Member News

Following six months of massive change and volatility, Vance Wealth, a Santa Clarita-based financial planning firm, is on track with its 10-year plan and entering a period of intentional growth. 

After 17 years with Raymond James Financial Services, the locally owned company formed an independent registered investment advisor, or RIA, firm, purchased its second building in Santa Clarita and grew its staff by 50% in a three-year period.

“This next phase in the evolution of our firm allows us to use the full extent of our expertise for the benefit of our clients and community,” firm founder and President John Vance said in a prepared statement, “and that’s the driving force behind all of our decisions here at Vance Wealth.”

“We’re following the natural progression of a strong, vibrant firm and taking a major step toward independence,” Vance said. “Forming our own RIA will help us focus on becoming a firm of the future, while simultaneously offering our clients even more tailored solutions to achieve their goals and dreams.”

Expanding its physical space, Vance Wealth purchased the building adjacent to the Santa Clarita-based firm and has been remodeling to accommodate recent and future growth. 

“We’ve been hard at work building out our new space, which gives us the room to double in size over the next decade,” Vance added. “The new building houses offices for our growing team and a new media room, which will allow us to share even more information with our community through webinars, videos and virtual presentations. But all that space isn’t useful without the right team to fill it.” 

As the firm continues to grow, Vance Wealth is expected to look for Santa Clarita-based candidates who are involved with the community, a quality that has become an important part of company culture. 

The firm also plans to double-down on its duty to support the Santa Clarita Valley community. For example, Vance currently serves as chair of the board of directors for Single Mothers Outreach of Santa Clarita, and in 2021, Vance is set to chair the board of directors for the SCV Chamber of Commerce. 

Vance Wealth (VanceWealth.com) is headquartered in Santa Clarita, with an additional office in Pasadena.

Santa Clarita, Calif. — Erika Kauzlarich-Bird, former Southland Regional Association of Realtors president and lifelong Santa Clarita resident, joined Compass, an innovative real estate brokerage, this summer to help SCV families find their next dream home.

Bringing more than 25 years of experience in managing all aspects of the sale as an agent, manager and entrepreneur, Kauzlarich-Bird decided now was the right time to bring something new to the Santa Clarita Valley real estate community.

“I just knew this was the right move for me because I love this community and what I do so much,” Kauzlarich-Bird said. “Having worked with different agencies over the years, I know from experience that Compass will help me build my ‘dream team’ of agents.”

While she’s worked on all aspects of a home sale, most previously working in a management role, Kauzlarich-Bird realized how much she missed working in sales, directly with families looking for their perfect place.

Real estate is truly a family business, with Erika at the helm and her mother behind her. Diane Kauzlarich, who still lives in the Placerita Canyon home where Erika grew up, was an early mentor for her. During their years as a mother-daughter team, Erika worked in all aspects of real estate.

At Compass, she enjoys running her office with the creative energy and innovative technology of a startup firm – plus the experience and sophistication of a luxury brand, she said.

While every industry is looking to cutting-edge technology to create social distancing for employees and customers alike, Compass has been a leader in this area for years. Compass agents are trained in the latest tools and tech available, along with traditional care and amenities. Erika’s experience combined with bonuses like Compass’ concierge service make the entire process convenient, intelligent and seamless.

“When I heard about what we have access to with this brokerage, I knew we’d have what we needed to keep our clients’ best interests at the heart of every sale and purchase,” Kauzlarich-Bird said. “Compass isn’t about the agent; it really is all about the client – a philosophy that aligns with my personal approach to real estate.”

That’s a perfect fit for Kauzlarich-Bird, who also enjoyed the leadership portion of her past industry roles, and looks forward to mentoring agents on her team.

“It just felt right to come back to my home base in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Kauzlarich-Bird. “This is my hometown, and I can’t think of a better place on Earth to buy a home, work and raise a family.”

Erika Kauzlarich-Bird is a community-driven real estate agent in the Santa Clarita Valley and a broker associate for Compass, who can be reached at connectwitherika.com, erikabird@outlook.com or 661-510-3136.

About Erika Kauzlarich-Bird
Erika Kauzlarich-Bird is a lifelong Santa Clarita resident who’s active in a number of professional and nonprofit organizations. In addition to her 25 years of experience, including SRAR leadership, she’s also worked as an advocate on behalf of SCV homeowners for the California Association of Realtors and the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce. Her community involvement includes volunteer work with school site councils, parent-teacher organizations, the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center at Bella Vida and the equine therapy nonprofit Heads Up Therapy and Blue Star Ranch.

About Compass – a national network of local experts
Our agents are trusted advisors, helping everyone from the first-time buyer to the seasoned seller make better, more informed decisions. With more than 12,000 agents serving vibrant communities across the U.S., Compass is now the country's largest independent real estate brokerage.

CONTACT
Erika Kauzlarich-Bird
Broker Associate, Compass
661-510-3136
erikabird@outlook.com

Valencia, CA – September 18, 2020 – Lief Labs, a premier formulation and product development innovator and manufacturer of dietary supplements, is pleased to announce that the firm and Lief’s CEO & Founder, Adel Villalobos, were recognized as the Latino Business Alliance Business of the Year Award recipient at the Hispanic Heritage Virtual Celebration on September 16th, hosted by the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) Chamber of Commerce to honor the achievements of Hispanic businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Hispanic Heritage Virtual Celebration was emceed by the City of Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem, Bill Miranda and was virtually attended by other elected officials, as well as Lief’s Villalobos and fellow members of the Santa Clarita Valley business community who had the opportunity to virtually connect and network at the interactive event. Members of Lief’s Leadership Team and staff also attended the virtual celebration.

