Larry Kosmont Appointed to New State Commission for Economic Development

Kosmont Companies

Larry J. Kosmont, CRE, President and CEO of Kosmont Companies, has been appointed by California Governor Gray Davis as a member of the newly formed State Commission for Economic Development. The State has formed the Commission to provide bipartisan support and guidance to the legislative and executive branches of the Government and to the private sector for the best possible overall economic development of the state. The Lieutenant Governor chairs and staffs the 17-member Commission, with three members each being named by the Senate Rules Committee and the Assembly Speaker. The commissioners are appointed for four-year terms and are not subject to legislative approval.

Mr. Kosmont has won wide recognition in the field of economic development for the annual Kosmont – Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey that charts and tabulates specific taxes, fees, and incentives that impact business in over 250 communities and cities nationwide.

Prior to his entry into the private sector, Mr. Kosmont served several California cities between 1975 and 1986. He held leadership roles in the fields of planning, economic development, housing, and transportation for numerous cities including Burbank, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, and Bell Gardens. He has assisted more than 200 city and county governments in economic developments, large real estate projects, public financing strategies, and the formation of development policies.

Mr. Kosmont is active in the local and statewide business community. He has served on the Board of Metropolitan Water District (MWD) and as a State Commissioner on the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. He is currently a Board Member of the California Local Economic Development Association (CALED), the California Redevelopment Association (CRA), the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), and the California Center for Land Recycling (CCLR).

Mr. Kosmont formed Kosmont Partners, a real estate development and consulting firm serving both public and private sector clients, in 1986. Kosmont Companies, a Minority Business Enterprise, specializes in the formation of joint public/private developments and enterprises, and providing consulting, financial, brokerage, planning, entitlement, and community services to clients representing every aspect of the California economy.