Jobs Leaving California in 2010
There may be more as
this was compiled in December 2010.
Abraxis
Health, a unit of Los Angeles-based Abraxis Bio Science Inc, opened a new plant
that will create 200 jobs in 2010 -- in Phoenix. This follows the company's
Phoenix expansions that occurred in 2007 and2008.
Alza
Corp. In 2007 eliminated about 600 jobs in drug R&D while also exiting its
Mountain View, Calif., HQ. At the time the company said that its 1,200-person
Vacaville facility will continue to operate. But the Vacaville Reporter on Oct.
23, 2009 revealed that the plant is being offered for sale by J&J, its
parent company. It's unclear if more layoffs are in the facility's future.
American
AVK, a producer of fire hydrants and other water-related products, moved from
Fresno to Minden, Nevada.
American
Racing moved its auto-wheel production to Mexico, ending most of its
47-yearoperation in California.
Apple
Computer has expanded in other states, most recently with a $1 billion facility
planned for North Carolina.
Audix
Corporation relocated from Redwood City, Calif., and to accommodate growth
moved to a 78,000-square-foot facility in Wilson, Oregon.
Apria
Health care Group of Lake Forest is shifting jobs from California to Overland
Park, Kansas, a K. C. Suburb.
Assurant
Inc. Cut 325jobs in Orange County and consolidated positions in Georgia, Ohio
and South Carolina.
Automobile
Club of Southern California placed 1,100 jobs inTexas.
Barefoot
Motors, a small "green" manufacturer, moved from Sonoma and will grow
in Ashland, Oregon.
Bazz
Houston Co.,Located in Garden Grove, has slowly been building a workforce of
about 35 people in Tijuana. In early 2010 the company said it expects to move
more jobs to Mexico, citing cost and regulatory difficulties in Southern
California.
Beckman
Coulter, a biomedical test equipment manufacturer headquartered in Brea,
relocated part of its Palo Alto facilities to Indianapolis, Indiana, two years
ago. In early 2010, it's making a multimillion-dollar investment to expand and
create up to 100 new jobs in Indiana. The company said the area offers a
"favorable business environment and lower total cost of operations, plus a
local work force with strong skills in both engineering and manufacturing.
"
Bild
Industries Inc., which specializes in business news, directories and market
reports, moved to Post Falls, Idaho, from Van Nuys, a part of the San Fernando
Valley in Los Angeles.
Bill
Miller Engineering, Ltd., suffering under the "hostile business
climate" in California and Los Angeles County, moved from Harbor City to
Carson City, Nevada.
BMC
Select has conducted an unusual relocation. The company, which had shifted its
headquarters from Idaho to San Francisco, relocated its H. Q. Back to Boise in
January 2010. The building materials distributor said that regaining its
footing in Boise retained access to high-quality employees while reducing wage
and occupancy costs.
BPI
Labs, which formulates, manufactures, and fills personal care products for the
health and beauty industry, relocated from Sacramento to Evanston, Wyoming, a
move the company's owner called "very successful . . . . It felt good and
we've never looked back.
Buck
Knives after 62years in San Diego moved to Post Falls, Idaho.
Cal
Portland Cement has announced in late 2009 closure of its Riverside County
plant because of new environmental regulations from a state law (AB 32). The
company‚s CEO wrote, "A cement plant cannot be picked up and moved, but
the next new plant probably won‚t be built in California meaning more good,
high paying manufacturing jobs will be lost to Nevada or China or somewhere.
"
California
Casualty Group left San Mateo for Colorado, cutting operating costs to remain
competitive.
CalStar
Products Inc., headquartered in Newark, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area,
in January 2010 was awarded $2. 44 million in federal clean energy tax credits.
The company said in the future it expects to build additional plants in the
Mississippi Valley and the East Coast. In late 2009 CalStar opened a plant in
Caledonia, Wisconsin.
Checks-To-Go
moved to Utah where workers' comp rates helped make the troubled company
healthier.
Chivaroli
&Associates, a health care-related insurance service based in Westlake
Village, Calif., moved a regional office to Spokane, Washington.
Core
Site, A Carlyle Company, is delaying a Santa Clara project while it expands its
datacenter in Reston, Virginia.
Creators
Syndicate may flee L. A. because it operates like a banana republic.
Creel
Printing Left Costa Mesa for Las Vegas and So Cal loses 60 more jobs.
