard Shiozaki, senior vice

James Callahan, president and CEO of Nautilus International Holding Corporation, told the BusinessJournal the company is soon relocating its headquarters to Long Beach after being located for 91 yearsin nearby Wilmington. Eighty personnel of the parent company and its subsidiaries – Metro Ports, MetroRisk Management, Metro Cruise and Metro Shore – are to be housed at a new location in DouglasPark, Callahan said. The new facility will have capacity for more than 120 employees. Construction isset for completion late in 2015. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Construction is underway at Douglas Park on the new 58,796-square-foot headquarters building for Shimadzu Precision Instruments’ Aircraft Equipment USA division. Groundbreaking ceremonies were heldJuly 1, with completion expected in February. The division is relocating from the City of Torrance. Pictured at upper right is the new corporate headquarters for Turbo Air, an air conditioning manufacturer withtwo dozen offices from coast to coast and in Hawaii. The firm relocated from the City of Carson in late 2013. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

The growing operations at the Port of Long Beach is one of the key reasons many businesses – includingcompanies which provide professional services to the international trade community – have moved theirheadquarters to the city or opened branch operations. A recent example is Vanguard Logistics Services,which leased 24,000 square feet of office space at the 5000 E. Spring St. building at the Long BeachAirport Business Park. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)



president. In an e-mail to the Business

Journal, Shiozaki said the Port of Long

Beach “is a main gateway for our parts

made outside the U.S.A.” The company, a

subsidiary of the Japan-based DENSO

Corporation, supplies automotive and

heavy-duty parts to car dealers, after-mar-

ket retailers and distributors, according to

Shiozaki. The division has been headquar-

tered in Long Beach since 1984.

When asked why Mercedes-Benz chose

to locate a new massive facility in Long

Beach, the port was the first topic Bob

Yeatman, western regional general man-

ager, brought up. “We have had a long rela-

tionship with the Port of Long Beach. That

is where all of our cars come in to the west-

ern part of the U.S.,” Yeatman explained.

He is currently based in Irvine, but is slated

to lead the Western Region offices in Long

Beach when they open in early 2015. “We

wanted to make sure we keep that relation-

ship we have there in place with the Port of

Long Beach . . . We just needed more space

to ourselves to do all that. That was the

genesis for finding another location nearby

that could do all this for us,” he explained.

The city’s central location to Mercedes

dealers was also influential in the move.

“I feel it is more centrally located,”

Yeatman said of Long Beach. “The Los

Angeles area is one of our key markets.

We have roughly 23 dealers just from

L.A. down to Orange County.”

For The Termo Company, an oil and gas

company based in Long Beach for 81 years,

being located in a city with strong ties the

oil industry is a plus, according to Ralph

Combs, manager of corporate development.

“Today, our history is rooted in Long Beach

and we feel very bound to the city. Southern

California still has a very strong oil and gas

industry and Long Beach is a good center

point for our company,” Combs said.

Easy access to the Long Beach Airport

and freeways, including the 405, 605, 710

and 91, were also cited by many companies

as pros of having offices in Long Beach.

“For us, the location off the 405 has been

really great,” Aaron Leon, CEO of online

retailer LD Products, reflected. The com-

pany, which opened its headquarters in

Douglas Park in 2012, sells printer car-

tridges, toner and office supplies online.

Daniel Gold, managing partner of

Tredway Lumsdaine & Doyle, a legal firm

that has had offices in Long Beach since

2001, also cited freeway access and prox-

imity to the airport as a plus for the firm.

“We’re right near the 405 [freeway], the

Long Beach Airport and the 605 inter-

change,” he noted. The firm’s Los Angeles

County regional office is located at Kilroy




Airport Center.

For JetBlue, the airport itself is reason

enough to operate out of Long Beach. “It is

a wonderful airport,” Land said. “It has got

a singularly unique outside atrium with an

open-air fire pit at the bar – things you just

don’t see at airports anywhere on the

globe,” he noted. “We enjoy the historical

significance of it; the beautiful art deco ter-

minal [is] a historical landmark. It’s a very

special place on so many levels.” JetBlue

employs about 750 people through its Long

Beach operations, which are the focal point

of JetBlue’s presence on the West Coast,

according to Land.

Proximity To Industry-Specific Client Base

C ertain demographics specific to

Long Beach make it an ideal place

for firms in several industries to locate,

including aviation, health care and banking.

Some aviation and aerospace companies

have moved to Long Beach’s Douglas Park

in recent years to be close to major clients,

such as The Boeing Company. Located

north of and adjacent to the airport, Douglas

Park was built on land once occupied by

Boeing, which has offices at the corner of

Carson Street and Lakewood Boulevard,

across the street from Douglas Park.

Larry O’Toole, CEO of Sanders

Industries Holdings and its subsidiary,

Rubbercraft, said Rubbercraft relocated its

headquarters to Douglas Park three years

ago partially to be closer to clients. The

company manufactures rubber and polymer

products for aerospace and defense applica-

tions. The reason for moving from Gardena,

he said, “pertains to easy access to some of

our larger customers – Boeing, Northrup

Grumman, and several others that are either

just a few minutes from the building or easy

access on the 405 [freeway].”

