A new team and stadium launch a grand slam of sports tourism in San Bernardino County.
Eastward migration of people and companies from the Southern California coast to the Inland Empire has driven economic growth in San Bernardino County for two decades.
The rise of fast-growing communities in this 20,000-square-mile county of 2.2 million residents produced one of the largest concentrations of industrial warehouses in the country, a rapidly expanding workforce in many sectors, and now, a thriving market for tourism.
Exhibit A is ONT Field, the new ballpark of the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the Class A minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The state-of-the-art, $120 million, 6,500-seat baseball stadium opened in spring 2026 as part of the $850 million Ontario Sports Empire complex. Designed with modern amenities and a variety of seating experiences, ONT Field was built to host year-round entertainment as well as baseball.
Sporting the abbreviated name of the Ontario International Airport, ONT Field pays homage to the community’s aviation heritage. The Tower Buzzers do the same by celebrating the history of naval aviators who have trained for decades to be crack fighter pilots at nearby air bases and the famed Top Gun school originally based at NAS Miramar in San Diego. Even the Tower Buzzers’ mascot, Maverick, leans into the iconic imagery of Tom Cruise playing Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the two blockbuster “Top Gun” films.
For Jennifer McLain Hiramoto, executive director of economic development for the City of Ontario, this is about more than sports. It is about creating a destination for year-round fun, tourism, visitor spending and an elevated quality of life.
“About three years ago, we called our neighbors in Rancho Cucamonga, which had the minor league Quakes owned by Bobby Brett,” says Hiramoto. “We asked, ‘If we were to recruit a minor league baseball team, how would we do it?’ At the same time, upgrades to the minor league system were being required by Major League Baseball. So, we asked the question: If the city could build a new Minor League Baseball (MiLB) stadium, could we do this? The City of Ontario had just approved a new sales tax to drive another $65 million in revenue. We bought 200 acres of land that had been used as an old dairy farm, and then we built the infrastructure supporting the stadium.”
Finding a Diamond in a Dairy Farm
It was a calculated gamble, Hiramoto admits, but it quickly turned into a home run.
“Not all stadiums are successful, but the big play here was about all the youth sports events it could bring,” she notes. “Youth sports fields will be delivered this October. Another win for the community came when Brett Sports sold the Quakes and its other teams to Diamond Baseball Holdings, who now own about 50 MiLB teams across the country. We ended up with an entirely new operator; and it has turned out to be a very powerful ownership group. We are now on the top list of the California League.”
ONT Field is the new 6,500-seat stadium for the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the Class A minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Photos courtesy of ONT Field and GOCAL
Sweetening the deal are the Dodgers, the two-time defending World Series Champions who play their home games just one hour to the west in Chavez Ravine.
“This was a major deal point for us,” says Hiramoto. “When you go to ONT Field, there are nods to the Dodgers throughout the ballpark — on the scoreboard, on the diamond, everywhere. They match the Dodger colors and pay homage to the best team in baseball. Given the success of the Dodgers, there could not be a better time for us to open a new stadium. We are part of Dodger Nation.”
Baseball is just part of the equation, she adds. “For us, the economic impact is for the whole Ontario Sports Empire. The stadium takes up just 15 acres, but another 120 acres will have football, soccer and baseball fields that will draw an estimated 1.5 million visitors a year,” says Hiramoto. “We expect to host 250,000 fans at the ballpark, attract $62 million in net new spending and generate net new tax revenue of $1.5 million. When we develop adjacent pads, we expect those numbers to be even higher.”
“We are a tourism and economic development powerhouse; and we just built the best minor league baseball stadium in the country.”
– Jennifer McLain Hiramoto, Executive Director of Economic Development, City of Ontario, California
Other regional amenities add to the mix, she says. Ontario Ranch in South Ontario is a new community of 182 acres that acts as a magnet for growth. This project is expected to double the population of the city upon buildout in 20 years. Today, the city has over 187,000 residents.
“We have three major assets to draw visitors: ONT Field, the 11,000-seat Toyota Arena and the 250,000-square-foot Ontario Convention Center,” says Hiramoto. “The convention center is active daily and is across the street from ONT — one of the top 10 cargo airports in the nation. Those three assets create a hub of tourism and regional economic development. We are a tourism and economic development powerhouse; and we just built the best minor league baseball stadium in the country.”
