header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 18
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel


Courtesy of The Signal, signalscv.com
| Monday, Sep 20, 2021
Crowd
Hundreds of attendees listen to the panel discussion during the 2021 Economic Outlook event held at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, Valencia on Friday, 091721. Dan Watson/The Signal

 

Three local business leaders discussed the ways their organizations survived the COVID-19 pandemic during a panel discussion organized by the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp. as part of its semi-annual Economic Outlook event held Friday morning at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons.

On the panel, Princess Cruises and HA Group President Jan Swartz, Williams Homes Chairman and CEO Lance Williams and Sunkist Growers Senior Vice President and CEO Christian Harris talked hiring, culture, vaccines, supply chains and a host of other business topics.

Princess Cruises

Jan Swartz said after considerably reducing the size of her team at the cruise lines’ global headquarters in Santa Clarita, she’s excited to be hiring.

A hybrid model will be the likely path forward for her company since working from home has been a positive experience for many in many ways, Swartz said.

Jan Swartz

Jan Swartz – Group President, Princess Cruises & HA Group speaks during the panel discussion at the 2021 Economic Outlook event held at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, Valencia on Friday, 091721. Dan Watson/The Signal

“What we’re seeing in our survey results is an appetite to when things return to a little bit more to normal to have that place to come together for a number of days a week, but perhaps not back to five days per week.”

Swartz said that in this new environment, her team is making an extra effort to strengthen their corporate culture.

“In the past, we would have come to the office and had coffee with a thousand people, but today we have to initiate those relationships in new and different ways,” she said.

A key lesson from the past 18 months, Swartz said: “This is an ultra-endurance marathon of sorts.”

“It’s how we build our personal resilience, maintain our physical and mental health as we press forward, but also encourage one another to see the opportunity within all of the challenge,” she said.

Williams Homes

Lance Williams said everybody stopped buying homes when the pandemic hit. Then it went in the opposite direction.

“Ninety days later, everybody started coming back, interest rates went lower than they already were, and everybody was at home and they wanted a bigger house,” he said, noting that the home became the office, school, gym and more for families during the pandemic.

Lance Williams

Lance Williams – Founder, Chairman & CEO Williams Homes speaks during the panel discussion at the 2021 Economic Outlook event held at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, Valencia on Friday, 091721. Dan Watson/The Signal

Williams said his company, headquartered in Santa Clarita, has been in some ways “immune” to the pandemic despite the skilled labor and materials shortages.

“We turned buyers away because we don’t have a lot of inventory to sell, which is a brand-new experience for us,” he said.

Affordability has become the biggest challenge for Williams Homes, Williams said.

“We want to build entry level and move up housing. It’s very difficult to a build entry level new home in Southern California, particularly Santa Clarita,” he said, looking to Swartz and Harris. “So, you guys are hiring folks, it’s not easy for them to afford to buy.”

Williams said suburban housing is what’s hot, with Santa Clarita being one of the hottest housing markets.

And because of the experience of the pandemic, he said, “there’s a little more freedom to balance your life a little bit and maybe live where you want to live instead of where your boss tells you, you need to live.”

Sunkist

When the pandemic started, Christian Harris had to figure out how to safely run 30 pack houses.

“We knew we had to get food going,” he said. “Our customers make made clear that people wanted to eat and they particularly wanted to eat fresh food and fresh produce.”

The food grower was challenged changing food buying patterns and getting the supply chain going again.

“We really are struggling to find people to move here,” he said of labor. “They take a look at our house prices and they say ‘I don’t know how I can make this work.’”

Christian Harris

Christian Harris – Senior VP & CEO, Sunkist Growers speaks during the panel discussion at the 2021 Economic Outlook event held at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, Valencia on Friday, 091721. Dan Watson/The Signal

Harris said he’s found it hard to have as much collaboration on screen, though technology has created other opportunities for the fruit company.

“We’re trying to get technologies to move faster for us a little bit, so we can be safer, longer term in the facilities,” he said, noting artificial intelligence to support fruit packing.

Harris said the pandemic provided an opportunity to reassess processes and ask, “Do we need to do that?

“And start thinking about work-life balance a little bit more,” he added. “Start being kind to each other a little bit more. Start really paying attention to how someone’s day is going, not what you need to get out of them that day.”

Holly Schroeder

Holly Schroeder, President & CEO Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation welcomes attendees to the 2021 Economic Outlook event held at the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, Valencia on Friday, 091721. Dan Watson/The Signal

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com