Dassault
Falcon looked at building an aircraft services facility in Riverside County but
instead located in Reno.
DaVita
Inc., moved its HQ from Los Angeles to Denver; expects to see millions of
dollars in savings over time.
Denny‚s
Corp., the large restaurant chain, once had its headquarters in La Mirada,
later in Irvine, Calif, and then moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina. In
fairness, I note the move occurred in the early1990's. However it's noteworthy
because the company was founded in California and its growth over time created
HQ jobs in another state.
Digital
Domain, the Academy-Award-winning visual effects studio based in Venice, Calif,
placed new studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Port St. Lucie, Florida,
which combined will have about 500 employees. The facilities will allow the
company to reduce costs while continuing to deliver cutting-edgework.
Ditech,
headquartered in Costa Mesa, announced in January 2010 a 269-job cut and is
moving most activities to the GMAC Financial Services (parent company)
headquarters in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. In 2007, Ditech relocated some
workers from Costa Mesa to Phoenix. A once robust Costa Mesa facility employing
hundreds will be down to 20 or30 workers.
DuPont
Fabros Technology suspended a $270 million Santa Clara data center project in
favor of one in Ashburn, Virginia.
EBay,
based in San José, will create 450 jobs in Draper, Utah, in a new $334 million
operations, customer support and datacenter.
EDMO
Distributors, Inc., a world-wide wholesaler of aircraft avionics, test
equipment, and pilot supplies, moved its HQ from Valencia, Calif., to Spokane
Valley, Wash. Since, it has built a larger headquarters in the city's Mirabeau
Point community complex.
Edwards
Life Sciences based in Irvine will expand with 1,000 employees not in
California but in Draper, Utah.
EMRISE
Corp. completed its HQ move from Rancho Cucamonga to Eatontown, NJ, in May2009.
The company said the move "will result in additional annualized cost
savings of approximately $1 million and facilitate improvements in operating
efficiency". . . . The cost savings associated with relocating our
corporate headquarters will start immediately. . . The aggregate total of these
expense reductions will increase our profitability and cash flow in this and
succeeding years and, over time, substantially improve our ability to further
reduce our long-term debt.
Facebook,
based in Palo Alto, will expand in a major way in Oregon by locating a custom
datacenter in Prineville. It will be a 147,000-square-footfacility costing $180
million and will employ 200 workers during construction and another 35
full-time once operating in 2011.
Fall
Line Corporation Left Huntington Beach, where they were being
"hammered" with multiple governmental regulatory fees, for Reno,
Nevada.
Fidelity
National Financial left Santa Barbara for Florida, spurred by California‚s
„oppressive" business environment.
First
American Corp., based in Santa Ana, will open a call center in March 2010 not
in California but in Phoenix, where it expects to employ about 400people within
two years.
Fluor
Corp. moved its global headquarters from Aliso Viejo to Irving, Texas, with
about100 employees asked to relocate while the company planned to hire the same
number there. In 2006, when Fluor moved into its new headquarters building, a
company statement said: "The official dedication had a decidedly Texas
theme" as a horseshoe was raised on the building, a time-honored Texas
tradition.
Fox
Conn Electronics, a large contract electronics maker, moved some of its
Fullerton operations to Dallas.
Fox
Family moved its farming operations to Cookeville, TN. All employees moved with
the firm.
Fuel
System Solutions moved its headquarters from Santa Ana to New York.
Gregg
Industries, owned by Neenah Enterprises Inc., in Wisconsin, closed a
300-employeefoundry in El Monte foundry under pressure from the South Coast Air
Quality Management District to make $5 million in upgrades. The company didn't
want to make the investment in the difficult economic climate so it decided
instead to leave the state.
Helix
Wind Inc. may move its research and development, engineering, and testing
departments from San Diego to "more supportive „Oregon.
Hewlett-Packard,
HQ'd in Palo Alto, at various times has moved jobs to Tennessee and Texas.
Hilton
Hotels Corp. in2009 is moving from its longtime corporate H. Q. in Beverly
Hills to a new office in Tyson‚s Corner, Virginia.
Hino
Motor Manufacturing USA moved from California to Williamstown, West Virginia,
in 2007,where it now employs about 100 workers. The company has growth plans to
"Raise Hino's presence from medium-heavy/heavy-duty trucks to all ranges
of trucks" and an aggressive program to improve fuel economy and
emissions. The company builds trucks under its own brand and also manufactures
Toyota-branded vehicles.
