In an effort to identify and attract tech companies to the City of Glendale, the Glendale Economic Development Corporation hired Estolano LeSar Perez (ELP) Advisors to study the existing technology base and develop a strategy to attract and retain these businesses and employees. The company is set to begin their six-month project on March 15th.
“The Glendale Economic Development Corporation Board is excited to be moving forward with this tech initiative,” Councilman Zareh Sinanyan said. “We believe we have an existing cluster of science, engineering, health and media-related companies, and this study will shed light on just how strong the cluster really is.”
Among the list of current such businesses in Glendale include , Service Titan, Legal Zoom, Nestle, Disney, Dreamworks, Glendale Adventist, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, Avery Dennison, and Glendale Memorial. Other components to researching the strength of a tech cluster include diving into proximity to education. In Glendale, prospective talent is found as young as in elementary school. This includes the students on the Clark Magnet High School Robotics Team, the advanced technology and media classes at Glendale Community College, and the many residents who commute to such universities as Cal State Northridge, USC, Cal Tech, and UCLA.
A key component of ELP Advisors research will be to both define “tech,” and once the categories are determined, to list all the companies in Glendale that fit that categorization. Their research will also include comparing Glendale to other communities to determine the City’s competitive advantage in any of the listed categories, and then to interview employers to get a better understanding of their needs.
ELP Advisors is deeply familiar with tech clusters, and will be able to help Glendale identify local tech ecosystems, as well as what factors tech companies consider when choosing their locations. This expertise, along with an understanding of Glendale’s assets, would enable a strong strategy plan to be developed. Their team is led by Cecilia Estolano, and for this project they partnered with The Design Accelerator Partners.
“Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors will bring a level of expertise in economics, redevelopment, public sector, technology venture capitalism, entrepreneurship and start-ups,” said Mayor Ara Najarian. “We are excited to have them at the helm of this new endeavor.”