Kilroy Airport Center Long Beach, which butts up to the 405 Freeway on one side and the Long Beach Airport on the other, is home to many corporate citizens, including the headquarters for Epson America,Inc., SCS Engineers, SCAN Health Plan and Moffatt & Nichol, among others. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Farmers & Merchants Bank, which has been headquartered in Downtown Long Beach for more than100 years, has offices spread throughout Long Beach, Orange County and the South Bay. The bankhas consistently been ranked as one of the strongest financially in the country. (Photograph by theBusiness Journal’s Thomas McConville)

Pictured is Molina Center, left, and 100 Oceangate, two of the many office buildings dotting theDowntown Long Beach skyline. Molina Center is the headquarters for Molina Health Care, whichemploys more than 4,000 people in the city and is ranked among the Fortune 500. The 100Oceangate building recently welcomed U.S. HealthWorks Medical Group to the plaza level.(Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)



Rubbercraft’s customers also have easy

access to the company via the Long Beach

Airport. “Some of our customers, if they

have to, can even fly in to the Long Beach

Airport and we can deliver a part right to

the plane’s side and they can take off,”

O’Toole said.

Shimadzu Aircraft Equipment is relocat-

ing from Torrance for similar reasons. “We

make actuators that open the cargo doors

on most of the commercial Boeing air-

planes,” Joseph Lovegren, senior manager

of general administration and compliance

for Shimadzu, told the Business Journal.

“Boeing is one of our valuable customers,”

Kiyotaka Ihara, president of the parent

company and its aircraft division, said on a

conference call with Lovegren and

Shimadzu CFO Tina Kang. “They have

offices around there [Douglas Park] so to

have our facility near theirs is a very good

advantage,” Ihara said.

The banking industry also has a strong

presence in Long Beach, largely due to its

central location and opportunities for busi-

ness in the region, according to local bank-

ing executives. Take Farmers & Merchants

(F&M) Bank for example – founded in

Long Beach in 1907, it has been headquar-

tered in the same building in Downtown

Long Beach since 1923 and now employs

about 300 people within the city.

“Farmers & Merchants as we sit here

today is very close to being in the top 100

out of 6,000 banks in the country in asset

size. But our home is Long Beach,” W.

Henry Walker, F&M president, told the

Business Journal. So why does F&M still

call Long Beach home? “There is a huge

amount of business that flows through

Long Beach,” Walker responded. “We see

Long Beach as a great place for F&M. It

is an economically diverse community.”

Founded in Long Beach in the 1980s,

International City Bank also remains

headquartered in Long Beach. “We’re a

full-service small business bank,”

Michael Miller, the bank’s president and

CEO, said. “There are certainly a variety

of companies that are within the greater

Long Beach area directly related to our

target market,” he noted. “That’s part of

the reason for our formation and focus in

this particular area.”

Being located near many businesses is

also helpful to Tredway Lumsdaine &

Doyle, which draws clientele from the

business community, Gold said.

In terms of an employment base, the

health care industry may have the largest

footprint in Long Beach, with major health

plans, several local hospitals and many

physicians’ offices located throughout the




city. Health plan provider SCAN Health

Plan, founded in Long Beach in 1977, is

still headquartered here partially because

of access to clientele, according to Sherry

Stanislaw, senior vice president and gen-

eral manager of the Southern California

operations of SCAN.

“A lot of our customers live in Long

Beach,” Stanislaw said. “We provide health

care to members who are eligible for

Medicare. Most of those members are 65

years or older, and there is a very large

retiree population in Long Beach and the

surrounding area,” she explained. SCAN

employs about 900 people in Long Beach.

Jeff Van Hoy, senior director of business

development for Dignity Health St. Mary

Medical Center, said Long Beach is a good

location for Dignity Health, an organiza-

tion with 38 hospitals nationwide, due to

the population base. With a growing 45

year-old to 65 year-old population in Long

Beach, “the future is going to have an

increased demand for health care needs,”

Van Hoy said. “It’s not that we feel good

about that, but we feel positioned to meet

that need.”

It isn’t just proximity to clients in Long

Beach, L.A. County, Orange County or

within a few hundred miles that makes

Long Beach a good place to operate a busi-

ness – some companies choose Long

Beach because of its location in relation to

clients in other countries.

“Long Beach is a more readily accessi-

ble location for customers and prospects

based in Asia and Latin America,” Larry

Flynn, president of Gulfstream

Aerospace Corporation, told the

Business Journal via e-mail. “Not only

can these operators get their aircraft

serviced in Long Beach, but we can

deliver a new aircraft to them from a site

much closer to their home base,” he

explained. Since 1986, the company has

had maintenance operations for its jet

aircraft at the Long Beach Airport, where

more than 870 employees currently work.

A Talented, Educated Local Workforce

Businesses located in Long Beach

have the benefit of being close to

many major universities, including the

city’s own California State University,

Long Beach. The university is consistently

ranked by publications such as U.S. News

& World Report as not only one of the best

California State University schools but as

one of the best in the western region of the

United States. The city is also home to

Long Beach City College, which produces

graduates trained in trades from nursing to

auto mechanics. There are many other

public and private colleges nearby, includ-

ing the University of California, Los

Angeles, University of California, Irvine,

the University of Southern California

(USC) and others.

