RIVERSIDE, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today attended the groundbreaking of the new, state-of-the-art SKECHERS North American Operations Headquarters at the Highland Fairview Corporate Park in Riverside County. Upon completion, the SKECHERS facility will be the largest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building of its kind in the U.S. and, in partnership with Highland Fairview, will create 1,100 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs in the local area.

“This SKECHERS facility is not just an important job-creating project, it is also going to be a nation-leading green building – proving again that green is good for jobs and the economy,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I have been clear that creating jobs is my number one priority, and while the legislature has been stalling on my job proposals for over two months, Highland Fairview and SKECHERS have been creating action. I urge California’s legislators to come together and implement my California Jobs Initiative for hardworking Californians now.”

The 1.8 million square foot SKECHERS project, which is breaking ground today, is the first tenant of the Highland Fairview Corporate Park. The shoe company is already planning additional phases to the initial construction project that will ultimately make the headquarters a 2.6 million square foot facility. Sustainability elements will include: on-site renewable solar energy generation, energy and water efficiencies and on-site air quality measures.

The Highland Fairview Corporate Park will eventually contain over 30 million square feet of buildings and facilities and the first phase of the facility is projected to provide an annual economic benefit of approximately $200 million to the region.