On July 9, they also gave America its wildest baseball game of the decade, when the Tower Buzzers outlasted the Inland Empire 66ers in a 22-21 slugfest at ONT Field — the highest-scoring game in MiLB since 2011.
Hockey Reigns at Toyota Arena
Michael Krouse, president and CEO of the Greater Ontario California (GOCAL) CVB, says that tourism and hospitality is an annual $5.5 billion industry in San Bernardino County, with roughly $120 million a year in economic impact on Ontario. “Since GOCAL was formed in 2013, we have seen $1.5 billion in economic impact in Ontario. For a city of less than 200,000 people, that is pretty impressive,” he says.
The local tourism economy is fueled by approximately 4 million visitors each year. Tourism bolsters the economy in other ways, notes Krouse. “Once we took over local control of ONT, we were able to grow Ontario as a destination. We added 15 flights weekly to Mexico and Taiwan. We added China Air Lines last year and continue to grow ONT as a global shipping hub.”
Toyota Arena is an 11,000-seat venue that hosts American Hockey League games, concerts and other events year round.
Photo courtesy of GOCAL
By 2050, ONT expects to bring 36 million visitors through the airport each year. “We are seeing growth of passenger counts in double digits to over 8 million a year,” says Krouse, adding that baseball is now at the center of that regional draw.
“This venue is the largest in-use sports complex west of the Rockies at over 190 acres and will generate 1.2 million visitors per year just for the facility,” he says. “We expect to see 1.5 million new out-of-town visitors per year to this area because of this project; and we are very excited about that.”
Nearby Toyota Arena draws another 2 million visitors annually to Ontario and will soon attract even bigger numbers. “The City of Ontario is building a new arena entertainment district around this venue,” says Krouse. “The first phase will open this year. It is called Capital City — a brand-new entertainment district that will offer shopping, dining, a performing arts center and lots of public space.”
It hosts the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League — a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. Live events are held at the arena more than 300 days a year.
Also coming to Ontario is Grand Park — which at 3.7 miles will be as long as Central Park in New York and encompass 400 acres — as well as more development in the Ontario Sports Empire. “This will set aside additional land for indoor athletic facilities, indoor volleyball, etc. That next phase of 300,000 square feet of new indoor athletic space is coming,” he adds. “A new soccer stadium is coming as well.”
Coming Soon: Twice the Meeting Space
A convention center that is already booming will grow too. “Our convention center expansion will double the size of our facility at the start of next year,” says Krouse. “We should know the source of funding for that in November. Citizens will vote on a sales tax to help service debt on that project. All the approvals otherwise are done.”
Krouse notes that everything being done to improve local attractiveness isn’t just about today; it’s about what’s coming tomorrow.
That includes the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. “We are less than an hour from downtown LA, and there will be so many opportunities for early arrivals to come and stay here, practice and enjoy life here,” says Krouse. “For example, we annually host World Table Tennis at an event called U.S. Smash. We host 2,500 spectators, fill up 4,000 hotel rooms, and occupy 90,000 square feet in the convention center to host this event, which pays out $1.5 million in prize winnings.”
One study notes that Ontario could see $10 million in total economic impact from pre-Olympic events. “Between athletes and families, we expect 37,000 people will stay in our region because of the work we have done in advance to host them,” says Krouse. “When we hosted a free viewing party for the FIFA 2026 World Cup Final on July 19, more than 5,500 people showed up.”
“If you want to be in the next big growth area, this is the place.”
– Michael Krouse, President & CEO, Greater Ontario California CVB
Other large events, from Creepie Con and a robotics convention to Road to California, annually bring in thousands of visitors who spend big bucks, says Krouse.
“From a community standpoint, I am very proud of having unanimous community support. We have two cities and a county that are 150% supportive of tourism and hospitality. I can go to all of our elected leaders and ask for anything I need. They will always be there for us,” he says. “Our connections to the economic development departments in these cities are important. If you want to be in the next big growth area, this is the place.”
This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of San Bernardino County. For more information, contact the County’s Economic Development Department at 909-387-4460. On the web, go to www.SelectSBCounty.com.
