Vista appoints new economic development director

Vista has appointed Aaron Schulze as its new economic development manager, effective Monday.

Schulze comes to Vista from the city of Orange, where he was employed almost 18 years in an escalating series of positions, most recently as the economic development manager, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Before that, he worked in the cities of Santa Ana, Huntington Beach and Garden Grove. Schulze succeeds Vista’s former economic development director, Larry Vaupel, who retired in December. Vaupel was appointed to the position in 2022 after previously working as tourism management director for the city of Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County.

“Vista has tremendous opportunity for continued growth and investment,” Schulze said in a news release from the city. “I look forward to working closely with our local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, and the development community to strengthen our economic base and support projects that enhance the quality of life for residents and create lasting opportunity.”

Schulze holds a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University Fullerton. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and looks forward to expanding outreach to Vista’s Spanish-speaking business community, the release states.

“Aaron brings more than two decades of hands-on economic development experience across multiple Southern California cities, with a proven track record in downtown revitalization, hotel recruitment,...