Business View Magazine | July 2019

325 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2019 a couple of things,” he notes. “The City of Lathrop, in terms of population growth from housing production not related to wildfires, grew 5.2 percent, the number one top city in the state in terms of population growth. The city also ranked number two in the state for the percent of total housing unit growth. There’s a desperate need for housing in California, so we’re doing our part to help in that effort.” “We are located in an area where anybody traversing to Yosemite, the Sierras or Lake Tahoe has to come through our area; same if they’re coming from or going to the Bay Area, or Los Angeles. That’s why a lot of the logistics and manufacturing companies choose to come here because they are able to meet the just-in-time delivery needs of their consumers or customers,” according to Burcham. Caguiat adds, “Our location is conducive to and a prime location for logistics. eCommerce is booming, thus the seven million square feet or so of industrial currently planned in our city for logistics. We have the Union Pacific intermodal station about two miles northeast of the city, a regional metropolitan airport just north of our city in Stockton, a deepwater channel port about 7-8 miles north of us, and, of course, Interstate 5 and State Route 99. So we have roads, rail, air, and port.” “In addition,” says Burcham, “we realize unemployment rates are at an all-time low. Because we value our companies and want to make sure they remain in our areas and have a steady supply of workforce, our region is creating an apprenticeship program to engage high school students with employers. We have a career pathway for healthcare, a big industry in the region. We also have a career pathway that we’re starting for transportation, distribution, and logistics. So, we’re very in-tune with what our employers need, and we’re in the process of developing a workforce pipeline for them.” Finally, Burcham points out, “Lathrop became incorporated in 1989, so we don’t have the downtown that some of the older cities do. I think it’s important to note that it’s not necessarily all about redevelopment here as much as establishing who we are.” Lathrop is experiencing a unique opportunity to plan and manage its future development in a manner seldom available to other communities in Northern California. A city at the cusp of extensive residential and commercial growth, Lathrop has established a desirable balance between quality living and quality growth, carefully maintained through long-term planning and fiscal responsibility. Lathrop is a family-friendly city with excellent schools and an exciting parks & recreations department, and is confident in its growing role as a choice community for raising families and building businesses. LATHROP , CAL I FORNI A