Autonomous EV shuttle maker eyes Riverside for HQ
Riverside officials are in advanced talks to bring Ohmio, a New Zealand-based autonomous electric shuttle manufacturer, to the city.
The city council voted 6-1 last week to move forward with a plan first introduced in May that includes spending $2.5 million on the EV company’s shuttles.
Over the course of two years, at least $1.5 million would go toward buying or leasing three shuttles for testing on Riverside streets. Another $1 million would be spent on drivers, insurance, maintenance, chargers and electricity for the shuttles.
The city and Ohmio are working on terms with a final agreement tentatively slated to go before the council in October.
If that agreement is approved, Ohmio could be open for business in early 2024, according to its chief executive officer, Dean Zabrieszach.
Ohmio, which ran its shuttles through a pilot program to and from the parking lots at JFK Airport in New York, has signed a letter of intent to lease a 30,000-square-foot facility at 1075 Mount Vernon Avenue in the Hunter Park industrial area.
The company’s plan would see its first vehicles assembled in Riverside becoming available later next year. Ohmio said its initial venture would create 10 jobs and expand to as many as 30 over three years. Jobs would range from engineers to technicians.
“This exciting proposal is an opportunity to capitalize on our strengths as the City of Arts and Innovation,” said Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson in a statement.
Ohmio said it has shuttles in operation in New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Luxembourg and New York and is expanding into the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Finland. The vehicles can carry up to 20 passengers, sitting or standing.
The city said the all-electric autonomous shuttles sell for roughly $300,000, which translates to $26,250 in sales taxes for each vehicle.
Brewery, distillery coming to Ontario
San Clemente’s Left
Coast Brewing Co. is expanding beyond Orange County, signing a lease at The Collection, a new retail center under construction in Ontario.
The 5,000-square-foot space will be the third location for the company, which also has a brewery in Irvine. The brewery and distiller is known for its craft beer, vodka, gin, aged whiskey, rum and tequila, all of which are made in-house.
Lewis Retail Centers, which is developing the shopping center, expects the Ontario brewery to open in early 2024.
“The Collection presented us with an opportunity to be located in brandnew development that aligns ourselves with other great businesses in an area with very high traffic and visibility,” said Tommy Hadjis, the company’s general manager. “We are looking forward to making experimental beers and sharing them with the community along with our full lineup of beer.”
Hadjis and his family have a history with food and beer that dates back to 1990. The family of foodies developed the Oggi’s pizza chain, founded by Tommy’s dad, George Hadjis, and his uncle, John. They got into small-batch beer brewing in 1995 and soon were winning awards. Left Coast was Tommy’s creation. He added a restaurant when his landlord, Irvine Company, nudged him back in 2018.
The company said its newest brewery would also offer a private dining space, full bar buyouts and patio reservations. An in-house smokehouse will provide smoked meats, offered to customers in sandwiches stacked with tri-tip, pulled pork and brisket.
Mobile healthcare bus gets rolling
SAC Health System debuted a mobile healthcare bus on Friday.
The mobile clinic will provide an array of services in primary care including family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, some specialty services and internal medicine to San Bernardino residents. Anyone can get help from the mobile unit, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.
The project was paid for using $370,000 in federal funds sponsored by Rep. Pete Aguilar. Aguilar also helped secure $3 million in federal money for SAC Health System. The money, his team said, will help improve patient care and increase access for the area’s low-income residents.
“This new mobile unit is another step forward in closing the health care access gap, and ensuring everyone in our community can get the care they need,” Aguilar said in a statement.
Jason Lohr, the chief executive of SAC Health System, said the mobile clinic would help the organization get healthcare to hardto-reach areas and populations in San Bernardino County.
“Through our partnerships with local organizations that directly serve the needs of these communities, we can offer medical services that patients would otherwise not receive,” Lohr said.
Coming up
The Orange County Inland Empire SBDC Network is hosting the 2023 Small Business Conference on Sept. 28 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove. The conference will include workshops for small business owners on topics including accessing capital, digital and social marketing, contracting, and resources along with networking opportunities. For more information and registration, go to ociesmallbusiness.org/oc-smallbusiness-conference-2023
The business briefs are compiled and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items to sgowen@scng.com. High-resolution images also can be submitted. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.