STARTING A NEW, SMALL AUBER CENTER, OR

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STARTING A NEW, SMALL AUBER CENTER, OR
HOW I SING THE BLUES

• San Fernando Valley
• Economic Research Center
• Daniel Blake, Director
• California State University
• Northridge

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Big Issues
MISSIONWhat do we want to do? MARKETINGWho
wants what we do? And how do we convince them
that they want it? FINANCINGWhos going to pay
for what we do? STAFFINGWhos actually going to
do it? DATAAre data available to do what we want
to do?
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HOW SFVERC CAME TO BE

• The Business Community made a request to the
  College of Business and Economics at Cal State
  Northridge, and we responded.
• (Financially, our first mistake)
• We carved our niche out of a crowded market by
  focusing on the San Fernando Valley Report on
  current economic and demographic trends and
  conditions in the San Fernando Valley.
• (Data-wise, a mistake?)

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Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County Pop 10,246,000 Employment
Private 3,515,000 Govt 560,000
Los Angeles City Pop 3,976,000
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SAN FERNANDO VALLEY AND AREA CITIES
SAN FERNANDO
BURBANK GLENDALE
SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
CALABASAS AND HIDDEN HILLS
LOS ANGELES PORTION OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
LOS ANGELES CITY
OTHER CITIES
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POP 1.85 MILLION
PRIVATE-SECTOR EMPL (UI) 695,000
GOVT SELF-EMPLOY 150,000
ACCESS CORRIDORS
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Our First Stab (What We Did)

• Collect all the data available on the San
  Fernando Valley and publish it
• Use student teams to collect data (and print a
  disclaimer for the accuracy of the data)
• Paid for by sponsors who placed tribute ads
  (covered about half the costs)
• Released at a college event with media invited60
  page SFV Economic Report

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Our First Stab Modification

• Get someone else to host and market the data
  release event.
• University Partner Valley Industry and Commerce
  Association (VICA) w/ Fall event Business
  Forecast Conference.
• VICA asks CSUN to pay 5,000 to host BFC
  Forecast Breakfast.
• VICA charges 275 for the half day event, we get
  to pay for our own research publication costs!
• Our Second Big Mistake!

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Our First Stab Modifications 2 3

• Built up our available data on the SF Valley and
  enhanced our analysis of the trends and
  conditions 60 pages ? 100 pages.
• Costs rose but support didnt.
• Business community wants to know what all the
  current conditions and trends portend for the
  Future.
• Modification 3 We launch our SF Valley Economic
  Forecast as a Spring event, and gather sponsor
  support.

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Evolving Modifications 4 5

• Establish the SFV Economic Forecast as a stand
  alone event in the Spring.
• We get all the sponsor gate money, but
  forecast costs plus marketing and event costs are
  high.
• Partnered w/ Econ. Alliance Real Estate Center
  to outsource the event and marketing costs but
  share revenue after forecast costs.
• Pare down the SFV Economic Report dump the
  demographic trends100 ?40 pages and do in-house
  layout and quick copies printing.
• 25,000 layout print costs ? time 2,000

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Where Are We Now?
A Small, Established, Adolescent, Struggling
Center with Issues

• FinancialStriving for Self-Sufficiency and were
  not quite there.
• Need some additional support attractions.
• Supplemental contract projects to help with the
  financial pressures?
• We havent developed the faculty to do the
  projects.
• Our geographical focus and consequently our
  databases limit potential contract projects.

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THANKS FOR LISTENING
Stay in touch www.csun.edu/sfverc
AND WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR SPONSOR
YOUR NAME HERE!! CONTACT OUR DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
AT 818-677-3621