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November 23, 2016
Greetings!
At this time of year, we are thankful for many things in our lives; our families, friends, health, and our successes. In business, we are thankful for the opportunities not only to open our doors each day to sell our products and services, but to give back to our community that has given so much to us.
Along those same lines, we are also thankful for a city that continues to undertake important economic development projects. Long Beach is in the middle of a renaissance; development continues to spread across our great city through investments both public and private, and through combination funding. Now, another important project is being considered by our city council on December 13.
As many of you know, the Long Beach Airport is considering building a customs facility that would allow international flights. An international terminal proves an exciting opportunity for the airport and the city; truly a win for residents and businesses of Long Beach all of this while protecting our city's unique noise ordinance that limits the number of flights at the airport. Your Chamber has a long standing history of protecting this ordinance and continues to be committed to doing so.
A direct employer of 9,000 individuals, 6.4% of the city's jobs, the Long Beach Airport is a major economic driver for our community. Additionally, the indirect benefits and business opportunities created by the airport, contribute 45,000 jobs and $10 billion in economic output for our city. These numbers are envied by many cities throughout the state and across our nation.
Back in early winter 2015, the city was presented with a request for bringing a federal customs facility to our airport. Eighteen months later, the city's commissioned
feasibility study indicates that across Long Beach and the surrounding cities, a customs facility would drive more economic activity and create new jobs. Specifically, the one-time economic impact of building the customs facility would result is approximately 200 - 250 new jobs and $31 - $38 million in one-time economic output. Once the facility is open and is generating new international travelers visiting and spending money in Long Beach, the study estimated that the total annual benefit would total 1,400 jobs and $186 million in annual economic output.
For more information about the project, please click here for a one-page FAQ sheet. This information is also included in the complete feasibility study commissioned by the city council which is available in its entirety here. We need your help as well. Please click here to take a short survey about the benefits you expect for your business should international service become available at our airport.
We appreciate you taking the time to contribute to this important effort, and should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
...and that's Strictly Business.
Randy Gordon
President and CEO
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
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