SPOTLIGHT ON ONTARIO

Businesses are expanding and relocating to Ontario, California for the same reasons Canadians George and William Chaffey founded their model colony in 1882: Opportunities are unlimited there.

In study after study, including the recent Kosmont & Associates survey, Ontario has been rated one of the least expensive cities in which to do business in California as well as the United States. Taking note of these results, a steady stream of businesses — from Inacom, Federal Express and Toyota to more recent arrivals like BMW and Keystone Engineering — has been setting up shop here.

But the lure of Ontario goes well beyond dollars and cents. Ontario’s desirable location, coupled with the area’s pro-business attitude, is a key reason why companies have been eager to locate here. Served by the new $270 million Ontario International Airport, two major railroads and four major freeways, Ontario is at the hub of a regional transportation and logistics network.

Louisville Bedding, a Louisville, Ky-based company that manufactures mattresses and comforters under the Beauty Rest label, opened a 223,000-sq.-ft. facility in Ontario this year, employing about 120 people. “From a logistics and economic perspective, Ontario was our best choice,” says Allen Feng, facility manager. “The transportation, the infrastructure, the cost of the building and the city’s pro-business attitude were all important factors in coming here.”

Although newcomers won’t find the deal the Chaffeys got (6,218 acres with water rights for $60,000 in 1882), they will still find the land plentiful and less expensive than comparable retail and residential sites in neighboring Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Land and lease rates go for 20 percent to 30 percent less. Industrial space costs half that of Orange County and is comparable only to older buildings in central Los Angeles. Says Gary Blum, vice president of Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate, in a recent Forbes magazine article spotlighting the Inland Empire of which Ontario is an integral part: “The Inland Empire is the most active, vibrant industrial area in the nation. We’re building and occupying 12 to 14 million square feet a year year after year. That’s more than is being built in Los Angeles; more than is being built in one year in some states.”

And Ontario-based businesses are filling their organizations with highly skilled employees. Businesses have access to 15 private and public colleges and universities, and nine community colleges together serving more than 157,000 students on 24 campuses in the Inland Empire. These rich educational resources have allowed Ontario to gradually shift to a high-tech economy supported by a workforce professionally trained in the use of advanced problem-solving skills and information and computer technologies to produce high-quality goods and services.

Expansion-minded businesses that also care about quality-of-life issues will find Ontario an inviting home for their employees. The city offers street after shady street of American bungalows and turn-of-the-century style homes for less than half what the same houses would go for on Los Angeles’ “fashionable” west side. Housing opportunities also run from affordable to executive style homes in newly planned communities. Just as the city sparkled more than a century ago with the plantings of the first orchards and vineyards, Ontario shines anew. The city’s Ontario new CARES program has resulted in the planting of 1,000 parkway trees and the construction of 132,000 square feet of safe school pathways and 40,000 square feet of new sidewalks. There are also six full-service community and recreational centers that cater to the needs of all residents, including the very young and young at heart.

While Euclid Avenue and its charming side streets represent the historic core of the city including City Hall and such shops as Logans Candies (1944) and Graber Olives (1894) — Ontario’s northeastern quarter celebrates the “new” downtown, which includes the wildly successful Ontario Mills, which last year outdrew Disneyland. Nearby, the city also boasts the new Ontario Convention Center, a convenient and state-of-the-art meeting place for business groups of all sizes, interests and industries.

Boosted by steady, controlled growth and development, Ontario has established a sound financial foundation that is the envy of budget-conscious cities. The city’s 1999-2000 operating budget of more than $185 million continues to support Ontario’s mission to invest in the growth and evolution of the area’s economy while providing a balance of jobs, housing and educational and recreational opportunities for the city’s residents in a safe, well-maintained community.

Since the city’s founding, Ontario has been on the leading edge. The city that gave the world Armstrong Roses and the Hotpoint Iron and was among the first to tap the wonders of electricity and aviation is pressing ahead with new innovations and business solutions.

“Ontario is the most professional and forward-thinking city I have dealt with for some time,” says Nelson Miller, director of Physical Distribution for Bridgestone/Firestone. “Technology in the building industry moves fast. Most municipalities ‘hide’ behind outdated codes as a means of avoiding risk. Ontario was willing to consider these technologies.

“As a result, we collectively delivered a 600,000-square-foot facility that is in every respect state of the art. It was a pleasure working with an organization that was focused on solving problems and delivering the right solution.”

#