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Air
Highways to California's Inland
Empire
We met the folks
from the Inland Empire at the Com-Dex Trade Show in
Vancouver, Canada, and were impressed by their
program. For that reason we invite you to contact
them for further information, The following is an
excerpt from material they sent to our Info
Desk.
From wildlife
to nightlife, the Inland Empire has it all. And if
you're looking for adventure, look no further. The
Inland Empire Tourism Council is pleased to offer
this directory of opportunities for fun and
adventure in Southern California's Inland Empire:
The Inland Empire has a varied landscape of
chaparral-covered deserts, mile-high apple
ordchards, snow-cap
Economic
Partnership Services and Opportunities:
The objective of
the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is to
provide free business consulting to small
businesses and entrepreneurial training to foster
job creation, retention and economic impact to the
region's small businesses. The SBDC can provide
service to any business that meets the U.S. Small
Business Administration criteria as a small
business and is a for-profit business. Covering
Riverside and San Bernardino County, the SBDC has
twenty (20) employees located in five (5) full time
offices and seven (7) part-time offices and is the
largest SBDC Program in the State. Since 1991 the
SBDC has provided consulting services to over
14,000 small business owners and training to over
17,000 small businesses and individuals. In fact,
the SBDC has, over the last five (5) year period,
retained some 904 jobs, created 1,103 jobs and
sponsored some 836 training events. These
activities have resulted in an estimated financial
impact, over the five (5) year period, of
approximately $163,554,577 to the two county
areas.
The impacts and the
assistance rendered by the SBDC have had a direct
benefit and result to the San Bernardino and
Riverside County region. This region, commonly
called the Inland Empire, is the fastest growing
area in the country and a portion of that growth
can be attributed to the pro-active efforts of the
SBDC.
The SBDC Program's
success as an economic development tool stems from
its direct work with the largest job and
innovation-creating portion of the United States
Business world &endash; small businesses. Small
businesses generate fifty-one (51) percent of all
new jobs, create sixty-eight (68) percent of all
new products and develop seventy (70) percent of
innovations in the country. Through counseling,
training and guiding small businesses, the SBDC
keeps alive the climate of economic
growth.
If you are
thinking about expanding or relocating your
business &endash; then consider the Inland Empire
&endash; it is the place for you!!
Teri
Ooms,
CEO &
President
Inland
Empire Economic Partnership
HOME SALES
VOLUME
Combined sales of
houses and condominiums dropped in Southern
California, as buyers continued to grapple with
smaller inventories and record prices. According to
DataQuick Information Systems, the number of homes
sold dropped in Orange, San Diego and Ventura
Counties &endash; the regions most expensive
housing markets &endash; while sales volumes hit
record highs in Riverside and San Bernardino
Counties &endash; the regions most affordable
markets. Overall Southland housing and condominium
sales decline 3.1% from last year.
The report also
showed that the median sales price of new and
existing homes and condominiums in Southern
California reached a record $312,000 up 18.2% from
$264,000 from last year. The drop in sales volume
was attributed not to a decline in demand but to an
overall shortage of homes on the market, coupled
with a high rate of mortgage refinancings that is
causing delays in escrow closings, brokers said.
Typical signs of a softening market such as an
increase in foreclosures and a rise in adjustable
mortgages rates are not being seen. " Those things
are largely absent," said John Karavoll, the
DataQuick analyst who compiles the sales data from
property records "Nothing points to a slow down
yet."
The year over year
percentage increases in the median sales price
ranged from 15% for Orange County to 22.4% increase
for San Bernardino. Riverside increase was 19.3%.
All counties posted record sales prices except
Orange County, where the median was down $4,000
from the previous month, a decline analysts said
reflects a price drop for new homes. The median
sales price for houses and condominiums in Orange
County was $398,000 in Orange County up from
$346,000 a year earlier and $387,000 in Ventura
County, compared to $322,000 a year earlier.
Riverside County's median price was $241,000 versus
$202,000 the year before and San Bernardino's was
$186,000 up from $152,000 last year. San Diego's
median price was $375,000 compared to $315,000.
