KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - NewsSLO County Fast-Tracking Economic Development

SLO County Fast-Tracking Economic Development

SAN LUIS OBISPO - There's growing optimism in San Luis Obispo County that they may have broken ground on a new road to economic growth one that will lead to new, good paying jobs. 

San Luis Obispo County is fast-tracking the way its does business when it comes to attracting new business to the county. 

Anthony Pultz hopes to find a good paying job that will allow him to stay in San Luis Obispo after he graduates from Cal Poly. 

"That's a concern of mine, I'm just kind of taking it step by step right now", Pultz says, "hoping that I will find somebody that has the tools to get a job." 

County officials point to the recent ground-breaking for a new 46,000 square foot headquarters for Level Studios, a San Luis Obispo-based digital marketing and product development company, as a promising sign for the local economy. 

The company plans to staff more than 150 positions and its new facility with room to add as many as 150 jobs in the future.

"These are the companies that are providing head of household jobs which is a big priority now for the Board of Supervisors", says San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill. 

County planners are hoping the new East Airport Commerce Park will attract more high-tech companies like Level Studios and those good paying jobs.

"That area had in fact had been planned to be a commerce park and now we have a lot of interest based on the success that the county has had helping things fast-track with level studios", adds Supervisor Hill, "there's a couple of companies, that are growing, we'd like them to stay here, we want to see what we can do to hopefully get them in the same area." 

Anthony Pultz says he hopes he kind find a similar job in the new digital employment landscape.

Yeah like specialty job training, kind of sort of thing, like internships and what not, that would be sweet. 

Through the county's new Economic Development Project it took only five weeks for Level Studios to go from the drawing board to breaking ground on its new headquarters at the East Airport Commerce Park. 

It's streamlining and expediting of the county review process for companies that can show they have good plans so they can get a building permit faster so they can hire people faster.