Molina Healthcare, a company providing

health plans through Medicaid, Medicare

and other state insurance marketplaces, has

had a presence in Long Beach since 1980.

Molina Healthcare is headquartered here

with about 4,250 employees working within

Long Beach. John Molina, CFO, said Long

Beach is a good location for his company’s

headquarters because, “first and foremost,

it is a good area to draw employees from.”

Molina Healthcare works with local

schools to train and hire employees. “We

have had an internship program we devel-

oped in conjunction with Cal State Long

Beach for a long time,” he said, adding

that about 75 interns from the school are

currently working at Molina. The com-

pany is working to develop similar pro-

grams with Long Beach City College and

USC, he noted.

Moffatt & Nichol also works with Cal

State Long Beach to find talent, Nichol

said. Nichol, who is on the advisory board

for the school’s College of Engineering,

said his company’s founders helped to

found the college. “It’s easy to find good

skilled people who want to be here,” he

said of he firm’s Long Beach location.

The California Trust Center for Wells

Fargo, located in Downtown Long Beach

with about 180 employees, also benefits

from the local talent pool, according to

Stephanie Adams, the center’s director.

“Long Beach is a great location because

we are able to find a diverse and well-edu-

cated talent pool. We have a great work-

force,” she said.

A Growing Community And A Helpful City

B eing located in a city with a growing

community and a business-friendly

government is a key reason many businesses

are located here, according to executives

interviewed by the Business Journal.

“There is definitely a great business

environment here,” JC Abusaid, president

of fiduciary investment management firm

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Halbert Hargrove, told the Business

Journal. “It is a dynamic city; it is grow-

ing,” he said. “We are in downtown so we

have enjoyed all the commerce transforma-

tion, and the innovation in terms of having

a lot of commercial space and attracting

young families with all the new condos,”

he reflected. Halbert Hargrove was

founded in Long Beach in 1933 with three

employees. The firm now employs 40 peo-

ple in Long Beach and oversees $4 billion

in capital, Abusaid said.

George Adams, president of SA

Recycling, a scrap metal recycler and iron

ore exporter with operations at the Port of

Long Beach, said Long Beach is a great

city to work with. “They have gone out of

their way to help us, to be proactive, to be

supportive and I just couldn’t ask for better

partners than what we have found in [the

City of] Long Beach,” he said of city staff.

Shiozaki of DENSO also lauded the city

government. “The City of Long Beach has

been a strong strategic partner that has

helped us grow our business,” he said.

Yeatman of Mercedes said the city and

port have “gone above and beyond” in

helping the company move operations to

Long Beach, calling them “pro-business.”

One of the reasons Nautilus International

Holding is moving its headquarters to Long

Beach after nine decades in Wilmington is

because “Long Beach is a very business-

friendly city,” Callahan said. “I think the

city understands the nexus between the

port and the city and how important it is,”

he explained. Additionally, Douglas Park

represented a unique opportunity to be a

part of a “very progressive, innovative”

business community,” he noted.

Frank Komin, executive vice president of

California Resources Corporation, a spin-

off company of Occidental Petroleum’s

California assets, had glowing reviews of

Long Beach. Oxy has had operations in

Long Beach since 1965 through two divi-

sions – the THUMS Long Beach Company

and Tidelands Oil Production Company,

contractors operating oil facilities for the

City of Long Beach. “The city has an

engaged, diverse populace, a civic-minded

business community and an experienced

professional staff in city government,”

Komin told the Business Journal in an e-

mail. “It is a sophisticated city government

that welcomes and works collaboratively

with businesses and maintains and invests

in key infrastructure.”

Peterson of P2S Engineering summed

up many of the comments from leader-

ship at companies throughout Long

Beach: “We can’t see ourselves being

anywhere else but Long Beach. It’s a

great city, great community.” �



Learn More About SomeOf The FirmsAnd Entities

Doing Business In Long Beach(The following editorial has

been provided by the advertiser)

California State University,Long Beach

CSULB Corporate Education:Business Solutions That Work

California State University, LongBeach provides companies a link to

the largest state university system in theworld. CSULB’s College of Continuingand Professional Education providessolutions that will help facilitate thegrowth and development of California’sworkforce to compete in a dynamicglobal economy.Customized training programs are devel-

oped to meet the needs of companies andorganizations and are conveniently deliv-ered through a variety of formats. Throughone-on-one consultations, CSULB’sCorporate Education division developsflexible learning solutions to ensure thatbusiness training needs are met. Theirclients have included: Long Beach Transit,California Department of Corrections andRehabilitation, Goodwill SOLAC, Disney,Boeing, Pacific Gateway WorkforceInvestment Network and more.In addition, CSULB helps identify

funding sources that are available to qual-ified companies. They have partneredwith various state agencies that providefunding to employers for workforcedevelopment training. These trainingfunds can be used for retraining currentemployees, new hires, and specialemployment training. Contact TracyPalacios at [email protected] or call(562) 985-2640 to learn more about lever-aging these training dollars.Work Smarter. Stay Competitive. Make

Wise Investments in Your Staff.