"Prices may keep climbing but they can't keep
climbing at the rate we've been seeing." Said Jim
Downing, a real estate agent in San Clemente, "We
have already been pushing the limits for months
now."
In the Inland
Empire, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties,
there is a strong supply of new homes and lower
prices to attract buyers who are willing to
commute, agents said. "Obviously we are the bright
spot in terms of what you can get for your money
right now," said Janet Camden, an agent for Century
21 in
Temecula.
TECHNOLOGY AND
ENTERTAINMENT
This month we
decided to get into the summer mood and have fun.
So we gained a different perspective by focusing on
technology as applied to entertainment. We feature
two successful companies: Wally's GamePlexT
Entertainment Centers and Garner Holt Productions
Inc.
Wired Gamez Inc.,
dba Wally's GamePlexT Entertainment Centers offers
a highly energized, "club-like" environment where
youth can meet, interact and have fun with their
peers in a socially responsible and supervised
setting. While at a GamePlex center, customers
participate in a wide choice of entertaining and
socially interactive in-store multiplayer and
single player gaming options. They enjoy the music,
videos, refreshing food and beverages, all at an
affordable price.
Currently, the
"tweens" (12-25 year olds) in most localities
across the U.S. feel that they lack a destination
or "hangout" for safe and socially responsible
entertainment and gaming activities. The majority
of this age group don't want to stay at home and
most can't or don't want to go to bars. Their house
parties are usually broken up, shopping malls close
early or kick them out for loitering, and the
police generally don't want them hanging out on the
streets. Wally's GamePlexT Entertainment Centers
provide a unique alternative; a "total immersion"
experience that meets the entertainment needs of
this market by providing an electrifying gaming
environment that is clearly superior to any other
competitive venue.
In the last 3-4
years, there has been an increasing interest in the
concept of "gaming centers" where friends can
gather to play network-based games. While the
"gaming center" industry (as exemplified by
GamePlex) is still in the introductory stage in the
U.S., it is anticipated that it will be moving to
the rapid growth stage within the next 3-5 years.
Currently much of this industry is filled with
small one or two store lifestyle businesses,
competing in a localized market. Many of these
operators fall under the radar of industry analysts
and are thus hard to identify and
quantify.
Wally's GamePlexT
intends to position their entertainment centers as
an expertly branded, highly recognizable chain of
entertainment venues appealing to the majority of
the retail gaming market. This positioning will be
enhanced by the high-tech, highly energized "look
and feel" of each GamePlex store; offering target
customers socially interactive gaming activities
running on the latest state-of-the-art hardware at
reasonable prices.
Wally's GameplexT
opened their first site in Moreno Valley and
recently opened a second site in Palm Desert.
Wally's GameplexT is currently raising investment
capital to implement their aggressive growth
strategies.
Doing what you have
dreamed of since the age of 12 is not something
many people have the opportunity to do. However,
Garner Holt of San Bernardino is able to do just
that. As founder and president of Garner Holt
Productions Inc., Holt is able to use his
creativity and mechanical genius to create
"animatronics." What exactly is animatronics?
Basically, an animatronic figure is a mechanized
robot. It can take the form of a human, animal,
mammals, sea-life or birds. It may be preprogrammed
or remotely controlled. The animatronic figure may
perform a limited range of movements or it can be
extremely versatile and the figures are incredibly
realistic and life-like.
The company also
designs and manufactures Show Action Equipment,
Sets and Scenery, Special Effects, and their
proprietary electronic Show Control System. It is
an amazing process that creates and controls a huge
animatronic figure. Although a complicated project
could take up to eighteen months, from conception
to completion, realistically, many take less than a
year to go from the drawing board to a finished
product. The process includes, design, sculpting,
mold making, welding, machining, wood-working
animatronic fabrication, assembly, figure
finishing, costuming, painting, and installation of
the Show Control System which becomes the "brain"
for the figure or show.
