Published in the Nov. 12-25, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By John Horner
John Horner
From our vantage point at the Chamber of Commerce I am pleased to say that Morgan Hill is finally seeing positive signs of potential job growth and business expansion. In recent days we have been engaged in detailed conversations with business owners who are working on starting significant new businesses, expanding their businesses into Morgan Hill and/or relocating all or a portion of their operations here. High quality, controlled job growth is every bit as important to the vitality of our community as is controlled residential growth.
Your Chamber of Commerce is committed to the long term health of Morgan Hill as a vibrant, balanced community. As Santa Clara County transitioned in the past 60 or so years from a primarily agricultural region to its present status as a major business player, cities such as ours have tended to become “bedroom communities.” It’s no wonder why people choose to live in Morgan Hill, with our exceptional quality of life.
However, one’s quality of life is greatly degraded when spending two or more hours commuting every day. Alongside that lost time are the significant financial and environmental impacts of all that driving. Some argue that expanded train service will eventually reduce the environmental impacts, and that might make some meaningful but still small difference. However, better still would be turning hour-long commutes into minutes-long commutes. We can do that for many people if we push for smart job growth right here in our home town.
Almost one year ago the Chamber of Commerce went on the record opposing the pressures to convert land zoned for commercial and/or industrial development to residential uses. At that time our position was somewhat controversial because the market forces were such that new residential projects could be sold and/or leased very rapidly, while seemingly endless amounts of commercial space lay vacant. But now as our regional economy continues to rebound, interest in Morgan Hill has picked up dramatically. One of our major local employers, Tencate Advanced Composites, recently wrote a long letter to local decision makers detailing their concern that suppliers they would like to bring in near their business might be kept away by a lack of appropriately zoned available land. Many leading indicators point to potential robust demand for new commercial and industrial development in Morgan Hill. Once the existing stock of buildings is fully occupied, we will need additional facilities to provide more good jobs.
Another piece of the job growth puzzle is to make certain that existing, expanding and new businesses feel appreciated and supported in their efforts. Your Chamber of Commerce is working hard to define how best we, on behalf of the larger community, can do an even better job as an advocate for businesses and a Business Development promoter of Morgan Hill. This newspaper has been an integral part of these efforts through the business success profiles you have been reading. Expect much more from us going forward, and don’t be shy about bringing myself and the rest of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce your ideas and concerns. We are here to be helpful, and while we “speak business” as our native language, we also have been learning how to “speak government” in order to be your advocate and guide in moving the community forward.
John Horner is the president & CEO of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce.