ChildNet YouthAnd Family Services

ChildNet Youth and Family Serviceswas founded in 1970 by a group of

Long Beach civic leaders whose goal wasto foster the social, emotional, and educa-tional development of troubled and disad-vantaged youth. It has since grown from asingle youth home that served an averageof 100 boys annually to an organizationwith six locations covering five counties,serving upwards of 7,850 clients annu-ally. Our mission is to provide safehomes, education, and counseling to vul-nerable children and families. Our pro-gram philosophy reinforces personalresponsibility and emphasizes the needfor a strong family unit.ChildNet has been very fortunate to have

a passionate and involved Board of

Directors who recognizes the vast andalmost overwhelming need that exists; theneed for specialized mental health services,quality foster homes and intensive servicesfor foster youth, special education for at-risk students and support for familieswho face enormous challenges. In ourattempt to meet this growing need,ChildNet leaders designed a Continuumof Care, which enables our professionalstaff to support clients as they worktoward developing a stable family envi-ronment or making the often-difficulttransition to independent living.Since the establishment of our

Continuum of Care, we have added FosterFamily Network (FFN) in 1986;Zinsmeyer Academy in 1990; BehavioralHealth Services (BHS) in 1999;Wraparound Support Services in 2006;and Adoption Services in 2009. BHS isour largest program and includes a part-nership with FFN to provide IntensiveTreatment Foster Care (ITFC) in LosAngeles and San Bernardino counties.We firmly believe that every child

deserves to live in a happy, safe and nurtur-ing home. And every parent deserves theopportunity to receive the support they needto provide such a home for their children.ChildNet is here to provide that support.To learn more about ChildNet’s pro-

grams, please visit our website atwww.childnet.net

Coldwell BankerCommercial

BLAIR WESTMACCan AB 1103 Stop The Sale Of Your Property?

In November of 2007,California passed

Assembly Bill 1103 (AB1103), mandating energybenchmarking and energy dis-closure for certain non-resi-dential buildings.

Assembly Bill 1103 requires a nonresi-dential building owner or operator tobenchmark a building’s energy use inadvance of the sale, lease, financing orrefinancing of the entire building. As ofJanuary 1, 2014, California requires own-ers to disclose their building’s energy useto a potential buyer, lender, or lessee.Building Square footage Requirements:• On and after January 1, 2014, for a

building with total gross floor area measur-ing 10,000 square feet or greater.• On and after July 1, 2016, for a build-

ing with a total gross floor area measuring5,000 square feet or greater.As governmental legislation continues to

change and influence the market it isimportant to work with a licensed realestate professional that can help guide youof through the purchase, sale and leasingprocess of your commercial property. Formore information about AB 1103 go to:http://www.energy.ca.gov/ab1103.

Pictured: Becky Blair, CCIMPresident and Principal

Coldwell Banker Commercial BLAIR WESTMAC

AIR Commercial Real Estate MemberLIC# 00630793

www.cbcblair.com

H & Y Rebar

Tired of driving toGlendale everyday, wife

Kim pregnant with our firstchild and having just pur-chased our first home, wedecided to open up a fabrica-tion shop in Long Beach. I

couldn’t have chosen a more stressful timeto do it. With my wife Kim’s support, lotsof prayers, and help from friends in theconcrete and masonry business, I was ableto open up shop. Now, with 40 employees –including my son, Chad – 27 years later, itis the only rebar company in Long Beach. We specialize in anything from subter-

ranean parking structures to backyardpatios. And with a group of people whowork as hard as these employees do, it isno wonder it is successful. Now withthree children, Chad, Taylor and Jordan,and a grandchild Payton, I am starting tofeel just a little older. Time flies by!Fabrication and placing rebar has beendone the same way for 50 years. Theycome up with faster ways to detail, butyou still have to bend, and tie the rebarwith pliers and roll of wire. The way tokeep customers is to service them all aspromised. Visit us at www.hyrebar.comfor more information.

Pictured: Jim Hofheinz, PresidentH &Y Rebar

Moffatt & Nichol

In 1945, John Moffatt andFrank Nichol accepted the

challenge of developingSouthern California’s navalinstallations at Long Beachand Port Hueneme to bedesigned, built, and online to

secure the nation’s Pacific Coast. Theyabsorbed and mastered the challenges ofmarine design and construction – not justthe piers, wharves and roads that were inte-gral to the facilities – but also the complexinteraction of marine structures with thecoastal environment. As a result of theseexperiences and after the war, a partnershipwas formed that would revolutionize water-front engineering through the next century.During their distinguished careers, JohnMoffatt and Frank Nichol established areputation for developing creative but prac-tical designs, nurturing a company thatcontinues that tradition today. As one of the largest specialized mar-

itime planning and engineering companiesin the world, Moffatt & Nichol has playeda major role in the evolution of the modernmarine terminal. The company has earnedan international reputation for providinginnovative solutions to the complex chal-lenges associated with moving all types offreight – from break bulk and automobilesto more specialized cargos such as coal,

