by Elizabeth Hutchinson
Sixteen years ago, in the summer of 1989,
I relocated to Moreno Valley with my mother and three sisters.
We lived in a beautiful 2-story home worth $92,000 at the time.
The move was to escape the fast pace lifestyle and high crime rate of south central Los Angeles.
I wondered what this small suburban town had to offer.
The neighborhood consisted of many military families with small children.
I was anxious to meet new friends and enroll in High School.
Comparing it to the graffiti filled school I was going to attend in Los Angeles,
Canyon looked like a clean, sprawling university!
A panoramic view of mountains and gorgeous homes became the backdrop of my new life.
Who are the residents?
Fast-forwarding to the present, Moreno Valley is the sixth fastest growing city in the state.
Moreno Valley has expanded, from 102,286 residents back in 1989 to 165,328 residents today.
Who would have known Moreno Valley would be dubbed the "new family market place"
and have so many people desiring to get a bite of what some are calling "the billion dollar pie".
When the 220,000 planned units are completed,
Moreno Valley is expected to grow another 44% raising the number of residents to 245,000!
The average income in Moreno Valley is estimated at $60,000 a year with 62% of the residents
maintaining white collar positions, 24% are blue collar workers, 30% have degrees,
27% are attending college and 32% are age 17 and under.
Get your slice of the billion dollar pie!
Retail sales for all businesses within Moreno Valley are holding record-breaking percentages.
Whether you are looking to change careers, move laterally in your existing field,
rejoin the workforce or apply for your first job, these next few pages will baa valuable resource!
But first, a few statistics...
In July 2004, unemployment rates were 6.7%; and have since gone down to 5.9% as of July 2005.
There are 73,500 residents working and residing in Moreno Valley, and 4,600 are still unemployed,
according to labor market specialists at the Employment Development Department.
This employment growth has been estimated, based on similar job counts reported by similar uses
that are already serving our community.
Last year's development will result in approximately 160 retail jobs,
700 office jobs and between 5,000 and 9,700 industrial jobs.
Combined that is anywhere between 7,300 and 12,000 new jobs,
obtained from the City of Moreno Valley Economic Development Center.
The interim ED Director, George Guayante, had this to say,
"We've worked really hard and I'm glad to see it's resulted in the creation of new jobs.
In the next five years, I see us continuing to grow, the wave is coming."
Where are these jobs located?
Towngate Promenade (formerly know as merchant square);
a new shopping center will be built at the southeast corner of Day and Campus
on the vacant lands surrounding the existing Costco.
New businesses in planning are Mimi's cafe, Apple Bee's, Johnny Carino's, Bakers (under construction).
There are estimates of 250 jobs coming to Towngate south.
At the southeast corner of Gateway drive and Day street,
an estimated 630 jobs will be needed to drive the business of the new 136,000 square feet of retail,
plus 170,000 square feet of office space.
228 jobs estimated to compliment the social security administrations
13,000 sq ft office along the south side of Calle San Juan de Los Lagos,
west of Fredrick Street which is under construction.
MV health and wellness center, a 130,000 sq ft medical/office at the southwest corner
of Allessandro blvd and Veterans way is another facility in planning.
Lakeside Terrace commercial projects at the northeast corner of Iris and La Salle,
near the RCC campus, will house a new 560,335 sq ft neighborhood commercial center currently under construction.
Planned businesses for this center are: Longs Drugs, McDonald's, Popeye's Chicken,
Washington Mutual and Sushi Kinoya. The Lakeside Plaza commercial center on the
northwest corner of Iris and La Salle (90,000 sq ft on 9.35 acres), opened recently,
supplies the community with an estimated 445 jobs. Lakeside Plaza currently consists of Stater Bros Market,
Bank of America, Advance Vision care optometry, H&R block, floral sensations,
Nutri-Shop, Jon Vaness Day Spa & Salon. UPS store, Big Guy's pizza,
Fantastic Sam's, Subway, It's Grind Coffee, Jack-n-Box, Cingular Wireless,
Red Persimmon nail salon, Ladies workout express, Palm's Dry Cleaners,
Blockbuster, Home Center Realty, Lakeside Dental, Tae Kwon Do Academy,
Juice it up, Panda Express and Cold Stone Creamery.
Moreno Beach Plaza's new 350,000 sq ft shopping center on the west side of
Moreno Beach across from the auto mall is another new project under construction.
Planned businesses are to include: a super Wal-Mart, Del Taco, Arco, Ono's Hawaiian BBQ,
El Pollo Loco, Starbucks, Payless Shoes and Gamestop.
Moreno Valley mall welcomes Harkins Theater; is an upscale 15 screen stadium
theatre with ~ 3500 seats under construction; estimating 100 new jobs.
Towngate Crossing's new 237,000 sq ft shopping center, under development,
west of the mall; estimates an additional 85 new jobs.
Business now open are: Circuit City, Starbucks, Nextel, Boston Pizza,
Wendy's, MV dental, Jamba Juice and Maggie Moos.
Towngate Plaza's new BJ's Brewhouse is a great draw feeding business to neighboring Starbucks,
Outback Steakhouse and Pick Up Stix.
More than 8.3 million sq ft of industrial buildings have been approved or are in plan check.
Distribution Centers - DHL
(MARB, the largest reserve base in the nation, will host 38,000 jobs over the next 15-20 yrs when SCE,
March Joint Towers Authority and DHL team up.)
Ross, Walgreen's distribution center and Rain Cross Industry are a few of these new distribution centers.
Super Wal-Mart is recruiting at the recreation conference center near the southwest corner of Allessandro and Frederick.
All the open facilities are accepting applications on site.
Now that you know, go for what you know?
Some jobs may require experience. Many may require certificates licenses and degrees.
Salary and pay rates may fluctuate depending on experience, however, for some,
"no experience necessary" and "on the job training" are available.
Be proactive and ask what the qualifications for any potential position may be.
The Moreno Valley Library (951-413-3880)
and City Hall Human Resources Building (951-413-3045)
always have jobs available.
Call for current openings.
Our new temp agency MJO Staffing is a helpful resource for locating temporary work
and permanent job placement, call for current openings, 951-242-5262.
The Employment Development Department also has jobs posted on site,
computers available for use and resume building assistance.
More information can be obtained from the website; www.rivcojobs.com.
Dress to Impress (Tips for Interviews)
- Dry cleaned and pressed clothing will always impress...
- Business suits for men and women portray "I want the job type of attitude".
- Dress shirts and slacks will give a confident and assertive look. Ties for men are preferred.
- Black soled shoes or dress shoes, for men, and low pumps for women not to exceed 2 inches are recommended.
- Skirts should not be more than 3 inches above the knee. Women should always wear support stockings especially if the job requires a lot of standing sitting or walking.
- Makeup perfume and/or cologne should be used conservatively.
- Men definitely no after-five shadows, and women no big hoop earrings. Keep your appearance neat and clean cut.
If men have hair longer than four inches, it should be pulled back off the face.
- Don't chew gum, reek of cigarettes or alcohol.
- Make your resume and/or application legible and be able to speak to any item listed.
- Do your homework; learn about the position and company, before the interview. Arrive at the interview at least 15 minutes early, make direct eye contact, have a solid hand shake upon greeting and departing.
- Sit up straight and keep the interview business related. Be sure to thank the interviewer for their time and inquire when you should expect to hear the result or final decision.
- Last but not least, always smile and present a pleasant attitude!
Good luck on getting your slice of the billion dollar pie.
Special Thanks to: Michelle Patterson, ED analyst, George Guayante -Interim ED Director; Thomas Flourney -Labor market specialist.
Moreno Valley
