Every year on the first Friday of October, manufacturers across North America celebrate MFG Day, or Manufacturing Day. Started by The Manufacturing Institute, MFG Day is an initiative to grow and support the industry’s skilled workers for the advancement of modern manufacturing. Encouraging companies and educational institutions to open their doors shows students, parents, teachers and community leaders the reality of modern manufacturing careers as the industry seeks to fill four million high-skill, high-tech and high-paying jobs over the next decade.
MFG Day is being celebrated by the Innovate78 team by highlighting a few of the manufacturing businesses in North County. This article features Creative Electron, based in San Marcos. To read all of our articles, visit innovate78.com/blog.
Bill Cardoso, CEO of Creative Electron, cannot provide a reason why a business owner would want to operate anywhere besides North County.
His founder’s journey began in his own garage in 2008 with the ultimate goal of developing the best x-ray systems to improve business operations, and the supportive community of North County made all the difference to Creative Electron’s success. As Cardoso explained, there are three main reasons why being in North County, especially San Marcos, benefits his business.
“I mean the first reason is Southern California. Having companies in So Cal helps a lot because of the village effect,” said Cardoso. ‘When you have many high-tech companies near each other, like in Silicon Valley, you end up with close knit talent and people who can do things efficiently. They feed off each other and produce growth in certain areas. You have this network of talent to grow from, and it’s great! The second reason is North County. It’s a great location because of the education corridor. There is Palomar College, Cal State San Marcos and Mira Costa College producing fresh talent, ready to work. We are located near Cal State San Marcos, and I send my employees to the colleges to be trained and refreshed. The third reason is San Marcos. I picked San Marcos because the City has been great at helping our business grow and prosper. The City has gone above and beyond to help with our success. A while ago, So Cal had a tax credit, and San Marcos called us immediately to see if we had applied to help our business.”
Cardoso continued with examples of how businesses and regional educational institutions collaborate. “We have a strong relationship with Mira Costa College and have hired students in their TCI program. We have donated x-ray machines to give students access and exposure to our products. We take students as interns, and then hire them because the TCI program caters to help students in this industry.” Creative Electron also funds two scholarships at Mira Costa, the recipients for which are selected by the college, with a priority given to women and members of the Latinx community.
When asked about the region’s talent, Cardoso explained that North County breeds the right talent, specifically for manufacturing employers.
“…North County is a prosperous place with talented people. We have resources available to recruit talent and also train our current team. We have cities that will help your business prosper. For high tech companies it makes sense to stay in North County.”
bill cardoso, ceo, creative electron
The unique environment of North County, according to Cardoso, provides continuous growth opportunities for businesses to service their customers. “We have access to the California market which keeps growing. We also get to live here, a highly attractive place. We have so much to offer our people. Our business has been growing because we’re in San Diego and San Marcos. We found an ecosystem where we are able to grow.”
To learn more about doing business in the City of San Marcos, please visit innovate78.com or contact Tess Sangster economic development director, at tsangster@san-marcos.net or (760) 885-3827.