Landmark Square is the last major office building to open in Long Beach. The Class A building openedin May 1992 and is bounded by Ocean Boulevard, to the right, Pacific Avenue, shown in forefront, 1stStreet to the left, and Pine Avenue. Some of the corporate citizens of Long Beach located at LandmarkSquare include California Resources Corporation (a spinoff of Occidental Petroleum), Wells Fargo,Halbert Hargrove and Merrill Lynch. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)




oil, biomass, and liquid natural gas.Engineering News-Record recently rankedMoffatt & Nichol one of the top two firmsfor marine and port facilities. The key toour success is not only our core group ofmaritime engineers who specialize inwaterfront engineering, but also our full-range of technical capabilities.Moffatt & Nichol also provides a wide

range of transportation services throughoutmuch of North and South America. Thefirm has planned, designed, and overseenthe construction and rehabilitation of someof the most important bridge and gradeseparation projects and railway/intermodalfacilities in the US. The firm provides theentire range of professional services forhighways and multimodal facilities, includ-ing major freeways and urban highways,ferry terminals and systems, rural roads,bicycle/pedestrian paths and bridges, anddemand management programs.Moffatt & Nichol operates from 30

offices throughout North America, Europe,Latin America, the Middle East and thePacific Rim. Headquartered in Long Beach,California, the company serves a variety ofpublic and private entities worldwide inseveral primary areas – marine terminals;coasts, water and the environment; water-fronts and marinas; transportation; inspec-tion and rehabilitation; and energy. Formore information about Moffatt & Nichol,please visit www.moffattnichol.com.

Pictured: Eric Nichol, PresidentMoffatt & Nichol

NuVision Financial

Have you discovered the credit uniondifference when it comes to com-

mercial real estate loans? NuVision is oneof Southern California’s leading creditunions in Orange County, headquarteredin Huntington Beach with 13 branchesthroughout Los Angeles and OrangeCounties.When you bring your commercial busi-

ness to NuVision, you’ll be in close contactwith a team of business lenders who arecommitted to growing your business. Since NuVision is a credit union, we are

able to customize our programs to fit yourneeds. As a local lender, we understand themarketplace and can help you with theneeds of your business. Some features youcan expect on your commercial real estateloans are no pre-payment penalties, loansup $7 million, 30-year amortizations, andcompetitive fixed rates on various terms. Look to NuVision as your business part-

ner, and work directly with your loan offi-cer from start to finish on your loan. Inaddition to commercial loans, NuVisionalso offers working capital loans and busi-ness credit cards. When you work with NuVision to pur-

chase or refinance a building, you’ll discoverthe credit union difference. Our BusinessBanking Officers are here to answer yourquestions and get you started on one of themost important decisions you’ll make. NuVision is a financial cooperative owned

by its members, not outside investors. Everymember of NuVision becomes an ownerwhen they join the credit union. In 1935, westarted by serving the employees of DouglasAircraft; and now, more than 75 years later,you too can take advantage of NuVision’sgreat products and services.

P2S Engineering, Inc.Think Green, Build Strong

P2S is a full-service engi-neering firm at the fore-

front of green and sustainabledesign. For nearly 25 years,we’ve worked with clients ina range of industries – fromhigher education and health-

care to aerospace and waterfront develop-ment – to help elevate the quality and effi-ciency of their physical space througheffective mechanical, electrical and plumb-ing design. Whether we’re working withretrofit projects, central plant enhance-ments, or new construction, our engineersfocus special attention on efficiencies andleverage our experience to provide sustain-able solutions that are both innovative andcost-effective. Think green, build strong:It’s the P2S way.In addition to design, P2S conducts fea-

sibility studies, and provides master plan-ning and commissioning services. In short,we know how buildings should work, andwe create designs to make them work bet-ter. Our certified commissioning agentsand engineers work in tandem to assess theneeds of local businesses, and to create theoperating solutions that help them runmore efficiently.

Think GreenP2S is passionate about designing sys-

tems that have a minimal impact on theearth’s natural resources. Our engineersdeliver solutions with measurable and veri-fiable energy savings, which in turn helpour clients meet even the most challengingoperational goals. In fact, nearly 1/3 of P2Stechnical staff is LEED certified. LEED, orLeadership in Energy & EnvironmentalDesign, is a green building certificationprogram that recognizes best-in-class sus-tainable building strategies and practices.

And Build StrongAt P2S, we’ve won numerous awards for

our work, especially in the field of greenengineering. In 2014, one of our projects,the San Diego State University ConradPrebys Aztec Student Union, received theUniversity of California Energy Efficiencyand Sustainability Best Practice Award forOverall Sustainable Design. The structureis on track to become the largest LEEDPlatinum education building in California. P2S has also been named: • Engineering Giants 300 (No. 48) for

2014, CSE Magazine• Top 25 (No. 16) University Sector

Engineering Firms 2014, BuildingDesign+Construction Magazine

Leadership P2S founders Kevin and Kent Peterson

are both graduates of Cal State LongBeach, and both continue to play an activerole in the local community. Their innova-tive entrepreneurial style led P2S to benamed among the “Best Places to Work inLA” by the LA Business Journal for thelast six years running. In 2012, the brotherswere named Entrepreneurs of the Year bythe Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.P2S Engineering | 562-497-2999 | www.p2seng.com

Pictured: Kevin Peterson, PresidentP2S Engineering Inc.

