Market report · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
The State of Outbound Sales in Riverside, 2026
How outbound selling looks across the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro right now: who the buyers are, which trades have room, what is being built, what a rep costs to hire here. Then a 4-tool kit to work the market this month.
- 9,003business sites with 20+ people across the categories trades sell to, #15 of our 100 metros
- 7.6buyer sites per managed service provider, #6 of 100 markets: the best rank of any trade here
Sites: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; rank among the 100 metros on our market pages. Room: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 sites per contractor in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1, among markets with at least 10 contractors.
Executive summary Read this if nothing else
5 things to know about outbound sales in Riverside
Biggest buyer pool
Restaurants: 2,839 sites
with 20 or more people, the largest buyer category in Riverside-San Bernardino, ahead of retail stores (2,010).
Where the metro leans
Warehousing and distribution: 2.12x the U.S. mix
Also over-represented: trucking companies (1.65x). Trades that serve these buyers have more of them here than the national average suggests.
Most room
Managed Service Providers: #6 of 100 markets
7.6 buyer sites with 20+ people for each of 557 local managed service providers. The most crowded is commercial electrical, #63 of 100.
Biggest reason to call
Ellis Avenue Logistics Center, 631,011 sq ft
Construction expected to start early 2026, completion projected late 2026. One of 5 named, sourced projects in this report.
Hiring locally
$124,700 for an in-house SDR's first year (illustrative)
At a $55,000 base salary, once commission, payroll taxes and benefits, tools, recruiting and training, turnover and manager time are added, before ramp time.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1; project sources as of 2026-09; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Full list at the end.
Chapter 01 The market
Who buys in Riverside-San Bernardino
9,003 business sites in Riverside-San Bernardino have 20 or more people on site in the categories commercial trades sell to. That ranks #15 of the 100 metros we publish. Here is what those buyers are and where they sit.
The largest buyer categories
Sites with 20 or more people are the ones worth an SDR's time: big enough to have a facility lead, a service budget and a contract that comes up for renewal. The "vs. U.S. mix" column compares each category's share of local employment with its national share (1.00x is the U.S. average).
| Category | Sites with 20+ | All sites | vs. U.S. mix | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RestaurantsLargest pool | 2,839 | 8,263 | 0.81x | +331 |
| Retail stores | 2,010 | 10,992 | 0.71x | +78 |
| Manufacturing plants | 1,005 | 3,369 | 0.65x | +47 |
| Medical, dental and outpatient offices | 857 | 8,392 | 0.81x | +476 |
| Wholesale distributors | 745 | 5,220 | 0.56x | +81 |
| Grocery stores | 412 | 1,747 | 0.79x | +47 |
| Warehousing and distribution | 349 | 748 | 2.12x | +82 |
| Senior living and nursing | 299 | 1,178 | 0.92x | +22 |
| Trucking companies | 254 | 4,134 | 1.65x | +208 |
| Auto dealerships | 172 | 411 | 0.64x | +21 |
Riverside-San Bernardino leans toward warehousing and distribution (2.12x) and trucking companies (1.65x). A trade that already sells to those buyers elsewhere has a deeper pool here than the national numbers suggest, and a case study from one of them travels well on the phone.
It is thinner than the U.S. mix in hospitals (0.27x) and private K-12 schools (0.39x). A program built around those buyers runs out of fresh accounts sooner here.
Growing fastest over the past year, by establishment count: medical, dental and outpatient offices (+476), restaurants (+331) and trucking companies (+208). New sites have no incumbent vendor yet.
The metro
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 2 counties in this report's counts.
San Bernardino County holds 50% of the larger business sites, so most programs start there.
Where the sites are
| County | Sites with 20+ | Share of metro |
|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino CountyStart here | 4,544 | 50% |
| Riverside County | 4,432 | 49% |
Chapter 02 The competition
Which trades have the most room in Riverside
Buyer sites per contractor is a rough read on how crowded a trade is: more sites for each local competitor means more doors nobody else is knocking on. Each trade's Riverside figure is ranked against the other markets we track.
| Trade | Rank among markets | Sites per contractor | Contractors | 1-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed Service ProvidersMost room | #6 of 100 | 7.6 | 557 | +33 |
| Commercial Roofing | #13 of 89 | 95 | 51 | +2 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | #21 of 86 | 83 | 61 | +5 |
| Commercial Landscaping | #32 of 100 | 4.2 | 1,104 | +79 |
| Fire Protection | #31 of 96 | 50 | 114 | +6 |
| Paving & Asphalt | #38 of 94 | 43 | 113 | +3 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | #46 of 100 | 10 | 290 | +7 |
| Commercial Construction | #54 of 100 | 4.6 | 494 | +10 |
| Commercial Flooring | #37 of 68 | 66 | 45 | +2 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | #58 of 100 | 3.6 | 829 | +17 |
| Commercial Electrical | #63 of 100 | 9.4 | 436 | +19 |
Managed service providers (#6), commercial roofing (#13) and commercial painting & coatings (#21) rank best in Riverside. For those trades a program can work longer before it calls the same building twice, and fewer competitors have already pitched each owner.