"The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce was pleased to award the Latino Business Alliance Business of the Year award to Lief Labs at this year's annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration, which was held virtually,” said Ivan Volschenk, President of SCV Chamber. “Lief Labs can be proud of their achievements and we look forward to their continued growth and success."

“I take great pride in my Hispanic Heritage and in the successful business and diverse culture we have built with our talented and dedicated team at Lief Labs, all of whom contributed to our company’s growth and client service excellence in an extremely challenging year,” said Villalobos. “As the son of Mexican immigrants who taught me a strong work ethic, it’s truly an honor to have received the Latino Business Alliance Business of the Year Award from the SCV Chamber, who organized a wonderful, interactive virtual event,” said Villalobos.

Villalobos added, “Managing an essential business during the Coronavirus pandemic, I have Iearned the importance of consistent and strong leadership required to be able to drive an organization forward during trying times, as well as the responsibility to continue to give back to the community. At Lief, we were proud to support our local restaurants to help them continue to thrive and we also launched our Lief Cares nutritional supplement donation program.”

Through the Lief Cares donation program efforts, the company has donated over 1,000 bottles of immune support nutritional supplements, formulated in-house by Lief, for distribution to first responders local to Lief’s Valencia, CA headquarters and in other regions throughout the state.

The Lief Cares donation program has also provided 2,500 bottles of immune support supplements to be distributed to Southern California-based field workers in highly impoverished areas as a show of commitment and support for this vital and essential work force. Lief plans to continue this charitable initiative by identifying other areas of need where Lief Cares can help to inspire, elevate and enrich the lives of the firm’s community.

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About Lief Labs
Lief Labs is a premier formulation and product development innovator and manufacturer of dietary supplements with 170 employees. Our in-house Product Development and R&D team creates the best tasting and most cutting-edge formulations of supplements. Lief also houses a state of the art, full-service cGMP* manufacturing facility, which offers custom solutions for a multitude of supplement categories. Lief collaborates with entrepreneurial firms to help them build premier brands. Our turnkey solutions allow us to engage in seamless partnerships that help brands with scalability and sustainable growth. Lief hosts the Beyond the Supps podcast which covers a wide range of topics such as entrepreneurship, social media, quality control, health & wellness, and the impact the dietary supplement industry has worldwide. The company is based in Valencia, CA. To learn more, please visit www.lieflabs.com.

*Current Good Manufacturing Practice

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For Media Inquiries, please contact: Cathy Loos Loos & Co. Communications +1-347-334-4135 cloos@looscomm.com

2020 WATER QUALITY REPORT

https://yourscvwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020-SCV-Water-Quality-Report.pdf

THIS NOTICE CONTAINS INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOU TO OBTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER. TRANSLATE IT, OR SPEAK WITH SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS IT.

The Consumer Confidence Report, or CCR, is an annual water quality report that the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requires SCV Water-Valencia Water Division to provide all of its customers. The purpose of the CCR is to raise customers’ awareness of the quality of their drinking water, where their drinking water comes from, what it takes to deliver water to their homes, and the importance of protecting drinking water sources.

To view your 2020 Consumer Confidence Report and to learn more about your drinking water, please visit the following URL:

https://yourscvwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020-SCV-Water-Quality-Report.pdf after June 30, 2020.

After serving the Santa Clarita Valley for 23 years as a Board member for the Newhall County Water District (NCWD), Castaic Lake Water Agency (CLWA) and SCV Water, Tom Campbell resigned his position, effective May 27, 2020. Campbell represented Division 2 on the SCV Water Board of Directors, serving portions of Valencia, Saugus and Canyon Country. Moving forward, Campbell will focus his time and efforts on his family.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Tom for his years of exemplary service to our board and to the SCV community. During Tom’s tenure on CLWA’s Board, his efforts helped to secure our long-term water supply reliability here in the SCV,” said Gary Martin, SCV Water board president.

Campbell’s background in the water industry has been an asset to providing the Agency’s Board of Directors with valuable insights into infrastructure construction and maintenance as well as its overall capital improvement plan.

Campbell was elected in 1997 to the NCWD Board of Directors. There he served as Vice President in 1998, President in 1999, and Vice President again in 2000. He was appointed to the CLWA Board of Directors in 2001 to fill an at-large seat. He served on the CLWA Board for 16 years, six of those years as Board President. Most recently he served as the Chair of the SCV Water Engineering and Operations Committee and was a member of the Finance and Administration Committee and Water Resources and Watershed Committee.

“I am thankful to have been a part of some defining moments in the Agency’s history, like the purchase of the Valencia Water Company and the formation of SCV Water,” said SCV Water Director Tom Campbell. “It’s been rewarding to see our customers and community benefit from our regional approach to water management.”

“I think his most enduring contribution will turn out be the creation of our new valley-wide water agency, SCV Water,” added Board President Martin. “It is fitting that as Tom moves on to the next chapter of his life, SCV Water is already making strides to accomplish his vision of becoming a best-in-class water agency. We wish Tom and his family the very best."

Campbell’s current term will expire January 2021. At the June 2, 2020 regular SCV Water Board meeting, the board voted to eliminate the now vacant seat. Initially at 15 seats when formed in January 2018, the Board is set to reduce in size from the current 12 members to 9 members over the next two elections. The elections scheduled for November 2020 and November 2022 will result in three elected officials representing each of the three new electoral districts.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our valley for over two decades, and I want to thank the board and staff for all of their hard work and dedication over the years,” said Director Campbell.

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About SCV Water:
The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water) is a full-service regional water agency located in the Santa Clarita Valley. SCV Water provides water service to approximately 74,000 business and residential customers. It was formed on January 1, 2018 when local water suppliers combined into one integrated, regional water provider. More information can be found at www.YourSCVwater.com

For more information, please contact:

Kathie Martin

Public Information Officer SCV Water kmartin@scvwa.org

661-513-1265