The Petrie Financial Groupof Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC

The ever-changing mar-kets create a financial

landscape that requires ahands-on approach to invest-ment planning. That’s why ouraccessible and informed teamoffers a thoughtful and practi-

cal perspective on all of life’s critical finan-cial decisions. We will help guide you as wework together to weigh your options andidentify your unique goals. By constantlyquestioning conventional wisdom, we pro-vide objective, insightful and timely advice.Our approach pairs personal attention with

informed solutions for balancing risk andgrowth in your portfolio. We will learn aboutthe things you value most, clarify the goals youwant to achieve for yourself and your family,and get a sense of the future you envision.We deliver advice that is integrated,

comprehensive and customized for you,with each member of our team contributingspecialized perspectives and experience.We strive to preserve and grow your wealthwhile helping you make the best long-termdecisions through our portfolio manage-ment process, which is based on disci-plined planning and analysis of your over-all financial situation. With an integratedprivate plan in place, we can provideinvestment recommendations that arestrategically aligned with your aspirations.Areas of interest may be:• Investment planning, including portfolio

management and tax-advantaged strategies• Retirement planning• Business advisory services, including cor-

porate retirement plans and cash management• Life insurance, annuities and long-

term care• Estate planning and investment strategies• Access to lending services through

Wells Fargo affiliatesLisa and her team of financial profession-

als have been providing customized strategiesfocused on investment planning and manage-ment for families and businesses since 1984.A graduate of the University of California,Lisa is a Managing Director, Senior PIMPortfolio Manager and Certified FinancialPlanner™ (CFP®). After considering suchfactors as assets, revenue and customer satis-faction, Barron’s has named Lisa as one ofthe Top 100 Women Financial Advisors. Today, trusted financial advice is more

important than ever. We take the responsibil-ity of providing that advice very seriously.Our aim is to be your hands-on partner, com-mitted to a relationship that’s relevant to yourlife and focused on your financial success. www.thepetriegroup.com, 562.799.2182

Pictured: Lisa A. Petrie, CFPManaging Director – Investments

Senior PIM Portfolio Manager

PMC

PMC, a trusted advisor tomunicipalities through-

out California since 1995, iscelebrating one year of serv-ing clients from its LongBeach office. With more than130 professionals in offices

throughout the Western United States, thefirm has successfully worked with over 200municipal governments to help them real-ize their vision for a more sustainable

future and create a sense of place and pur-pose for their communities.Driven by an increase in development

projects, municipal needs for general planand zoning updates, and a new outlook bymunicipal governments on how they stafftheir planning offices, PMC’s Long Beachoffice has grown from 4 to 14. The localoffice provides planning and environmentalassistance to a number of long-range plan-ning projects in the region, including com-prehensive general plan updates for thecities of Huntington Beach and HermosaBeach, and the development of a LocalCoastal Program for the City of Seal Beach.“The recent recession has limited munic-

ipal governments to keep up with thechanging economy,” said PMC’s CEO PhilCarter. “Despite having smaller budgetsand fewer resources and staff, municipalgovernments are still obligated to performall the duties that a city needs to function,including meeting increased demands forservices as the economy rebounds.”PMC is embedded with numerous local

planning agencies working on a number ofprojects and initiatives which are widelyconsidered to be among the most progres-sive and cutting edge in municipal planning.PMC’s unique business model of provid-

ing on-call contract staffing to municipalgovernments’ planning offices has giventhe firm an edge over the competition andpositioned the Long Beach office for fur-ther expansion and to double in size againby 2015. The office’s key growth strategy –and philosophy – is to focus on hiring out-standing planners who live in the area andunderstand local communities. Having thathome-grown perspective helps to createsuccessful projects that implement a com-munity’s values and policy direction fromtheir elected representatives.“As planners, we take a lot of pride in

designing livable and desirable communi-ties,” said principal and Long Beach officemanager Al Warot. “Our staff hails from allover the area. This gives us a unique oppor-tunity to have a hand in designing the com-munities in which we live, work, and playconsistent with policy direction. Everyonein this office shares that passion for makingtheir hometown a better place. That’s notsomething that our competitors can boast.”

Pictured: Al Warot, Long Beach Office Manager, PMC

Queen Mary

Once a world-class ocean liner, the QueenMary is now a full-service Long Beach

hotel, historical landmark and entertainmentvenue, offering guests unique accommoda-tions and a wide array of attractions thatsimply cannot be found anywhere else.

