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WHY PASADENA
With 145,000 residents in the city and over 500,000 within a 5-mile radius, Pasadena is a premiere location in the heart of Los Angeles County & the San Gabriel Valley. We are a city full of creatives, entrepreneurs, CEO’s and actual rocket scientists. Herein, we shine the light on those people who are inventing, and reinventing, what it means to live & thrive in Pasadena every day.
NEW CITY MANAGER TO ASSUME OFFICE IN AUGUST
Former Justice Miguel Márquez will begin his tenure as City Manager in August. Márquez is currently the Chief Operating Officer of the County of Santa Clara, with nearly two million residents, 22,000 full-time employees and an annual operating budget in excess of $11 billion. Prior to his current role, Márquez served as an Associate Justice of the California Sixth District Court of Appeal, the county counsel for the County of Santa Clara, the general counsel of the San Francisco Unified School District and as a deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney's Office. Welcome to Pasadena, Miguel Márquez!
PLAYHOUSE VILLAGE PARK CONSTRUCTION NEARS COMPLETION
Ribbon cutting for the new park in Playhouse Village is expected to take place on September 10. Located on the north side of Union Street between Oak Knoll and El Molino Avenues, the park will include a shaded children's play area, an off-leash dog run and a new restroom building. 
GENERAL MOTORS COMING TO TOWN
The General Motors Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena is expected to be completed by December 2022. The new campus at Rosemead Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue will begin operations by the first quarter of 2023. The new move will increase the center's capacity and expand advanced technology teams. GM Project Engineer Michael Wick expects 50-100 employees will be needed for the new site, creating more jobs for locals. 
XENCOR RELOCATES TO PASADENA
Xencor Inc., a biopharmaceutical firm that develops treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases, is set to relocate from its corporate headquarters in Monrovia to Pasadena at 465 N. Halstead Street. Dr. Bassil Dahiyat, President & CEO, co-founded Xencor in 1997 following his work at Caltech on the initial development of Protein Design Automation (PDA) technology. Returning back to its Pasadena roots, Xencor's new headquarters will accommodate 175+ employees and state-of-the-art laboratories. The move will come in Fall 2022, and their lease represents a 300% increase over their current footprint.
MOTIV SPACE SYSTEMS PURCHASES NEW BUILDING FOR RESEARCH & DESIGN
Motiv Space Systems, a Pasadena-based robotics company, purchased a 4,990 square foot vacant building that formerly served Robin's Wood Fire BBQ. Motiv's engineering staff will use this space to research and design new products.
EREWHON PURCHASES HISTORIC SOUTH LAKE BUILDING
Erewhon, a Los Angeles-based organic grocery store chain, closed escrow on the former I. Magnin department store (then Borders Books) at 475 S. Lake Avenue. The 41,760 square foot building is spread over the first and second floors. Brella, an app-enabled child care center, and Tia, a women's medical care, will occupy the second floor.
INNOVA MEDICAL GROUP SIGNS LONG-TERM OFFICE LEASE AT PASADENA TOWERS
Innova Medical Group, a distributer of  various molecular and IgG/IgM antibody test kits for COVID-19, signed a 15,024 square foot office lease exceeding a 1-year term at Pasadena Towers, 800 E. Colorado Boulevard. The office will serve as Innova's headquarters. 
MISO ROBOTICS SIGNS NEW LEASE IN PLAYHOUSE
Miso Robotics, a developer of artificial intelligence-driven robots that assist chefs in food preparation, has leased office and lab space in Playhouse Village at 680 E. Colorado Boulevard and 650 E. Green Street. More to celebrate, hamburger chain White Castle plans to install the "Flippy 2", Miso Robotics' hamburger cooking robot, in 100 locations.
TETRA TECH INC. AWARDED $84 MILLION BY THE U.S. SPACE FORCE
The U.S. Space Force awarded Pasadena's Tetra Tech Inc. with an $84 million contract to provide system support for the Space Systems Command's Shared Early Warning System. The Shared Early Warning System provides the U.S. and its allies with early warning information on ballistic missile launches. Tetra Tech will conduct its contracted activities at the Peterson Space Force Base.
NATIONAL BLACK BUSINESS MONTH
August is National Black Business Month, and we will be highlighting various Black-owned Pasadena businesses on our Instagram account @thinkpasadena. Please direct message @thinkpasadena if you'd like to feature a Black-owned business. 

DINE BRANDS TO MOVE CALIFORNIA HQ TO DOWNTOWN PASADENA
Dine Brands Global, Inc, the parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP restaurants, will move its restaurant support center from Glendale to Pasadena. The new location will be at 10 West, a new office campus located in Downtown Pasadena. Dine Brands is one of the largest full-service restaurants in the world, with over 3,400 restaurants combined in 16 countries.

SUPPLYFRAME INVESTS IN WOMEN IN ELECTRONICS 
Pasadena-based software company Supplyframe is now a Gold-level sponsor of Women in Electronics, an organization of women leaders in electronics at all stages of their careers. 

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBDC)
The Small Business Development Center (SBDC), hosted by Pasadena City College, helps businesses start, grow and succeed. Click here for more info.
SCORE
SCORE offers free business mentoring and education to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Click here for more info.
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Start and grow your business with resources offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Contact your local district office at (818) 552-3201. Click here for more info. 
 
For more business assistance and training information, please visit our business toolkit page here.

PASADENA'S FIRST SOURCE HIRING PROGRAM

Private construction projects can get a partial rebate of the construction tax paid by hiring local residents to work on the project. The tax rebate for developers voluntarily participating is one-half of the actual salary and benefits paid to each Pasadena resident, not to exceed 75% of the construction tax paid. The City of Pasadena is prepared to assist developers who voluntarily agree to participate in the First Source Hiring Program by providing pre-screened referrals of applicants for employment, monitoring payroll to verify Pasadena resident participation, assistance with program promotion and outreach to contractors and businesses that participate in the First Source Hiring Program. For more information, email firstsource@cityofpasadena.net. 

NEW BUSINESSES

Dos Besos: Restaurant, 99 E. Union St.
Craft by Smoke & Fire: Restaurant, 30 W. Green St.
Skin Laundry: Facial Clinic, 20 Hugus Alley Unit 20


 

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100 North Garfield, Pasadena, CA 91109

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www.cityofpasadena.net/economicdevelopment | www.futureyourselfhere.com