Norwalk is finalist for Most Business-Friendly City Award

NORWALK — Norwalk has been named a finalist for the Most Business-Friendly City Award.

Presented by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the award will be presented Nov. 8 at the Eddy Awards, which honor people, cities and organizations “that have significantly contributed to the inclusive economic development within the region.”

Other finalists for the Most Business-Friendly City Award include Carson, Glendale, Long Beach and Torrance.

“The Most Business-Friendly City awards were established to acknowledge and illuminate the tireless and often unsung endeavors of city economic development staff,” said Stephen Cheung, president and CEO of the LACEDC. “Their dedication helps position the Los Angeles region not only as a leader within California but also as a global economic trailblazer. Our region’s 88 cities are the cornerstone of our region’s future, emphasizing equity, sustainability, and resilience.

“We honor these innovative cities and their dedication to our community, and we hope their hard work will inspire other cities throughout the nation to build stronger and more resilient economies.”

In January, Norwalk celebrated the opening of its second Chick-fil-A restaurant, and in March welcomed Sprouts grocery store. Also this year, plans were announced for a Tesla dealership and service center on the former Walmart site on Imperial Highway.

“The City of Norwalk is proud to be selected as one of five finalist cities for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) 2023 Most Business-friendly Award,” the city of Norwalk said in a statement. “LAEDC selected Norwalk to be a finalist in 2019, 2022 and 2023, which makes the city a finalist three times in the past five years.

“To be selected as a finalist, LAEDC’s panel evaluates nominations submitted by LA County cities to recognize cities that are encouraging job creation, facilitating ease-of-doing-business, and cutting through red tape. Norwalk has shown its commitment to local economic development with a 24.44% increase in business license renewals and new businesses setting roots in the city, from 2021 to 2022. The City of Norwalk looks forward to the announcement of the winner of the award on November 8 at LAEDC’s Eddy Awards.”

This year’s Eddy Awards will take place at SoFi Stadium.