After twenty-one years of service, the City of Vista’s Director of Economic Development Kevin Ham announced his retirement and shared his optimistic outlook for the city’s future. Ham will retire on Dec. 31, 2021, which is twenty-one years, almost to the day, of working for the city. When he reflected on his time in Vista, he expressed pride in how the city’s business park has grown from 7 million square feet of occupied space to 14 million square feet. He also noted how important community-based planning has been for the city’s long-term success.
“Vista’s growth and economic development successes are not about me,” said Ham. “It’s about the team we have here, our leadership, the Vista community, and of course, the amazing businesses we’ve been able to attract and support over the years.”
Vista City Manager Patrick Johnson said, “Economic development is about bridging partnerships and being creative. As the City’s Liaison and Business Ombudsman, Kevin has worked and succeeded in creating economic and employment opportunities for Vista and in creating innovative solutions that businesses need.”
Ham has been instrumental in bringing new tech companies, craft breweries, life sciences and other industries to Vista to expand its economic diversity. “His impact has been significant, not just to Vista, but regionally and at the state level,” Johnson said. “We have been fortunate to have Kevin serve for over two decades. He will be missed; however, we wish him the best in his retirement.”
Another point of pride for Ham was the creation of a five-city economic development collaboration, Innovate78, formed with the cities of Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos and Vista. In its early days, Ham was its champion because he saw the value of a cross-corridor partnership.
“Innovate78 is unique to North County San Diego because in most regions’ economic developers compete against their neighboring cities,” said Ham. “It is better for our region when we work together to keep great companies here, even if they move between cities. The goal is to better the City of Vista by advancing North County as a whole.”
This cooperative spirit was also noted by CEO of California Association of Local Economic Development (CALED) Gurbax Sahota when asked to describe Ham’s contributions to the economic development profession. “Kevin is really known for his leadership and integrity,” said Sahota. “He has served in many different roles with CALED, and he’s always proved himself to be committed to mentoring the next generation of professionals. He makes a point to give back and show what it means to be an ethical leader.”
When asked to recall a few businesses that exemplify what a partnership between the city and a business should look like, many came to mind, but Dr. Bronner’s stood out to Ham. “Working with the City of Vista and Kevin Ham has been an efficient and productive partnership,” said Michael Milam, chief operations officer at Dr. Bronner’s, an organic fair-trade soap company. “Kevin and the City of Vista have been supportive of our All-One! company culture, which has helped us to find valuable talent in the San Diego North County area. Kevin is essentially a public defender for businesses and helps us navigate how best to get things done with the city. We are appreciative of Kevin’s time and talent throughout the years and for supporting local businesses in Vista.”
Under his leadership, two community-based economic development strategic plans have been adopted that helped develop the Vista Business Park and assisted the revitalization of Vista’s downtown area, Paseo Santa Fe and shaped the city’s post-COVID-19 response, to name just a few projects.
In 2019, Ham earned the prestigious Jeffrey A. Finkle Organizational Leadership Award given by the International Economic Development Association in recognition of his more than 15 years of service. Beyond his notable career in economic development at Vista, Ham also spent time working for the City of Coronado, the state of California, running a non-profit and the North County Transportation Management Association. Additionally, and perhaps most notably, Ham also owned a small business, an experience that he claimed helped him understand and relate to fellow entrepreneurs.
“We don’t create jobs,” said Ham. “We support the businesses that do, and I’m thankful that I’ve been working in Vista long enough to see many of our businesses excel.” Quoting a proverb, Ham continued, “Not everyone gets to sit in the shade of a tree they planted, but when I enjoy a pint at one of our local establishments that I helped start, I’m thankful that I’ve been able to experience a little shade.”
