As the economy recovers and demand for products increases, many local companies are looking to expand, according to Turlock Assistant to the City Manager for Housing and Economic Development Maryn Pitt.

“What we’re seeing is that most of them have plans for expansion over these next couple of years,” Pitt said.

The City of Turlock has been working with the Stanislaus County Workforce Alliance to conduct surveys with many core local businesses. In the last week alone, Pitt has visited with Turlock-based businesses like Foster Farms, Sensient Technologies, and NutStar Software, the “Microsoft of nut inventory management.”

Many of those companies are planning to expand, Pitt said, looking at adding both employees and space.

And those companies are going to expand in Turlock because of its central location in California’s agriculture world.

“They’re based here because they’re centrally located, and they want to be close to those handlers,” Pitt said of NutStar.

The business surveys come as part of a new dedication to business retention, implemented by the Stanislaus County Workforce Alliance’s new CEO, David White, who joined the organization in January.

“There’s a real untapped potential in terms of reaching existing businesses for a lot of growth,” Pitt said.