Holt visited
Disneyland for the first time at the age of 12 and
was fascinated with everything he saw. He knew from
that point on, that his future was in this
industry. Although his parents hoped he would
become a veterinarian and had saved money for this
career, they knew, over time, that he would pursue
his dream. At the age of 14 he built his first
haunted house in his backyard and charged people to
tour through it. It was a huge success as 400-500
people lined up to see it. The following year, what
is now Carousel Mall in San Bernardino,
commissioned Holt to build a haunted house for
them.
Fresh out of high
school, Holt applied to Disney Studio. They
recommended that he get a college education. He is
self-taught with a combination of CAD and design
engineering courses from Valley College. His first
big break came in the late 1980's with MGM. He was
hired to build animation for the theme park
associated with the MGM Grant Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas. He completed the job in record time and
on budget.
His company
expanded several times to bigger buildings from the
garage and now occupies a 50,000 square foot
complex in San Bernardino. Garner Holt Productions
employs about 40 people who assist with the
mechanical design, development of the electronic
control systems needed to operate the animatronic
figures, structural building of steel and aluminum
frames, assembly of the internal cylinders, valves
and actuators which create the movements and which
will to be covered by a fiberglass or silicone
skin. The company designs and builds all of the
electronic hardware and software
internally.
Garner Holt
Productions is credited with building the largest
animated character built in the world: a 27-ton
"Octopus", named Ursula, for the DisneySeas Tokyo
Theme Park. Bob Botts, Chief Financial Officer
said, "One of first things I learned when coming to
the company was to always say, 'yes, of course, we
can build that' when talking with new
clients".
And so from
electronic gaming to exciting animations, the
Inland Empire offers unique technologies to
brighten our summer months. Be sure to get out and
enjoy them!
On June 1-3, 2003,
the Inland Empire Sustainable Communities program
joined 168 civic entrepreneurs as well as business,
policy advocacy, planning, grassroots, and
government organizations - in Sacramento,
California for a whirlwind of presentations,
discussions, and networking. The Summit provided an
opportunity to come together with statewide
leaders, elected officials, and others, to assess
the critical issues facing the state and to
exchange ideas on how better to meet those
challenges, whether through regional programs or
state policy reforms.
The biggest
announcement of the 2003 Summit was the launch of
the California Regional Network, a voluntary
network that will help to advance on a statewide
basis the shared values and principles of the
Regional Collaboratives. A new and colorful report,
California Regional Network: Regions Working
Together for a Better California, outlines the
philosophy underlying the Regional Collaborative
movement and highlights some of the work being done
by each Regional Collaborative. Find the report at
<http://www.calregions.org/pdf/crnpub-regionsworking.pdf>http://www.calregions.org/pdf/crnpub-regionsworking.pdf.
This year's Summit
had a special policy focus and took place in
Sacramento partly so that the leaders of the
Regional Collaborative movement could have access
to state policy debates and policymakers. Just as
important, the policymakers could hear from these
innovative civic leaders. With the state's current
budget and fiscal crisis the opportunities to make
a difference through values-based, problem-solving
civic leadership are greater than ever, and more
necessary than at any time in recent
decades.
For additional
information regarding the Inland Empire Sustainable
Communities program please contact Jonathan
Durfield, Director at 909.890.1090 or
<mailto:jdurfield@ieep.com>jdurfield@ieep.com.
TWO COUNTY
AREA'S CLOUT WIDENS
Personal income
data according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic
Analysis show San Bernardino and Riverside counties
(the Inland Empire) continuing to grow in regional
and national influence. The two county region had a
combined had a combined 2001 personal income of
$80.9 billion, larger than 21 U.S.
states.
Since last year's
report, 2001, the two-county region passed Iowa
($79.8 billion) and now leads 20 other states as
well. The Inland Empire region trails 29th place
Oklahoma ($86.5 billion). The Inland Empire's
income rose 5.4%, or $4.2 billion, from 2000. Even
allowing for inflation, the gain represents an
increase in purchasing power of 2 percent. The
region should be somewhere in middle of the
rankings said regional economists John Husing.
"What's significant about those numbers is that
they are a measure of economic power," said Husing.
"People know California has a huge economy, and
when they start talking about Southern California,
the Inland Empire is a significant part of
that."
