How innovation propels three entrepreneurial businesses

Innovation is more than a watchword in San Bernardino County. The application of creative thinking permeates an array of diverse industries throughout this 20,000-square-mile land of 2.2 million people in inland Southern California.

From an old-world industry like winemaking to new-world sectors like electric motorbikes and space exploration, innovation serves as the linchpin for three entrepreneurial businesses that aim to upset the status quo and change the world.

Ryvid, Fenix Space and Suveg Cellars call San Bernardino County home. Located about an hour east of Los Angeles, these upstart firms carve out niches in competitive industries while adding economic diversity and quality jobs to their communities.

Making Commuting Affordable

No one understands the electric motorcycle landscape better than Dong Tran, founder and CEO of Ryvid, a “light mobility” company that designs and manufactures electric motorcycles to make urban commuting both accessible and sustainable. “Our flagship model, the Ryvid Anthem, featuring an aerospace-inspired frame and adjustable seat, along with other standout features, is competitively priced at $6,500, while the Outset is offered at $6,000,” says Tran. “With most electric motorcycles in the urban commuter segment priced between $9,000 and $14,000, Ryvid has positioned itself as the top choice for cost-conscious urban commuters, delivering both performance and style without the hefty price tag.”

Tran explains that San Bernardino County was chosen strategically as Ryvid’s home for operations. “San Bernardino offers a workforce with deep expertise in aerospace, manufacturing, and related industries—skills we can tap into as needed to support Ryvid’s evolving production goals,” he notes. “This strong industry infrastructure and access to skilled labor provide the flexibility we need to scale efficiently and maintain high production standards as we navigate our growth trajectory.”

He adds, “San Bernardino’s commitment to business growth has been a significant advantage, with stakeholders like the Economic Development Agency and San Bernardino Community College District providing invaluable support. The county’s energy and collaborative spirit align perfectly with Ryvid’s values of sustainability and innovation, which also extends to the diversity of our operations.”

“Diversity is central to Ryvid,” Tran continues. “Our workforce reflects a rich blend of personal and professional backgrounds, and San Bernardino provides a strong talent pool that helps us advance a sustainable future for urban transportation.”

A Space Odyssey with Towing Power

Jason Lee agrees. As CEO of Fenix Space, Lee leads a team of engineers and technicians seeking to change the trajectory of space flight. “We are creating a true launch platform that enables a very rapid launch of spacecraft payloads to orbit,” he says. “We are an offshoot of another space company, and we are using that same tow-launch technology to address commercial space markets and hypersonic testing.”

Fenix’s approach is to launch a rocket at an altitude of 60,000 feet from a winged booster, which is first towed to 40,000 feet behind a commercial aircraft. The system is designed to produce better performance at lower costs compared to traditional rocket-propelled space launches.

Fenix is now under contract to develop the Pentagon’s hypersonic and high-cadence airborne testing capabilities. Other partners include NASA, the Air Force Research lab and the U.S. Space Force.

Fenix is an independent offshoot of Kelly Space & Technology, which was the first commercial tenant at San Bernardino International Airport, a commercial airfield that was formerly known as Norton Air Force Base.

“When Norton closed down, it created a lot of ramifications,” says Lee. “Kelly Space wanted to utilize the existing infrastructure at the air base. When they developed the old Air Force base into an international airport, some key Air Force facilities got upgraded into testing facilities. These expensive testing capabilities have been developed here since the early 2000s. Machining capability is here too.”

Fenix is co-located with Kelly Space. “We have a core team of about 20 members,” Lee says. “Over the next 12 months, we expect to double our headcount. We are sitting on 20,000 square feet of facilities, but we need to expand to over 30,000 square feet. We are looking at potential locations around San Bernardino for extra space.”

Lee said, “We are able to hire talent through referrals from our existing team members. We have had interns and new hires come from California State University, San Bernardino. We have technical employment training at the airport. When you consider the aggregation of aerospace companies in Los Angeles, El Segundo and Long Beach, the space industry concentration in the region is significant. Our goal is to build a space technology company in San Bernardino and grow it here.”

The firm’s goal is to progress quickly. “We are going to be doing a flight demonstration of autonomous technology at one-third scale at the end of the first quarter of 2025,” adds Lee. “We will build a rocket engine and test it next year. We will do our flight test in 2026. That will be our first full-scale system. Our longer-term plans are to scale up successively with Fenix 1, 2 and 3 systems over the next decade.”

A Field Day of Fermentation

A little closer to the earth, Suveg Cellars is challenging the status quo of the vaunted California winemaking industry. Located in the Yucaipa Valley, 10-year-old Suveg was instrumental in the Yucaipa Valley Wine Alliance earning its first-ever American Viticultural Area (AVA) designation.

Devin Cohen, winery director at Suveg, says the AVA designation will enable the Yucaipa Valley to become a major player in the highly competitive wine business of Southern California. “Nestled in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, Yucaipa is a unique setting in the county for the growth, harvesting, barreling and aging of fine wine,” he says. “An AVA designation is passed down by the federal government through the rules passed by the U.S. Department of Treasury. It is a five-year process.”

Only 133 regions in California and just 300 nationwide have earned the AVA designation. For Yucaipa, the award is game-changing, says Cohen. “It is instructive to look to our neighbors to the south in Temecula,” he says. “They got their AVA about 40 years ago. Today, that region generates an estimated annual economic impact of $2.7 billion. Over 17,000 wine-related jobs are in the Temecula Valley. More than $1 billion in wages were paid there last year in the wine business.”

Earning the AVA opens doors for Yucaipa to recruit and hire more cellar masters, tasting room managers and adjacent jobs tied to winemaking. “Adding jobs to the wine industry has an effect that creates a destination,” says Cohen. “People come to wine regions to taste wine and spend dollars.”

How important is the California vineyard business? “Behind entertainment, it is the second-largest industry in the state,” says Cohen. “Increased visits to the area constitute an increased tax base. More money in public coffers means more public services. People who own property here will see significant increases in their property values.”

The region is accessible too, notes Cohen. “We are 75 miles directly east of LA and right off the I-10 freeway between Ontario and Palm Springs,” he adds. “I-10 runs through the valley. We are 20 minutes from Redlands and Oak Glen. Riverside is 25 minutes away; and it is 45 minutes to Rancho Cucamonga, Corona or Palm Springs.”

The goal of the alliance is to see more wineries open in the valley, Cohen says. “To make a small fortune in the wine region, you have to start with a very large one. We will work with primary investors and local governments to create incentive programs. If it works, we have a wine industry that will last hundreds of years.”

From the grape fields of Yucaipa to outer space, the businesses of San Bernardino County are changing the fortunes of local residents and opening new frontiers of exploration.

This article originally appeared in Site Selection magazine: https://siteselection.com/how-innovation-propels-3-entrepreneurial-businesses-in-san-bernardino-county/

Additional County Update News – November 14, 2024