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Magazine: Bakersfield good city for business
| Tuesday, Jul 22 2008 6:37 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Jul 23 2008 7:06 AM
Bakersfield means business.
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1. Provo-Orem, Utah
2. Tacoma, Wash.
3. Savannah, Ga.
4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
5. Huntsville, Ala.
6. Charleston-North, Charleston-Summerville, S.C.
7. Asheville, N.C.
8. Ogden-Clearfield, Utah
9. Bakersfield
10. Lafayette, La.
Source: Inc. magazine
Photos:
After Turner Crane operators lowered the large sign, workers with StructureCast, operator Gary Hamm, left, and welder Charley Cornish, right, put the new Welcome to Bakersfield sign up along Highway 99 in the southbound lanes, north of Norris Road, in this March 2008 photo.
The city grabbed the No. 9 spot in Inc. magazine’s Top 30 Midsize Cities for Doing Business, jumping up two spots from last year’s ranking. Bakersfield also ranked 38th in the magazine’s Overall Cities for Doing Business list, topping cities including Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and St. Louis.
The rankings released Monday are based on growth and employment trends, according to the list’s methodology. Each city category — large, midsize and small — was calculated based on nonfarm employment numbers.
Richard Chapman, president and CEO of the Kern Economic Development Corp., said Bakersfield’s strong background in oil and agriculture has helped boost name recognition among businesses in the past, and now transportation, health care services and logistics companies seem to be taking off.
“We’re getting a lot of companies that might have gone down to Riverside or L.A., and they are looking over here now because the cost of doing business is preferable,” he said.
Monique Rogers, corporate administration director for ARRC Technology, said there are many opportunities for businesses in Bakersfield. The local company landed the No. 3,046 place on the Inc. 5,000 list last year.
“I think Bakersfield is very fortunate to have the industries in our community that we do — the (agriculture), the oil, real estate as well,” she said. “We have a lot of resources that contribute to commerce.”
Russ Haley, operations manager at Stinson Stationers, said it is nice Bakersfield’s business backdrop is growing. The company has operated for more than 60 years.
“It has grown a lot,” he said. “We have gone from a retail business to more of a commercial business because of that.”