Southern California
as a whole would be much higher on the list. Jack
Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County
Economic Development Corporation, pointed out that
Los Angeles County by itself would be the nations
ninth most populous state and that the five county
region would trail only California and Texas. "When
people see that … (San Bernardino and
Riverside counties) are the equivalent of the 30th
largest state, that gets their attention," he said.
"It's important. They're very big, they're still
growing and we have not been planning for it in
terms of infrastructure and other factors. Numbers
like this are a useful reminder."
One area that the
two counties still lag behind other Southern
California counties is personal per capita income.
Riverside County's personal per capita income was
up 2.4 percent in 2001 to $21,691, while San
Bernardino County's was up 1.4 percent to $22,141.
That put the two county region's level at $23,840.
A 2 percent jump from 2000. "Those numbers are not
that red hot," said Husing. "We've still got to
work on them. They're stronger than cities such as
Bakersfield ($21,021) and Fresno ($21,463), but
they lag behind the other local counties." Orange
County at $36,647, San Diego County at $33, 883,
Ventura County at $$32,232 and Los Angeles County
at $30,360 are all significantly ahead of the
Inland Empire, although Husing expects to narrow
the gap. "Our education levels are rising, the
housing stock is getting better and your seeing
more management types move into the area," said
Husing. "Things like that help the income
level."
Kyser said it's
time for the rest of Southern California to start
noticing San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
"Los Angeles is really a bunch of small towns," he
said. "People don't have a very global viewpoint.
Their narrow focus is very disturbing, especially
on the West Side. We're going to have to think more
globally; it's a very important challenge for
us."
Reprinted with the
permission of the Press Enterprise.
SUCCESS STORY -
PHOENIX CONSTRUCTION
The Inland Empire
Small Business Development Center (IESBDC) began
working with Phoenix Construction and Rose Girard,
CEO and founder, in the Spring of 2000. The company
wanted to expand their government procurement
opportunities and the IESBDC helped with marketing
strategies and certifications that would allow the
company to reach its goals. From the beginning,
Phoenix Construction, named for the mythical bird
that rose from its own ashes (in this case, the
ashes from the Aerospace Industry), faced serious
challenges and stereotypes. Rose immediately
learned that raising funds and credit for equipment
and materials were hard for single women to secure.
Most lenders wanted a husband's backing on loans,
and vendors and clients always wanted to speak with
"the man in charge". Therefore, when Phoenix
Construction Services opened in 1993, it was
financed by a $5,000 withdrawal from Rose Girard's
retirement account.
The next challenge
Phoenix faced was competing for jobs. Rose was
denied access to government contracts and was told
she could not possibly know what it takes to
operate a construction company. The construction
industry was clearly a male dominated arena.
Because the big jobs were not available, Phoenix
Construction started specializing on the odds and
ends, or throw away, maintenance construction jobs.
Historically these items have been contracted out
to other construction entities on a piece meal
basis. Usually involving about 50 to 100 feet on
either side of the tracks, maintenance to rail
thoroughfares includes, among other things, weed
removal, bridge repair, drainage repair, retaining
wall repair and any other work necessary for the
train to operate, not actual track laying, or
maintenance of track. Since most railroad
contractors only lay or maintain track, they are
usually uninterested and unable to do the work
associated with railroad maintenance. When these
companies were hired for maintenance jobs, they
often failed to understand the overall rail system
of operation and completed work would be
unsatisfactory.
Determined to build
her business, Rose recognized and began taking any
of the jobs that the other contractors did not
want, as long as they would make her a profit.
Phoenix began specializing in railroad maintenance.
This niche construction industry was largely
identified, capitalized and articulated by Phoenix
Construction. Rose embraced the variety of jobs
available and tried to become an expert in each of
these areas. She strategically encouraged her crew
to pick up whatever training they needed in order
to be multi-skilled, thus developing the ability to
bid on multiple jobs for the same
company.
