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Showing posts with the label San Diego Investments

Will San Diego’s Increasing Exports Lead to New Employment Opportunities?

San Diego’s economy is picking up speed in ways that may lead to greater employment opportunities. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, San Diego realized $18.6 billion worth of goods which is a substantial increase of over $700 million from 2013 ( 1 ). Should the city expect increasing employment opportunities in the near future? The majority of exports was in computers and electronics, transportation, machinery, plastics and rubber, metal, and processed food. In these sectors greater sales often lead to greater profits and expansion of buyer networks that often leads to production expansion for companies.  Corporations expand production to sell more items while seeking to increase their returns from economies of scale. Expanded production sometimes leads to more efficient operations which in turn impacts profit margins. Profit margins stoke the fire of expansion as firms have healthy returns and seek to maximize those returns through additional investments. 

San Diego Becomes gets Exposure as “Smart” City in National Geographic Documentary

San Diego is being filmed as one of the “World’s Smart Cities” creating international buzz for innovation, craft beers, coastline, parks, and management. The program will be aired internationally on the National Geographic Channel and raises public awareness of the benefits to live, work and invest in San Diego.  Modern cities are known for their local industries and lifestyles. For example Seattle and coffee, Detroit and cars, and Cancun and vacation are tied together in consumer minds. Once these associations become embedded they will influence consumer impressions in a way that leads to choices and in turn greater economic activity.  Documentaries not only help solidify those images but also raise awareness of other local industries. San Diego may have great beaches but it also has a budding bio-technology industry that would benefit from greater international exposure. That exposure can lead to greater awareness of local investment opportunities. San Diego draws

San Diego Employment Numbers Trip But Could Regain Footing from High Technology Firms

2014 wasn't a great year for job creation in San Diego as employment numbers left much to be desired. According to the Employment Development Department 30,208 jobs were added to the San Diego economy in 2014 missing economist projections ( 1 ). Despite slower than expected growth in construction, professional, health, and scientific jobs the service industry added the most jobs with a 4.86% increase. Employment rates may be on the rise if San Diego focuses closely on high growth industries that already have a solid present in the area. The numbers are not dismal and could indicate a upward swing for 2015. Service jobs are relatively easy to add and mark a level of rising consumer spending on travel, restaurants, and leisure services that mark optimism. These are some of the first jobs added to the economy before higher paying jobs also make their way onto the market. Higher paying employment comes after lower skilled service jobs have made their initial appearance. Industrie

Downtown Partnership Fosters San Diego Business Growth

The Downtown San Diego Partnership elected a new board of directors to help manage and foster future business growth.   The partnership is designed to brand, revitalize, and create economic growth for the city. Keeping San Diego’s downtown developing and adapting helps raise the economic stature of the city through collaborative effort that improves the business attractiveness of the city. It is beneficial to understand what a Business Improvement District is (BID). BID’s levy additional taxes on businesses within the district and use that money to improve the management of the area. It is like having an additional service on top of existing governmental services. Businesses willingly pay the extra cost because they can create collective benefits that they wouldn’t be able to do on their own.  BIDs create additional value for these businesses by creating better environments. For example, in North Carolina a survey found that local business owners thought highly of th