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Ontario, Calif., Officials Push to Focus City's Economy on Global Trade

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

Jul. 6--Hoping to connect local firms to the world economy, Ontario economic-development officials will lead a third business mission to China in October.

The trip is part of a broader push by city officials to make global trade a centerpiece of Ontario's economy.

The city is home to key rail and trucking corridors as well as Ontario International Airport, one of the nation's busiest cargo airports.

About two dozen local businesses were represented in the last trade trip to China. The trip initially yielded about $20 million in trade pacts. Most of them involved of local companies seeking cheaper supply options overseas.

McGowan said companies need to adopt a global view of their industries or they risk failing to spot trends that could hurt their businesses down the road.

"There needs to be a recognition that we're all operating in a global economy whether you like it or not and whether you're interested or not," McGowan said. "If you're not engaged in international trade, you're not as competitive as you should be."

Charlie Mello, owner of American Custom Coach in Ontario, hopes to deliver a prototype of a police communications vehicle to the city of Shanghai later this year. Mello, who se firm designs and builds specialty vehicles, such as mobile labs and armored cars, hammered out the Shanghai contract during last year's city-organized trade trip.

"Dealing with China is a lot about building relationships," said Mello, who has also built vehicles for customers in Peru, Venezuela and Kuwait. "It's vital to see the people you're working with face to face."

The weeklong October trip will focus on China's southeastern coast and include three days at the Canton Fair, a massive two-week commercial exposition held in Guangzhou.

Beyond China, Ontario economic-development officials are also looking toward Latin America and Eastern Europe, pending approval from the City Council.

"We focused initially on China because that's what businesses said they wanted," said McGowan, referring to the results of city-sponsored surveys of business owners. "At the same time, we wanted to teach people that there are other countries out there."

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.

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Source: The Press-Enterprise

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