Rose worked hard to
cut through the red tape that had been standing in
the way of getting better contracts. She applied
for, and received a $100,000 SBA Loan, despite a
bankruptcy after her husband left her. "I will
never forget our first SBA Loan", explains Rose,
"this is what took us to the next level. We had
proven we had what it took to compete in the
industry, but needed a little help in getting the
upgraded office equipment, constructions equipment
and the ability to hire more people. What a day
(when we got the loan), there was not a dry eye in
the office and I was on cloud nine. All we needed
was for someone to believe in us and SBA and did."
This financial support, allowed Phoenix to expand,
hire more employees and bid on a larger variety of
jobs.
Further growth
stemmed from IESBDC's assistance with a $766,000
504 SBA Loan and a $100,000 line of credit allowing
Phoenix to move into a new building in a Hub Zone.
In addition, IESBDC's help with 8a certification
provided Phoenix with access to more and larger
contracts. "I can remember how happy we were to get
a job that was $50,000, that was a big deal,"
explains Rose. Rose now wins contracts in the $1
million range and hopes to see the company reach
$10 million in annual sales before she retires.
During the three years the IESBDC has worked with
Phoenix, the company has received $8 Million in
government contract, created 10 new jobs and
retained 30 existing jobs.
Today, Phoenix is a
leader in their industry. Because of their work in
identifying and capitalizing a niche industry, many
jobs put out for bid now require maintenance as
part of the contract, along with laying track.
Ironically, because Phoenix is one of the few
companies able to successfully complete all of the
miscellaneous work, they have been awarded larger
jobs including laying and maintaining track. It is
not unusual for Phoenix to now successfully compete
with much larger construction companies and win!
Currently, Phoenix provides essential services for
agencies such as the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority, Southern California Regional Rail
Authority (Metrolink), Pacific Pipeline, Pacific
Harbor Line and the Alameda Corridor Transportation
Team. The Metro Link project alone, which includes
bridge change outs from wooden to concrete,
represents 400 miles of track.
REAL ESTATE
SUCCESSES
Blue Rhino
Corporation, a distributor of propane gas tanks, is
locating a new facility in Riverside County's Agua
Manza Enterprise Zone. The facility will be
approximately 15,000 square feet, and is expected
to employ 75 new employees. The Inland Empire
Economic Partnership (IEEP) assisted with the site
search and conducted a number of valuable services
for the company.
R & B
Wholesale, a distributor of household appliances,
has purchased a 71,091 square foot industrial
building at 2350 Milliken Ave. in Ontario. The
facility will house R & B's corporate
headquarters, as well as its distribution
operation. The total transaction was valued at an
estimated $4.1 million. Ron Walsh and Milo Lipson
of Grubb & Ellis represented the seller, MKJ -
Milliken Commerce Center of Whittier, in the
transaction. Source: Grubb & Ellis
Industrial
Production Equipment purchased 30,222 square feet
of industrial space at 1700 Industrial Ave. in the
City of Norco for approximately $1.6 million. Dick
Roby and Janet Valentin of CB Richard Ellis
represented the seller. Source: Co-Star.
Alan Morgan
Furniture, a distributor, leased 45,519 square feet
of space at 9157 Rochester Court in the City of
Rancho Cucamonga. Total consideration for the
five-year lease was valued at approximately $1.1
million. Scott Ostlund and Barret Woods of Lee
& Associates represented the landlord, Van Aken
International. Source: Co-Star.
Big State
Industrial Supply, a wholesale business, is
relocating to a 34,108 square foot industrial
building in the Iowa Commerce Center at 1865 Iowa
Ave. in the City of Riverside. The sale was valued
at approximately $2.1 million. Larry Null and
Herrick Johnson of Lee & Associates represented
Big State Industrial Supply and the seller, Essex
Iowa LLC. Source: Co-Star.
Great West Drilling
purchased 12,200 square feet of industrial space at
9431 Resenda Ave. in the City of Fontana. Randy
Lockhart and Jeff White of Grubb & Ellis
represented Great West Drilling, and the seller,
The Morgan 2001 Revocable Trust. Source: Grubb
& Ellis.
