In addition to assisting companies in obtaining low-interest long-term fixed-rate loans offered through the RMDZ program, Ventura County RMDZ staff can assist companies with other loans and grants. Local business assistance organizations, including the Greater Oxnard Economic Development Corporation and the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, also provide a variety of economic assistance and business consulting services.
RMDZ staff can also provide assistance with permits, site selection, and acquisition of materials for manufacturing. Additionally, through Ventura County’s Workforce Development Division, employers can obtain free personnel services including employee recruitment and screening, on-the-job training, and customized training. Up to half the salary of eligible employees can be reimbursed to employers during an agreed-upon training period. There are also sheltered workshops, job coaching programs, and other opportunities for subsidized labor in Ventura County.
Energy-related programs can also meet your company's needs in Ventura County. For example, the California Renewable Energy Loan Guarantee Program guarantees loans made by financial institutions to eligible businesses for the purpose of purchasing renewable energy systems that will reduce usage of the State's electrical grid. Also, discounts averaging 17 percent per year are available for interruptible service, and Southern California Edison’s Economic Development Rates for power in Ventura County's RMDZ averaged 15 percent per year for 5 years.
Recycling-based businesses in the Ventura County RMDZ may also be eligible for a partial exemption from sales taxes on machinery and equipment they purchase. This reduction of the State portion of sales tax (currently over 4 percent) can also reduce the cost of special-purpose buildings used for a manufacturing process.
The Ventura County RMDZ also overlaps the Port Hueneme Foreign-Trade Zone. It is the only deepwater port between San Francisco and Los Angeles and provides duty reductions, deferrals, inversions, and other benefits to importers, exporters, and certain product assemblers. Other sites in Ventura County offer additional benefits. For example, the local Navy base provides Cooperative Research and Development Agreements in association with the U.S. Department of Energy.
