City of Santa Monica Economic Development Department Update--Click here to find out more about activities the City is undertaking to support local businesses.

New!  Welcome to Santa Monica, a packet of useful information for new and existing businesses.  This draft has been produced by the Santa Monica Alliance, a partnership of the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, for purposes of business recruitment and retention in Santa Monica.  We will be updating and finalizing it over the next few months but wanted to share it with you now!  Feedback is welcomed.  Click here to download.

The Mobile Economy: Apps, Entertainment, Marketing and the Consumer--Wednesday, March 3rd from 5:30 - 8 PM at Santa Monica Library, MLK Auditorium, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.  Please join us for the fourth installment of Santa Monica College and The City of Santa Monica’s Professional Seminar Series on “The Mobile Economy.” Our panel of experts will discuss successful business models and product development strategies for the mobile platform.  Speakers include  Thomas Ellsworth, CEO, GoTV Networks; Elise Neel, VP Marketing, comScore; Diane Reichenberger, COO, giiv;  Rana Sobhany, Co-Founder, Medialets; and Rahul Sonnad, CEO/ Founder,  Geodelic.  FREE but registration required due to limited space.  http://www.eventbrite.com/contact-organizer?eid=526930062

 

Quickbooks II--March 20th from 9am to 1pm at Santa Monica Small Business Development Center (SM Airport).  This workshop for small businesses and entrepreneurs will cover accounting techniques, purchase orders, inventory, reports and bank account reconciliations using Quickbooks.  Pre-registration required.  For more info and to register, http://smcsbdc.org/ or call (310) 434-3566.

Call For Artists #1: Art Carts Available for Rent on the Third Street Promenade.  For more information, visit our Space + Opportunities section of this site (click here).

 Call For Artists #2--2010 Santa Monica Pier Twilight Series.  The Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corporation is inviting talented professional, amateur and student designers to submit their vision for the 26th annual Twilight Dance Series.  The winning artist will receive $750 and a VIP package for the summer, plus their design will become a collector's item and keepsake from the 26 yr old series.  Entries due on March 12th.  Contest rules, design specs and entry forms available at www.santamonicapier.org or call (310) 458-8786.

 

 

  Business Assistance for Santa Monica Retailers!  The Santa Monica Small Business Development Center offers FREE confidential business counseling, Quick Community Express Loans,

   low cost business-growing workshops, lease modification assistance, customized strategic planning and customized business reports to assist with short and long-term finance planning. Click here to download the flyer.  For more info, www.smc.edu/sbdc or contact (310) 434-3566.

 

Think Santa Monica first!  Many of the everyday items, services and specialty products that you may head out of town for are right here at home - in Santa Monica!  And your purchases are doing more good than you think - buying local supports a sustainable Santa Monica, nurtures the community and keeps dollars in Santa Monica's economy.  To find a local business, click here.  For more information on Buy Local Santa Monica, visit www.buylocalsantamonica.com.

 

 Santa Monica Businesses Voted "The Best Places to Work in L.A!"  Congratulations to the following Santa Monica companies, who were recently featured in the LA Business Journal as "Best Places to Work in LA"--Bingham McCutchen LLP, Bryan Cave LLP, Business.com, M David Paul & Associates, Morley Builders, The Phelps Group and Perkins Coie LLP.  The award ceremony took place on August 5, 2009 at the Biltmore.