Commercial electrical is the most crowded trade here, #63 of 100: 9.4 buyer sites for each of 436 local electrical contractors. Winning there takes a sharper reason to switch than a lower price.
Open programs
Our availability workbook does not cover Riverside yet. We take one client per trade per territory, so ask before you plan around it.
Chapter 03 The projects
What is being built, and who owns the buildings
5 named, sourced projects and 7 anchor owners in Riverside-San Bernardino. Each one is a reason to call that has nothing to do with your company and everything to do with the buyer's building.
The projects
- 01 · 631,011 sq ft Ellis Avenue Logistics Center Construction expected to start early 2026, completion projected late 2026 A 631,011 square foot Class A warehouse by Newcastle Partners at Ellis Avenue and Case Road in Perris, Riverside County, with 40-foot clear heights, an ESFR sprinkler system and 87 dock-high doors. Big-box distribution buildings mean large roof areas, ESFR fire sprinkler systems and acres of truck court paving now, then tenant electrical, landscaping maintenance and sweeping contracts once a tenant moves in. JLL (press release), 2026-02-06
- 02 · 99,000 sq ft Loma Linda University Health inpatient rehabilitation hospital Under construction (broke ground August 2026), opening expected summer 2028 A three-story, 80-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital at 11207 New Jersey Street on the Loma Linda and Redlands border in San Bernardino County, developed by PMB with Layton Construction as general contractor. A new hospital building carries medical-grade HVAC, electrical and fire protection scopes through 2027, followed by flooring, painting and healthcare cleaning contracts ahead of the 2028 opening. Connect CRE, 2026-08-14
- 03 · 650,000 sq ft (Terminal 3) ONT BOLD expansion, Ontario International Airport Environmental review (Notice of Preparation released May 2026), about 10 years to full delivery A phased program at Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County to build a new three-level Terminal 3, modernize Terminals 2 and 4, and add roadways, a parking structure, rental car facilities and aircraft apron. This is a long-horizon pipeline item: once approved, terminal, parking and apron work brings electrical, HVAC, paving and fire protection packages in phases over roughly a decade. California Construction News, 2026-05-11
- 04 · $107.38 million (Mid County Parkway contract) Mid County Parkway (Ramona Expressway) and SR-60/Potrero Boulevard Interchange Phase II Contracts awarded December 2025, construction starting early 2026 Two Riverside County road contracts totaling more than $156 million: widening 8.6 miles of Ramona Expressway into San Jacinto, and a new SR-60 interchange at Potrero Boulevard in Beaumont ($48.93 million). Road widening and interchange work runs through 2028 and 2029 and creates subcontract demand for paving, striping, traffic signal and lighting electrical work, and roadside landscaping. California Construction News, 2025-12-22
- 05 UCR Health outpatient center and future teaching hospital Planning; expansion planned over the next decade UC Riverside's planned clinical campus on an initial 21 acres at Valley Springs Parkway and Gateway Drive on the Riverside and Moreno Valley border, starting with an outpatient diagnostic center and a possible future teaching hospital. An early signal rather than active work: the outpatient center would bring imaging and surgical suites with heavy HVAC and electrical needs, and a hospital phase would follow over the decade. UC Riverside News, 2025-06-03
Projects current as of 2026-09; each source is linked on its card. Values are as reported by the source.
The anchor owners
Health systems, campuses, large employers and industrial parks hold the biggest concentrations of commercial buildings in Riverside-San Bernardino. One relationship with a facilities team here can cover many buildings.
Health system · Loma Linda, San Bernardino County
Loma Linda University Health
Loma Linda University Health says it operates six hospitals and a network of clinics, with more than 16,000 employees.
An academic medical center campus plus clinics across the Inland Empire carry ongoing mechanical, life-safety, cleaning and flooring work.
Loma Linda University HealthCampus · Riverside, Riverside County
University of California, Riverside
UC Riverside says it has more than 26,000 students and a nearly 1,200-acre campus.
A large campus of classroom, lab and housing buildings in an inland heat climate leans hard on HVAC, roofing, cleaning and grounds work.
University of California, RiversideMajor employer · San Bernardino, San Bernardino County
Stater Bros. Markets
Wikipedia, citing the City of San Bernardino's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, lists Stater Bros. as the city's top employer with 15,000 to 25,000 employees.
A regional grocery chain headquartered in the metro runs a headquarters, distribution operations and many store buildings with refrigeration, roofs and parking lots.
WikipediaAirport · Ontario, San Bernardino County
Ontario International Airport (ONT)
ONT says it welcomed more than 7 million passengers in 2025, led by a record number of international travelers.
Passenger terminals, garages and large cargo operations need cleaning, HVAC, electrical and pavement work.
Ontario International Airport (PR Newswire)Logistics hub · San Bernardino, San Bernardino County
San Bernardino International Airport (SBD)
Site Selection Magazine reports SBD is the SoCal hub for Amazon Air, with UPS and FedEx also operating there, and had over 18,100 direct jobs last year, up from 4,000 in 2020.
Air cargo sort buildings, hangars, aprons and truck yards on a former air base need roofing, paving, electrical and fire protection work.
