Bruce Jenner | Agency photo

The City of Santa Clarita will host the 2012 California Association of Enterprise Zones annual conference, taking place Nov. 14-16 at the Hyatt Regency Valencia, which will include a keynote luncheon featuring Olympian Bruce Jenner.  Santa Clarita is one of 42 Enterprise Zones in the state and submitted a bid in 2011 to host the conference.

The annual CAEZ conference is an opportunity to hear from state leaders, attend workshops on best practices, learn tactics to maximize job creation and business retention from peers, and discuss how to improve the Enterprise Zone program, which remains Santa Clarita’s largest business attraction and retention program.

“The Enterprise Zone program is one of our City’s biggest retention and attraction tools and has helped hundreds of Santa Clarita business owners save money and reinvest in their companies,” said Mayor Frank Ferry.  “We could not be more pleased to serve as the host City for the 2012 Conference and look forward to welcoming Enterprise Zone managers from across California to share best practices to help strengthen the program.”

While the primary focus of the event is to provide educational workshops for Enterprise Zone managers and administrators, Santa Clarita business owners within the Enterprise Zone can also get involved by attending the keynote luncheon, which will be held on Thursday, November 15 featuring Olympian Bruce Jenner.  Tickets for the luncheon are $75.00 per person and may be purchased online at SCVEnterpriseZone.com or by calling (661) 255-4347.

Jenner became known as the “World’s Greatest Athlete” at the 1976 Olympics when he broke the world record in the decathlon with a score of 8,634.  He has channeled this achievement into many successful ventures and is a sought-after corporate motivational speaker who focuses on helping business leaders “find the champion within.”  The California Enterprise Zone program is one that is regularly at the center of state budget conversations and a topic of debate as leaders look to eliminate business programs.  Enterprise Zone managers and cities with Enterprise Zones are the biggest champions for the program, which helped many Santa Clarita companies weather the challenges of The Great Recession and the area’s economic recovery.

To learn more about the 2012 Annual California Association of Enterprise Zones Conference, please contact Laura Biery, administrative analyst, at 661-286-4017 or visit  SCVEnterpriseZone.com.