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Some California
Firms Head Inland

In southern California, a mainstay of the machining industry, some firms are fleeing the higher cost coastal areas and moving to the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles, according to Dan Watts, vice president of Woodruff Corp. in Torrance, and a trustee of the NTMA training centers in Los Angeles.

Glyn Pennington, president of Penco Precision, recently moved his company from the coast to Fontana, 35 miles (59.5 km.) east. "The prime motive of moving to the Inland Empire was getting skilled metalworking people," he says. His company's employees and prospective employees were moving east for lower housing costs, but were suffering from two-hour commutes west. "My thought was that people would be receptive to jobs closer to home," he says.

Penco was able to double the size of its facility to 15,000 sq. ft. (1,350 sq. m.) upon its arrival in Fontana, and employees are pleased, whether they're local or reverse commuters. "The real estate was cheaper," says Pennington. "We got a good property for a lot less than we could have [closer to Los Angeles]." SS