ROSY OUTLOOK FOR GROWTH ECONOMIC EXPERTS ARE PREDICTING SUSTAINED MOMENTUM.

Byline: - Eugene Tong

SANTA CLARITA - Economic growth in the Santa Clarita Valley is poised to continue apace in 2005, with steady job gains, low commercial vacancy rates and stable real estate growth, according to experts.

Working to sustain this prediction is Carrie Rogers, the city of Santa Clarita's new marketing and economic development manager, who assumed the post in October after more than 10 years with the city of Palmdale. She replaced Mike Haviland, who retired in June. The business development veteran has made the rounds at local groundbreakings and trade group meetings over the past few months, networking with local business owners.

According to the 2005 Santa Clarita Valley Real Estate and Economic Outlook report, the city and bordering unincorporated communities gained about 5,700 jobs last year in fields that include construction, professional services, finance, real estate and health care.

Here are some of the top private employers in the area:

Six Flags California has 4,500 employees, including those hired during the summer crush. The theme park solidified its position as the world-record holder for its number of roller coasters with the debut scheduled this year of Scream, the park's 16th coaster. With the addition of the Hurricane Harbor water park six years ago, the park is the city's main tourist attraction.

Princess Cruises, best known from ``The Love Boat,'' employs 1,175. Following recent mergers with other cruise lines, its parent company is the world's largest cruise ship company. Joining Princess in 2004 at its Valencia headquarters was sister company Cunard Cruises.

Wal-Mart, the world's biggest discount retailer, has neary employees in its Valencia Marketplace store and its second store in the Valencia Industrial Center. A third store is under construction in Canyon Country along with a Sam's Club, the chain's membership store.

Specialty Laboratories, which relocated to Valencia late last year, and is expected to bring 750 employees. Specialty Labs, which performs technologically advanced and specialized tests for hospitals, laboratories and physicians in the United States to help diagnose rare illnesses, is moving from Santa Monica to the Valencia Gateway cluster of biomedical firms.

Arvid Services Inc., with more than 700 employees, is one of the fastest- growing companies in the booming outsourcing industry that lets firms cut costs by having outside contractors handle parts of their operations. Arvid provides services including printing, financial services and answering phone calls and e-mails for companies in the high-tech, health care, airline and automotive industries. Its parent company, Bertelsmann AG, is the fourth-largest media company in the world.

HR Textron in Valencia creates advanced systems for the defense and aerospace industries. The company employs about 650.

Fanfare Media Works is an international printing and publishing company with about 430 employees in the Valencia Industrial Center.

Aerospace Dynamics, with 394 employees, manufactures parts for the defense industry at its Valencia plant.

ITT Aerospace Controls has 390 workers manufacturing parts for commercial, military and aerospace applications.

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(color) Tweety joins applicants in line for summer work at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2004. The area gained about 5,700 jobs last year, according to a report.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

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Here are some of the top private employers in the area (see text)