Intel
Corporation, HQd in Santa Clara, has chosen to expand operations in neighboring
states
Intuit
of Mountain View created a customer support office (110 people) not in
California but in Colorado because of lower operating costs.
Intuit
placed a datacenter near Quincy, Washington.
Intuit
also located Innovative Merchant Solutions LLC in Las Vegas as part of a $1.8 million
investment in Nevada.
J. C.
Penney closed it Sacramento call center and moved the work to five out-of-state
centers.
Kimmie
Candy Co., a manufacturer that was started in 1999, moved from Sacramento to
Nevada in 2005. "I really don't have a lot of regrets about moving up to
Reno," said owner Joe Dutra.
Klaussner
Home Furnishings in closing its La Mirada manufacturing plant will maintain its
NC and Iowa operations.
Knight
Protective Industries moved to Oregon "where 4-day work weeks were
permitted by the state" and wanted by the employees.
Kulicke
& Soffa Industries Inc. announced in February 2010 that it is closing its
Irvine plant, lying off 56 people, and will shift the work to Malaysia and
Singapore. The facility had been owned by Orthodyne Electronics Corp., which
Kulicke & Soffa bought in2008.
LCF
Enterprises, which makes specialized high-end amplifiers used by researchers,
medical professionals and others, moved from Camarillo, Calif., to Post Falls,
Idaho.
Lennox
Hearth Products Inc., in Orange, Calif., will lay off 71 workers and by March
2010will transfer the jobs to Nashville and Union City, Tennessee, "to
reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies. "
Lyn-Tron,
Inc., a supplier of electronic hardware, moved from Los Angeles to Spokane,
Wash. Their website has a rather California(ish) statement: ‰Our commitment is to
maintain a manufacturing environment that is progressive and safe, where our
employees are able to achieve their personal objectives, thereby adding to
their quality of life and to the community in which hey live. "
Mariah
Power, a "green" manufacturer of small wind turbines, moved from
California to Nevada and in 2009 teamed up with another company to begin
production in Manistee, Michigan.
Maxwell
America, a boating equipment maker, in February 2010 closed its Santa Ana
offices and moved them to Hanover, Md. One reason given was the indirect impact
of California environmental regulations. A company official said over the years
many California boat builders relocated to the Midwest and East where they
don't face the same restrictions.
Mia
Solé, based in the Silicon Valley, was reported in January 2010 to be planning
a500,000-square-foot plant, which could be one of the largest solar factories
in the United States. The location is not near its in Santa Clara headquarters
but in the Atlanta, Georgia, area where
its
workforce eventually could exceed 1,000. The news came one week after Mia Solé
received $101. 8 million in federal tax credits.
Motor
Vac Technologies announced in February 2010 that it's leaving Santa Ana
Ontario, Canada. Motor Vac's CEO said he "really fought hard to keep Motor
Vac here, but unfortunately the numbers didn't support it. "The move cuts
costs because it's new owner, UView, has its own plant with excess capacity in
Canada. And the general cost of doing business in California is much more
expensive.
Nissan
North America moved its Los Angeles headquarters to Nashville, Tenn.
Northrop
Grumman by 2011 will relocate its Los Angeles H. Q. to the Washington, DC metro
area. It's the last major aerospace company to leave Southern California, the
birthplace of the aerospace industry.
One2Believe,
a specialty religious-toy maker, left California for East Aurora, New York.
Patmont
Motor Werks, Inc., (Go Ped manufacturer), after being hit by California
regulators for hundreds of thousands of dollars in small fines even though his
company has a stellar safety record, moved to Nevada.
Paragon
Relocation Resources moved from Rancho Santa Margarita to Irving, Texas.
Pixel
Magic, headquartered in Toluca Lake, Calif., (Los Angeles metro area), is
locating a studio in Lafayette, Louisiana, where it will create 40new jobs
between 2010 and 2013. The company, which provides digital effects for motion
pictures and television, said the Louisiana people they were in contact with
have an immediate understanding of technology and data handling.
Plastic
Model Engineering, Inc., a custom plastic injection molder and mold
manufacturer, moved from Sylmar, Calif., to the "Inland Northwest,
"notably Post Falls, Idaho.