Heider Engineering
Services purchased a 4,330 square foot industrial
building at 800 Rochester Ave. in the City of
Ontario. Amy McNamara, Milo Lipson, and Ron Walshe
of Grubb & Ellis represented the seller,
Ontario Gateway, LLC. Milo Lipson and Ron Walsh of
Grubb & Ellis represented Heider Engineering
Services. Source: Grubb & Ellis.
REGION GETS OWN
TRADE COUNCIL
With more than
27,000 square miles of space and a regal nickname,
the Inland Empire could be compared to some
countries. So it makes sense that Riverside and San
Bernardino counties should have their own
designation when it comes to foreign trade. Earlier
this year, the U.S. Department of commerce
acknowledged that promise by creating the Inland
Empire District Export Council, whose members were
formerly part of the Southern California District
Export Council, which serves Los Angeles and Orange
counties.
The mission of the
council, one of the nearly 60 nationwide, is to
help smaller businesses figure how to export their
goods and services overseas. District export
councils consist primarily of volunteers from the
private sector who work with the U.S. Commercial
Service's U.S. Export Assistance Centers, of which
there are two in the Inland Empire, In Ontario and
Indio. "The goal is to make exporting easier for
everybody," said council chairman Mark Stanley in a
telephone interview. Stanley works for the Palm
Springs based MicroCool, which sells misting
systems around the world. "There is a mental
barrier that people have about picking up a product
or service and sending it overseas. We want to
remove that fear barrier."
Stanley said it
made sense for the Inland Empire District Export
Council to spin off its Southern California
counterpart for two reasons. "Geographically, this
is a huge area. And we also have a different focus
out here, which is more on agriculture and
manufacturing," he said. Then you add tourism and
there is a huge amount of trade. Tourism never used
to be regarded as an export but now it is looked at
that way."
The council played
co-host to a tourism seminar in Palm Springs, aimed
at helping hospitality industry based businesses
promote themselves overseas. "Service Industry are
an intangible," said Cynthia Torres, the Director
of the U.S. Commerce Services export assistance
center in Indio, in a telephone interview. Torres'
office organized the seminar. "They don't have a
product where you can feel it, hold it and touch
it," she
added.
Paul Tambakis, who
oversees all eight of the export assistance centers
in California, said the tourism program is helping
the Commerce Department show people that tourism
can be seen as an export from the service
perspective. He credited Stanley and Fred
Latuperissa, the director of the Ontario export
assistance center, for pushing for the Inland
Empire trade designation. " The Ontario office has
consistently been my best performing office in
Southern California in terms of export successes
generated per trade specialist," he said in a
telephone interview. "And I am pleased with the
results that I am seeing in the District Export
Council's infancy. Based on the enthusiasm and
involvement of its members."
Perfect
settings for adventure.
The San Bernardino National Forest offers
endless opportunities for outdoor fun. Cities rich
in heritage offer visitors a glimpse of the
Victorian era, while Calico Ghost Town preserves
the romance of the Old West. You'll find it all
here: from a sunrise flight in a hot-air balloon to
a hike along the Pacific Crest Tail; from a quiet
ride in a horse-drawn carriage to parachuting from
a plane. Where else can you water ski on a quiet
lake in the morning and skim down snowy ski runs in
the afternoon? The sun-kissed Inland Empire gets it
all--great weather, tourist attractions, year-round
recreation and prize-winning wines. Adventure is
always in season here.
http://www.csz.com/inland/ietc/
Phone (909) 890-1090
I,,...
Inland
Climate
VALLEYS Average
High Average Low
January 64 36
February 67 39
March 71 39
April 75 40
May 76 42
June 85 50
July 95 56
August 98 57
September 90 51
October 83 47
November 74 40
December 64 36
MOUNTAINS
Average High Average Low
January 45 29
February 49 30
March 53 31
April 59 34
May 66 41
June 75 48
July 81 57
August 80 56
September 77 51
October 67 43
November 53 34
December 47 30
DESERTS Average
High Average Low
January 58 36
February 62 39
March 66 39
April 72 40
May 81 42 ped mountains and rolling
valleys.
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