IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
A group of real estate professionals on Wednesday called on San Bernardino County to diversify its economy and do a better job of marketing itself to young professionals.
In short, the county can’t rely forever on an abundant supply of affordable land and housing to attract businesses and grow its economy, the panel said during the annual State of the County gathering at Citizens Business Bank in Ontario.
“You have to market the assets that you have, and one of those is San Bernardino County itself,” said Randall Lewis, executive vice president of marketing for the Lewis Group of Operating Cos. in Upland. “San Bernardino County is a very good place to do business, much better than a lot of other counties that are more bureaucratic.”
Lewis was part of a five-member panel that discussed the current state of the Inland Empire real estate market. The panel, which was put together by NAIOP Inland Empire, was moderated by Terry Thompson, the county’s director of real estate services.
Lewis also called for affordable housing in the county, calling that the only way to attract younger professionals and better jobs to the region.
“We still need single-family, but we need other kinds of housing besides that,” Lewis said. “We need apartments, townhouses and condominiums. It can be hard to get those approved, but we still need to get them.”
The State of the County is a large networking event for local business professionals. James Ramos, chairman of the board of supervisors, began the day with remarks that touched on the Dec. 2 terrorist shooting in San Bernardino.
A musical and slide show presentation followed. An estimated 1,100 people attended the event.
