Some of the structures have been used by Allfast and others are leased out. Randall has yet to determine exactly what the two newest buildings will be used for. It depends, he said, on the how the rivet industry is faring.

 

"I like to play with real estate," Randall said. "I like the city of Industry and I like to make the city look more attractive."

 

Randall said he hopes the updated buildings will attract more businesses to the area.

 

Randall has operated businesses in Industry for 40 years. He was initially attracted to the city because of its proximity to other areas with manufacturing and distribution centers.

 

"Industry has a great work force and it's centrally located," he said. "I don't know any other home other than the city of Industry."

 

Randall's efforts have not gone unnoticed.

 

"He's been a strong business supporter as well as a community supporter in the San Gabriel Valley," Sachs said. "His buildings have always been of a design that the city is very satisfied with."

 

Sachs said the city currently has three redevelopment areas and is working on designating a fourth. Other businesses that have built or plan to build new structures include Tropicana, Inc., Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc., and Santee Dairies, Inc., according to Sachs.

 

Allfast employs 300 workers and is headquartered at 15200 Don Julian Road in Industry.

 

INDUSTRY - Jim Randall, whose company makes the rivets that hold most commercial and military aircraft together, will soon add to his fleet of buildings in Industry.

 

Randall, president of Allfast Fastening Systems, Inc., recently bought property from the city, which has already demolished some older buildings on the land as part of a redevelopment project.

 

"We take what would be considered as a blighted area and turn it into a new tax base and turn it into jobs for our adjacent communities," said Donald Sachs, executive director of the Industry Manufacturers Council, which serves as a chamber of commerce for Industry.

 

Sachs said that, whenever possible, the city strives to sell such parcels to businesses that are already in Industry.

 

When complete, the two buildings at 17000 and 17002 Gale Ave. will include 34,000 square feet and have a high-tech feel. Randall, a Bradbury resident, said the sites are currently being leveled and that building by Fulmer Construction should finish in seven months.

 

"They'll be the most modern kind of buildings for warehousing or manufacturing," he said.

 

These will be the fifth and sixth buildings Randall has built through the city's redevelopment program.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2008

Allfast set to expand

BUSINESS

San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Firm to add two buildings in Industry to collection