With an impressive history and traditionof excellence, the Queen Mary gives visitorsa unique glimpse into a bygone era whensteamships were the most regal way totravel, an experience that visitors will neverforget. Marrying iconic tradition and mod-ern technology, the Queen Mary has every-thing necessary to facilitate a flawless eventexperience and is one of the most uniquemeeting, conference and social gatheringdestinations in Southern California.With over 80,000 square feet of functional

meeting, exhibit, banquet and event space in14 remarkable Art Deco salons, the QueenMary provides an unrivaled authentic histor-




ical event experience and is the perfect placeto host a celebration or social gathering ofany kind. Conference rooms start at 522square feet, perfect for smaller, more inti-mate setting; while ceiling height rangesfrom seven feet to an astonishing 130 feet inour 70,000 square foot Queen Mary Dome.From corporate year-end-events to soror-

ity or fraternity parties, anniversaries, babyshowers and more, the Queen Mary is morethan just an events venue – it’s an entireexperience. From historic tours, to paranor-mal attractions, shops, spa and variousevents, there are a wide variety of things todo and see while aboard the ship.The Queen Mary’s award-winning culi-

nary staff creates innovative banquet cui-sine for groups from 10 to 5,000 and evenoffers event goers the unique experience ofenjoying the maiden voyage meal. Ourchef’s expertly recreate the meal that trav-elers ate in 1936 when the Queen Maryfirst set sail. Take a culinary journey withworld-class meals from all over the globe.When the Queen Mary epitomized lux-

ury ocean travel, she raised the bar for cus-tomer service and satisfaction. Althoughthe ship no longer crosses the AtlanticOcean, our dedication to customer servicehas never wavered. From the moment youstep onto our famed wooden decks to themoment you depart, we guarantee you willreceive nothing but first-class treatment.

Transport yourself back in time aboardthe legendary Queen Mary.

Republic Services“We’ll Handle It From Here”

Customer First:

At Republic Services,there are no more impor-

tant relationships than the onesforged with each customer.Listening and understanding

the needs and wants today, and to anticipatehow each customer may evolve is essentialin providing the services of tomorrow.We’ll handle it from here™, Republic’s

tagline, lets customers know that they cancount on the Blue Trucks to provide aneffortless experience, backs the promisethat service will be on-time, a customerwill never be missed, the area will be cleanand supports the promise to deliver supe-rior products and services to meet cus-tomers’ needs; and remind customers aboutRepublic’s environmental commitment.In the end, it means caring about making

a difference in customers’ lives, while help-ing them feel at ease, uplifted, evendelighted in choosing Republic Services. National Strength:Republic Services is the second largest

non-hazardous solid waste collection andrecycling services company in the US pro-viding service for commercial, industrial,municipal and residential customers through336 collection operations in 39 states andPuerto Rico. Republic’s assets and infra-structure consists of ownership or operationof 199 transfer stations, 190 active solidwaste landfills, 69 recycling centers and 64landfill gas and renewable energy projects.While operations are national in scope,

physical collection and disposal of waste isvery much a local business and the dynam-ics and opportunities differ in each market.By combining local operating managementwith standardized business practices, cus-

tomers receive greater overall operatingefficiency across the service spectrum withday-to-day operating decisions maintainedat the local level, closest to the customer.Long Beach Area:Republic is the largest holder of exclusive

solid waste collection and recycling servicesin the market. Holding 37 long-term contractsin Los Angeles, Orange and San BernardinoCounties and servicing over 225,000 residen-tial and just under 20,000 commercial/indus-trial accounts, Republic is a leader in environ-mental sustainability and management. Inaddition, Republic has non-exclusive con-tracts or permits for residential and/or com-mercial solid waste collection and recyclingservices in twenty-one (21) jurisdictions in theL.A. County area and 34,000 open area com-mercial/industrial accounts in the County.In the market the company owns and/or

operates a materials recovery facility, sixtransfer stations, and one landfill and thelargest Materials Recovery Facility inSouthern California. Its operations facili-ties in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Gardena,Sun Valley and Anaheim dispatch over 600frontline collection vehicles daily.Republic is also a proud local employeremploying many local residents who servethe communities in which they live.

Pictured: Ron Krall, Area PresidentRepublic Services

Science CareChange The Future Of Health Care

As an alternative to tradi-tional burial, funeral, or

cremation, the Science Carewhole body donation pro-gram offers the chance tomake a contribution benefit-

ting others. You can help advance medicalresearch and training and improve qualityof life for patients and the community.There is no age limit with the Science

Care donor program and most all will qual-ify, including those with cancer, heart dis-ease, arthritis and diabetes. Pre-registrationwith the program is NOT required. Plus,you can often choose to be both a wholebody donor and an organ donor for trans-plant. By donating your whole body toresearch, you live on by allowing doctors,surgeons and medical students the abilityto study new life-saving medical and surgi-cal procedures, techniques and treatments. And there is an overwhelming need for

whole body donors. Whole body donationfor medical research and training immedi-ately impacts and furthers the knowledgeand skills of physicians and surgeons,improving the quality of life for patientstoday and for future generations.A life-affirming choice, the Science

Care donor program is no cost to the donoror family, and each donor and family istreated with compassion, care, respect anddignity. Upon acceptance, the programcovers the costs of transportation from thelocation of passing, cremation with thereturn of cremated remains in 3-5 weeksand the filing of the death certificate.A few areas in which whole body donors

are advancing medicine:• Heart disease treatment development• Diabetes• Joint replacements• Cancer research• Osteoporosis

