Victor Valley, CA: An Ideal Location For Manufacturers
Low business costs, location and convenient transportation access among top reasons industries are choosing the area.
The Victor Valley region’s low business and labor costs, a central location with good transportation links to West Coast markets, business friendly incentives and a well-trained workforce have combined to create a growing advanced manufacturing sector. Manufacturing employs more than 80,000 workers in the region, and with average annual wages are near $50,000, this industry sector provides many benefits to both employer and employee. Another key advantage is the speed with which manufacturing projects can be approved for construction permits because of the proactive work of local governments and agencies such as the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District and the High Desert Regional Energy Leader Partnership. Most importantly, the Victor Valley has ample space for development, including site-ready business and industrial parks in communities such as Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville.
Victorville is home to Global Access Victorville, an 8,500-acre former Air Force base that today is being repositioned as the 2,500-acre Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) air cargo and aviation facility, the 2,500-acre Southern California Logistics Centre (SCLC) commercial and industrial complex, and a planned 3,500-acre Southern California Rail Complex to serve tenant companies that ship goods via railroad.
Manufacturing companies experiencing success in Victor Valley include food industry giants like ConAgra Foods, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Nestle Waters and Nutro Products. Aviation companies that maintain operations in the region include ARC Aerospace, Boeing, ComAv, GE Aviation and Pacific Aerospace. Construction and building materials companies like CEMEX USA, DMI Victory Design and TIMCO Truss, household cleaning and laundry products manufacturer Church & Dwight Co, specialty packaging company Plastipak Packaging and furniture makers United Furniture Industries and Arden Cos. are also fixtures of the region’s manufacturing sector.
Companies Coming
Global Access Victorville is the largest commercial development in Victor Valley and is anticipated to create more than 24,000 jobs and support another 18,500 jobs in the surrounding area. California-based Stirling Capital Investments has led the way in developing industrial and distribution space at Global Access Victorville, including a recently completed 447,740-square-foot industrial building at the SCLC that includes operations for patio cushions and outdoor furniture maker Arden Cos. and Newell Brands, the consumer goods manufacturer whose lines include Rubbermaid, Graco baby Products, Sharpie and Paper Mate. Arden leased 211,000 square feet at the SCLC while Newell Brands expanded its existing space from 584.000 to more than 818,000 square feet.
“We have now overseen the development of approximately 4 million square feet of private industrial development since our involvement with the redevelopment at the Southern California Logistics Airport began in 1998,” says Anita Tuckerman, vice president of asset services and corporate relations with Stirling Capital Investments.
Tuckerman says as lease rates continue to rise throughout Southern California, the Victor Valley region provides an ideal cost-effective alternative location for manufacturers looking to relocate.
“Our newest building was completed in August 2016, and Stirling broke ground on another new development in December 2016,” she says. “Distribution Centre 18 will add an additional 370,023 square feet to our Stirling portfolio and is already 50 percent pre-leased. It’ll be ready for occupancy in mid-2017.”
In the summer of 2016, Arden Cos. relocated from Rancho Cucamonga to the Southern California Logistics Centre in Victorville, operating a manufacturing facility to better accommodate increased production and warehousing demands. Arden has more than 50 years of manufacturing experience in making outdoor living products and accessories that are sold in major retail chains such as Lowe’s, The Home Depot and Walmart. Glenn Sparschu, senior vice president of manufacturing operations for Arden, says that the new Victorville facility includes capacity and space to increase production as demand dictates.
“We selected Victorville because of its location, workforce and community support,” Sparschu says. “Victorville is also one of the few locations in Southern California that offers affordable property for the immediate development of industrial space.”
