The City of Palmdale was named the Most Business Friendly City with a population greater than 60,000 at the 26th annual Eddy Awards hosted by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nov. 10.
“Thanks go out to our City Council for their leadership and support,” said Palmdale City Manager J.J. Murphy who accepted the award on behalf of the City. “Over the past two years, Council and staff have worked diligently to transform Palmdale into a truly business friendly City. I introduced and Council supported a campaign based around a business-friendly concept called, ‘Find a Way to Yes,’ and the results have been tremendous. The word is out: do business in the City of Palmdale and we will find a way to “Yes.”
“It was truly an honor to stand on that stage with City staff and partners to receive this prestigious award,” said Palmdale Councilmember Austin Bishop, District 1. “It’s especially gratifying when you look at the amazing cities who were up for consideration. I congratulate each one for all that they’re doing to help businesses thrive in their communities.”
“This was a great night for Palmdale,” said Councilmember Juan Carrillo, District 4. “Like all cities, Palmdale has had to deal with a lot of impediments due to the challenges of COVID-19, but our staff was creative and resourceful and truly found ways to bring in new projects to the community, support projects that were in the middle of construction when the pandemic hit, and most importantly support our local businesses.”
“We’re also very proud of our strong partnership with the County of Los Angeles,” said Councilmember Richard Loa, District 2. “A special thank you to Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who joined us on stage, and her staff for their continued support to help establish the EIFD and on other unique projects that we hope to announce at the beginning of next year.”
Murphy also thanked the various business partners and the collaborative efforts with the City of Lancaster. “Many of the ideas that were developed during the pandemic were in collaboration with the elected officials and teams of both the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster.”
About LAEDC
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) was founded in 1981 as a nonprofit, public-benefit organization to harness the power of private sector in collaboration with L.A. County, to guide economic development and create more widely shared prosperity. LAEDC collaborates with all stakeholders in the region including education, business, and government.
About the Eddy Awards:
The Eddy Awards® is the most prestigious awards program to recognize leadership in economic development in business, education, and government throughout Los Angeles County. The Most Business-Friendly City award is also presented live to recognize the importance of prioritizing job creation. This cocktail reception, dinner, and awards gala also supports the LAEDC’s mission to advance opportunity and prosperity for all.