• Advanced drug delivery• Alzheimer’s research

Body Donation ProcessThe process for donating your body is

straightforward and intended to be simplefor your caregivers and loved ones. • It begins with a short medical screening

over the phone, either at the time of passingor when under hospice care, to determine ifthe donor matches current research criteria. • Our team will coordinate the transporta-

tion and obtaining of proper, legal consent.• The tissue is placed with a variety of

medical research and education projects.• The tissue not utilized for research is

cremated and available for return within 3-5 weeks.• Following donation, the family will

receive information regarding the currentresearch projects.Science Care’s local donation center is in

Long Beach, but we also serve nationwide. To learn more, join the registry of donors

or to begin the donation process, callScience Care anytime at 800.417.3747I Support Life®

Pictured: Melinda Ellsworth, Director Donor Services, Science Care

Signal Hill Petroleum

Signal Hill Petroleum is an independ-ently owned California-based energy

company specializing in the sustainableexploration, development, and productionof oil and gas in urban areas. Over ourthree decades of operation, we have devel-oped a unique expertise, not only in urbanoil and gas production operations, but alsoin urban drilling and seismic exploration.We here at Signal Hill Petroleum believe

in the importance of sustainability as itrelates to the oil and gas industry; not just inregard to the environment, but also by sus-taining our local community and economy.Our primary focus is to provide the nextgeneration with an exceptional standard ofliving, with a healthy environment to live in,and jobs they can obtain to support them-selves and the community in the future. Over the years, we have lead the way in

establishing responsible operating techniquesand technologies that have been the founda-tion for safely co-existence with closely-spaced residential and commercial neighbors.Our ability to successfully operate in suchclose proximity to homes and businesses isentirely unique and unprecedented within theindustry. We have taken on the challengesbrought on by this urban environment by pio-neering and utilizing new technologies. Our company has developed in-house

production equipment, techniques, and seis-mic exploration technology that has allowedfor safe drilling in the most urban environ-ments, bringing value to both residential andcommercial developments in Long Beachand Signal Hill. With well locations placednear homes, in shopping center parking lotsand nestled among City parks, our explo-ration team puts priority on safety and main-taining good neighborhood relations in ourefforts to access new oil and gas sources.As part of our environmental efforts, we

have invested in a cutting-edge emissionscontrol electrical turbine generator that usesits own natural gas to power its operations.What would otherwise be stranded gas, a bi-product from the oil production, is turnedinto the cleanest electricity in the country. We firmly believe in investing in the

communities where our business footprintresides, and are proud to partner with localprograms that directly benefit local resi-dents and businesses. This commitment toserving our community through investingin education, community programs andphilanthropic initiatives made us the 2013winner of the Oil & Gas Award inCorporate Social Responsibility. Our goalis always to be the best neighbor possible.

Wells FargoMobile Services Are Important To Our

Customers, So They Are Important To Us

“Businesses are lookingat technology and

innovations all the time. Theywant new ways to be moreefficient and therefore savetime that they can devote to

serving their customers,” said Ben Alvarado,pictured, Orange County and Long BeachRegional Banking President. “Our CEOMobile services are essential for these com-panies. For people who are always on the goor out of the office, mobile deposit capabilityis a major asset because it does somethinghuge: it eliminates the time spent driving tothe bank or the office to make deposits.”

Businesses Deposit $1 BillionThrough Wells Fargo Mobile App

Wells Fargo’s customers have the longesthistory of any bank benefitting from timesaving, cash-flow conveniences found inbusiness mobile banking, because we werethe first major U.S. bank to offer mobileservices for corporate and commercial cus-tomers. Recently our business customershave made more than $1 billion in mobiledeposits through our CEO Mobile®Deposit service. With the free CEO MobileiPhone app, customers can use an iPhone oriPad to quickly scan and deposit checks andmoney orders conveniently and securely,enabling them to speed up their cash flow.

About The CEO® Portal AndThe CEO Mobile service

The Commercial Electronic Office®(CEO) portal offers Wells Fargo commercialand corporate customers single sign-on accessto nearly 90 online banking applications andreports, including cash management, credit,investments, foreign exchange, trade finance,capital markets, trust, insurance, and healthbenefits. The CEO Mobile service is an exten-sion of select CEO portal services, giving cus-tomers the ability to access accounts andmake important decisions when they’re in ameeting, on the go, or traveling. Customerscan use the CEO Mobile service to initiateand approve payments, make deposits,receive alerts, review balances and reports,transfer funds, manage business expenses,and administer and reset passwords.

Mobile Banking SecurityWells Fargo has 12 million active mobile

customers. All Wells Fargo Mobile®Banking services use the same securitystandards as Wells Fargo Online®.• View accounts by nicknames you set,

not account number • Online Security Guarantee coverage• 128-bit encryption masks your sensi-

tive information If a business or retail customer’s phone

or tablet is lost or stolen we have 24/7assistance to deactivate your app, 1-866-863-6762 24 hours a day, 7 days a week todeactivate your account. �


Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau One-Stop Resource For Meetings & Conventions

smaeT selaS & ecivreS noitnevnoC gninniW-drawA yrtsudnI First Class Accommodations State-of-the-Art Convention Center

Let Us Help Make Your Next Meeting Or Convention A Success

For more information, please contact Steve Goodling at (562) 495-8350 or visit our website at visitlongbeach.com

™



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