The County Celebrates Manufacturing Month

It’s Manufacturing Month, and Riverside County is proud to be one of the nation’s top manufacturing powerhouses! There are more than 1,700 manufacturers that call our county home. These resident companies span the gamut industry-wise, from Edelbrock Foundries, which offers state-of-the-art casting production of aluminum products, to custom magnetics maker Triad Magnetics, and aerospace manufacturers Aerofoam Industries and Precise Aerospace Manufacturing.

The manufacturing industry employs more than 42,000 people throughout Riverside County. The beauty of our area is its diversity and room to grow. Instead of maintaining one manufacturing hub, cities throughout the county have become hospitable destinations for these companies to thrive. For example, Edelbrock has made San Jacinto its home, while Triad has taken up residency in Perris, Aerofoam is in Lake Elsinore and Precise is based in Corona.

The ability for manufacturers to grow and expand here is supported by the county’s vast infrastructure. There are three Foreign Trade Zones, 12 airports, and five major freeways within Riverside County that seamlessly connect businesses and delivery vehicles to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Orange County and even Phoenix.

We are so happy to celebrate the strides these manufacturers have made within our county, as well as the impact they’ve had on our local and national economy. Riverside County ranked 45th out of 3,113 U.S. counties for GDP in 2019. Though there are many businesses and industries that helped us achieve this milestone, manufacturing is certainly one of the largest.

The county experienced a 15% growth in the number of manufacturing establishments that set up shop in Riverside between 2015 and 2020, according to California’s Employment Development Department. This rate is almost double the amount of growth (8%) the state experienced in terms of new manufacturing establishments over the same time period.

Riverside County’s ideal Southern California location also gives it close proximity to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. All of these transportation modes allowed the county to import nearly $112 billion and export $80 billion worth of products in 2019.

And we’re not done yet.

As one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S., Riverside is still attracting manufacturing companies and residents. This is thanks to our business-friendly atmosphere, high quality of life, and close proximity to attractions in Southern California, Las Vegas, Phoenix and even Mexico.

Incentives for manufacturers in Riverside County include:

• Special utility discounts

• Industrial development bonds

• California Competes tax credit

• Research & development tax credit

• Equipment savings through partial sales and use tax exemptions

• CAEATFA tax exclusion for use of alternative energy and advanced transportation

• Employment training panel (ETP) funding for employers who upgrade employees’ skills

• County employment and training incentives

Riverside County has been exceptionally popular for iron, steel mill and ferroalloy (iron mixed with another element) manufacturing, in addition to plastics material, resin and organic chemical manufacturing. Food and wood product manufacturing has also experienced double-digit growth within the county.

We are so proud of everything these 1,700-plus manufacturers have accomplished in our county. Though we celebrate them every month, we’re more than happy to shine a special spotlight on them this October.