[KHTS] – In the past year, Santa Clarita has welcomed several large companies into the valley for expansion or new offices, said Jason Crawford, economic development manager for the city. They include Disney, Sunkist and most recentlySamsung.

The electronics giant has established a new audio research and development lab on Smyth Drive in Valencia.

The company looked at facilities in Irvine, West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley before deciding to set up shop in Santa Clarita, said James Brown, manager of business attraction for the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation.

The SCV had the quality of facility that Samsung was looking for, said Sam Glendon, the CBRE real estate broker who represented them.

Also, Allan Devantier, who is heading up the development of the new office for Samsung, lives in the SCV, Brown said.

“We’re thrilled that they’re here,” Crawford said. “They’re opening up a brand new division for Samsung, and they’ve chosen Santa Clarita…”

The lab will focus on developing new audio equipment, Crawford said, such as stereos, speakers, headphones and home entertainment systems.

“They’ve got specialized labs where they can test in actual living room environments,” he said.

The lab is still under construction and a grand opening is expected in June.

Samsung is also still hiring engineers to staff the lab, for a total of nine employees by June and 15 or 16 employees within a year, Brown said.

In addition to high end jobs, the addition of Samsung to Santa Clarita will keep “the momentum going of top level businesses choosing Santa Clarita,” Crawford said.