(ONTARIO, CA) For years, the Toyota Arena has been one of the Inland Empire's premier destinations for concerts, hockey, and major events. Soon, it may become the centerpiece of something much bigger. Just east of the arena, one of the region's most ambitious mixed-use projects—one designed to transform surface parking lots into a vibrant district where people can live, work, dine, and gather year-round is underway. For entrepreneurs and small business owners, the project represents more than new construction. It represents new customers. A New Downtown Experience The development envisions a walkable, mixed-use neighborhood adjacent to Toyota Arena featuring residential housing, restaurants, retail, public gathering spaces, and entertainment. At full build-out, Adept's long-range vision includes up to 2,000 residential units, approximately 130,000 square feet of retail and dining, and 75,000 square feet of public open space. The City of Ontario is planning complementary investments around the project, including an entertainment district envisioned with restaurants, live entertainment venues, a performing arts center, hotel accommodations, and additional public amenities. Together, the public and private investments could reshape the area into one of Southern California's most active entertainment destinations. More Than Apartments While new housing often captures headlines, mixed-use developments create something equally valuable: economic ecosystems. Residents need coffee shops, fitness studios, childcare providers, accountants, salons, pet services, restaurants, insurance agents, financial advisors, medical offices, and countless other neighborhood businesses. Every new apartment creates demand for local entrepreneurs. Every event at Toyota Arena becomes another opportunity for businesses to attract visitors before and after concerts, hockey games, and community events. Creating a Place to Gather A centerpiece of the vision is the proposed Ontario Arena Plaza, a two-acre public gathering space between Toyota Arena and the Adept development. Plans call for landscaped public spaces, water features, outdoor gathering areas, and restaurant concepts designed to encourage visitors to linger rather than simply arrive for an event and leave afterward. City planning documents describe the plaza as the "living room" of the future entertainment district—an economic catalyst connecting arena visitors with surrounding restaurants, retailers, and businesses. Why It Matters for Small Business Large developments often generate headlines because of their construction budgets. The bigger story is what happens after the ribbon cutting. Restaurants need local suppliers. Retailers need accountants and marketing firms. Property managers hire landscapers, maintenance companies, security firms, cleaning services, and technology providers. Professional service firms gain new clients. Independent retailers gain new foot traffic. Entrepreneurs gain access to a growing customer base. For Inland Empire business owners, developments like this can create years of opportunity—not just during construction, but long after the last building opens. A New Chapter for Ontario Ontario has spent the past decade establishing itself as a logistics, convention, and aviation powerhouse. Now it's adding another dimension: destination placemaking. The city's broader Arena District plan includes approximately 700 residential units, commercial space, public plazas, restaurants, entertainment venues, and future phases featuring a performing arts theater, hotel, and additional mixed-use development. Construction on the initial phase began in 2025. As the project succeeds, the district won't simply bring more visitors to Ontario. It could create one of the Inland Empire's strongest environments for entrepreneurs looking to open, expand, or relocate their businesses. Photo Credit: Ontario Ranch Life

Artificial intelligence is no longer just for Silicon Valley. It's helping Inland Empire entrepreneurs write marketing campaigns, create social media content, answer customer emails, build business plans, design presentations, and save hours of administrative work every week. And local business advisors are making sure small businesses don't get left behind. The Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (OCIE SBDC) has begun integrating artificial intelligence into its training, workshops, and one-on-one advising, introducing entrepreneurs to practical tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Canva AI, and other business automation platforms. The goal isn't to replace people—it's to help entrepreneurs spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time growing their businesses. For many small business owners, time is their most limited resource. A restaurant owner may spend hours writing social media posts. A consultant may struggle to create proposals. A nonprofit leader may spend an entire day drafting a grant application. AI-powered tools can help produce a strong first draft in minutes, giving business owners more time to focus on serving customers and generating revenue. Across the Inland Empire, entrepreneurs are already putting AI to work in practical ways: Drafting marketing emails and newsletters Creating social media graphics and videos Writing product descriptions for online stores Summarizing meeting notes Developing business plans and pitch decks Conducting market research Responding to customer inquiries Translating content into multiple languages For many microbusinesses with one or two employees, AI functions like an extra member of the team—helping owners accomplish work that previously required hiring outside specialists. That can be especially meaningful for startups and entrepreneurs by necessity, where every dollar and every hour matter. Opportunity Through Technology While headlines often focus on whether artificial intelligence will replace jobs, local business advisors see another story unfolding. For small businesses, AI is becoming an equalizer. It allows entrepreneurs to produce professional-quality marketing, organize information more efficiently, improve customer service, and make data-informed decisions without needing a large staff or expensive software. Like the arrival of email, websites, or social media, AI represents another shift in how business gets done. Those who learn to use it thoughtfully may find themselves better equipped to compete in an increasingly digital economy. For the Inland Empire's small businesses, the question is no longer whether artificial intelligence is coming. It's already here. The opportunity is learning how to use it wisely.