Renowned investor and TV “Shark” Lori Greiner shared some of her insights gleaned from the hit reality TV show with the business community Friday, as hundreds filled the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons for the 2024 Economic Outlook Forecast, hosted by the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp.  A leading Los Angeles County economist also sought to “connect the dots” on what the previous fiscal year, which ended June 30, means for the rest of this one. Fifth District L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger used her address to share her optimism about the future of the SCV, with projects like the upcoming mall renovation providing plenty of cause for excitement.  Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth and and “Shark Tank” co-host Lori Grenier. Perry Smith/The Signal ‘Shark Tank’  During the question-and-answer portion with Greiner, which was co-hosted by Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth, the “Shark Tank” star was asked about Ring, a company that ended up with a billion-dollar valuation through its purchase by Amazon.  The TV show welcomes entrepreneurs to share their pitch to celebrity investors like Greiner who, if interested, can make bids to invest in the product pitches.  However, Greiner reminded everyone that the original name for the company, Doorbot, was not nearly as attractive, and the concept was brilliant, but the ask was “a lot of money.”  “You know, that’s a lesson: If any of you ever come into the ‘Shark Tank,’ know that if you come in with a reasonable ask and not too much money, you’re much more likely to get a deal. The people that come in for $800,000, a million dollars. It’s scary to us,” she said.  When asked about her biggest regret, though, she said there was no need, because there are too many fish in the tank, so to speak.  “There are no mistakes. There’s just lessons. When it comes to deal-making and investments, there’s a million of them out there, so why regret one you didn’t get?” she said.   But she did add that she wished she had a piece of Snacklins, the 100-calorie bag of snack food made from yuca, mushrooms and onions, according to its website.   A group of William S. Hart Union High School students take a photo at the conference. Perry Smith/The Signal County optimism  Barger said she and the city both believe a thriving community and public safety go hand in hand, which is why the city of Santa Clarita has the largest contract with the Sheriff’s Department in the county and remains focused on keeping the area on the safe cities’ list.  “The EDC has positioned itself as a vital driver of economic growth in Santa Clarita Valley and across Los Angeles County,” Barger said of the event’s host. “But economic development isn’t just about business growth. It also transforms lives, nurtures communities and keeps pace with the changing economy.”  She said her goal was to bolster development on the regional level at the county, with infrastructure projects like freeway enhancements and sustainable energy plans providing paths for this growth in sustainable ways.  “A robust infrastructure is key to effectively managing transportation demand, ensuring that cars are not the sole or primary mode of transit for passenger goods and services,” she said, adding that, “while investing in the new infrastructure is essential, maintaining and supporting our existing networks is equally as important.”  Mark Schniepp provides his forecast Friday, Sept. 25 The forecast  Economist Mark Schniepp, a former professor, director of the California Economic Forecast and expert in the field for more than 35 years, started by recapping last year’s predictions, which he noted, were cast amid many gloomy premonitions for the national and global economic outlook.  At the time, the world missed the global recession many had anticipated, he said, and the markets were correcting the imbalances created during the pandemic, but inflationary concerns lingered.  And things this year are doing the same, he said.   Massive deficit spending and immigration policies remain concerns for Schniepp, who also touched on macroeconomic concerns during the forecast, but he said the outlook for the rest of the year remains better than anticipated.  Schniepp explained the causation between the nation’s deficit spending and inflation, which, due to the pandemic, put the nation on pace to hit more than $36 trillion in debt. He said the pandemic spending increased the nation’s spending trajectory by about $8 trillion. For reference, California’s annual gross domestic product is about $3.9 trillion.  “The Fed had to increase interest rates to extinguish inflation — well, higher interest rates on debt is going to cost the government a lot more to refinance that debt with Treasury bonds and Treasury bills,” Schniepp said. “So that’s only going to increase the debt even further and faster, and that’s what we’re seeing.”  In terms of trends for 2025 he predicted:  “Lower interest rates, certainly, and gradual progress on inflation, at least I hope so,” he said. “But the same prices for food, cars and housing — they’re going to be high, that’s not going down, and more intrusion from (artificial intelligence) … more widespread adoption of autonomous systems.”  The post Economic Development Corp. discusses outlook  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.