Precor
will stop manufacturing fitness machines in California and re-open in North
Carolina.
Premier
Inc., the largest health care alliance in the nation, will move its HQ from San
Diego to Charlotte, involving an investment of $17.7 million and adding 300
jobs in North Carolina. The announcement was made Oct. 14, 2009.
Pro
Cal of South Gate, in Los Angeles County, a unit of Myers Industries, expanded
its Sparks, Nev., operations to become the company‚s primary West Coast
production and distribution facility. Pro Cal is a plastics manufacturer of
nursery containers and a big recycler.
Race
Track Chaplaincy of America started 2010 by shifting its headquarters from Los
Angeles to Lexington, Kentucky. The non-profit group said it had wanted to
relocate from the Hollywood Park Race Track for several reasons, one of which
is the significant cost of doing business on the West Coast.
Red
Truck Fire &Safety Company left Fresno for Minden, Nevada in 2007 because
of California‚s myriad fees and regulations that meant "death by thousand
cuts."
SAIC
will move its headquarters east, from San Diego to McLean, Virginia, which the
Washington Post called "Another Coup for Area.”The announcement was made
Sept. 24, 2009; it is unclear how many employees will move east in 2009 and
2010.
Scale
Computing, a data-storage developer and manufacturer, is leaving Silicon Valley
for Indiana.
Schott
Solar Inc. will close its sales and customer service office in Roseville and
will relocate the office to Albuquerque, NM.
Simple
Tech transferred its manufacturing work from Santa Ana to Asia more than a year
ago.
Smiley
Industries, an aerospace manufacturer, moved to Phoenix, where productivity
improved.
Solaicx,
based in the Silicon Valley, said in early 2010 that it will expand its
manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon. Solaicx received $18.2 million in
federal tax credits as part of Washington's efforts to advance green energy.
Solar
World, a maker of solar technology founded in Camarillo, consolidated
manufacturing in Oregon after that state offered property tax abatement and
business energy tax credits. The company will employ about 1,000 in Oregon by
2011
Special
Devices Inc., brought 250 jobs to Mesa, Arizona, from Moorpark, Calif.
Star
Kist headquarters is leaving San Francisco for Pittsburgh, Pa. (Pelosi's Husband‚s
Company)
Stasis
Engineering moved from Sonoma County to West Virginia, a "friendlier
business climate."
Stata
Corp., which specializes in data analysis and statistical software, moved from
Santa Monica, California to College Station, Texas.
Tapmatic,
a metalworking firm whose owners were "fed up with the onerous business
environment," moved from Orange County, California to Post Falls in
northern Idaho.
Teledesic
moved to Washington State in anticipation of better capital gains.
Telmar
Network Technology Inc., moved from Irvine to Plano, Texas, consolidating some
150 workers there.
Terremark
postponed a Santa Clara project earlier this year to invest $50 million in a
Culpeper, and project.
Terumo
Cardiovascular Systems is moving R&D from Orange County to Ann Arbor,
Michigan, involving 65 jobs and $3.5 million in investments.
Toyota
will stop making cars in Fremont, will idle 4,700 workers, and move work to
Canada and San Antonio, Texas.
True
Games Interactive Inc., will its H. Q. from Irvine to Austin, Texas, where it
expects to have about 60 workers by the middle of 2010.
TTM
Technologies will leave L. A. & Hayward and move to other states and China
to achieve big cost savings.
Twentieth
Century Props of L. A. has gone out of business as film-making has moved to
lower-cost states
Understand.com moved from the San
Francisco Bay Area to Reno, a loss for California in that the company is a
leader in web-based patient education content and shows strong growth. The
company was named 2007 Innovator of the Year by a Northern publication and the
company's founder and received a media and Reno-Tahoe Young Professionals
Network 20 Under40 award and was selected as a 20/20 Business Visionary by
Nevada Business Magazine.
US
Airways is realigning operations and California is no longer considered part of
its "core." The airline is closing its John Wayne Airport maintenance
station and in early 2010 will redistribute the mechanics across its system.
US
Press shifted work from Los Angeles and San Diego to Portland, "where union
rules were almost rational."
USAA
Insurance closed its 625-person Sacramento campus in favor of other states.
Yahoo
opened a datacenter in Quincy, Washington, a community that now hopes to land
high-tech manufacturing.
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