Site Selection MagazineIndustrial park · Moreno Valley, Riverside County
World Logistics Center
The Los Angeles Times describes the World Logistics Center as a 40-million-square-foot complex expected to house 27 buildings and create more than 33,000 jobs.
Very large distribution buildings with acres of roof, truck courts and sprinkler systems bring roofing, paving, electrical and fire protection work as they are built and occupied.
Los Angeles TimesPublic owner · Riverside, Riverside County
County of Riverside
Wikipedia, citing the City of Riverside's 2023 annual financial report, lists the County of Riverside as the city's top employer with 24,399 employees.
County offices, courts, clinics and service centers spread across the county need janitorial, HVAC, roofing and parking-lot work.
WikipediaAnchor facts checked 2026-10; each source is linked on its card.
Which trades the work touches
| Trade | Projects and owners |
|---|---|
| Commercial Electrical | 9 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 8 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 8 |
| Fire Protection | 7 |
| Commercial Roofing | 6 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 6 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 3 |
| Commercial Construction | 3 |
| Commercial Flooring | 3 |
Chapter 04 The calendar
The Riverside selling calendar
Outbound runs every month, but the weather changes what a buyer wants to hear. These are the NOAA records for the Riverside-San Bernardino metro's counties, month by month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail and damaging wind reportstotal, 2015 to 2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 37 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooling degree daysaverage month | 6 | 8 | 40 | 101 | 258 | 488 | 684 | 668 | 464 | 176 | 22 | 0 |
| Heating degree daysaverage month | 431 | 325 | 226 | 115 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 228 | 462 |
| Average high (°F)average month | 62 | 65 | 71 | 78 | 86 | 96 | 101 | 100 | 94 | 83 | 70 | 61 |
NOAA logged 9 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 82 damaging wind reports across the metro's counties from 2015 to 2024: #84 of 100 markets for hail and #77 for wind. July, August and September carried 91% of the reports. Storms are not the main driver here, so roof age, leaks and budget timing carry the roofing conversation.
The metro averages 2,916 cooling degree days a year (#14 of 97 markets) and 1,853 heating degree days (#81 of 97). Cooling load peaks in June, July, August and September; heating in January, February and December. Peak months are when HVAC calls lead with service and response times; the rest of the year they lead with planned work and budgets.
Every month averages a high of 60°F or more, so exterior painting, paving and landscaping work is not squeezed into a short season here. The calendar that matters is each property's contract and budget date.
Trades with no weather season
Cleaning, construction, electrical, flooring and fire protection sell on contract end dates, budgets and inspection cycles. Learn each account's date on the first call and come back before it.
HVAC outbound runs every month of the year, and the season changes the message, not the effort. In peak months calls lead with service: which units struggled, how fast the current contractor responded, and when the agreement renews. The rest of the year they lead with planned work, budgets and equipment past mid-life.
Chapter 05 The numbers
What one meeting takes, trade by trade
What booking a meeting has taken on our own calling floor for the trades we run in Riverside, next to the records we can prospect here. The sales center figures are national; it does not break them out by city yet.
| Trade | Dials per appointment | Reached proposal | Proposals won | Dials for 10 meetings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fire ProtectionFastest to book | 78 | 21.6% | 13.2% | about 780 |
| Paving & Asphalt | 86 | 32.2% | 7.4% | about 860 |
| Commercial Landscaping | 88 | 18.8% | 12.7% | about 880 |
| Commercial Electrical | 96 | 14.6% | 21.1% | about 960 |
| Commercial HVAC & Mechanical | 98 | 16.6% | 24.9% | about 980 |
| Commercial Painting & Coatings | 115 | 31.2% | 14.4% | about 1,150 |
| Commercial Flooring | 122 | 30.8% | 9.8% | about 1,220 |
| Commercial Roofing | 140 | 25.9% | 16.1% | about 1,400 |
| Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial | 142 | 23.9% | 21.7% | about 1,420 |
| Managed Service Providers | 162 | 10.0% | 20.5% | about 1,620 |
All of these trades together: 122 dials per appointment
The records behind a Riverside program
Before a program starts we size the list: the decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each trade in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario territory.
- 7,670Commercial Roofing
- 7,670Commercial Construction
- 3,039Commercial HVAC & Mechanical
- 2,362Commercial Cleaning & Janitorial
Source: Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: estimated decision-maker records Abstrakt can prospect for each program in the territory. Shown for the programs the count covers.
Read it this way
Divide the records by the dials one meeting takes and you see how long a list lasts before it repeats. A thin list means a program has to work every record well, not just call more.
Chapter 06 Build or buy
What an in-house SDR costs in Riverside
Before you hire a sales development rep in Riverside, price the whole job, not just the salary.
The salary is the smallest part of the decision. About 9,270 people hold the role in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro, and every one of their employers is competing for the same hires.
| Cost | Year one |
|---|---|
| Base salary | $55,000 |
| Commission and bonus | $15,000 |
| Payroll taxes and benefits (25% of pay) | $17,500 |
| Tools and data ($550 a month) | $6,600 |
| Recruiting and training | $7,000 |
| Turnover (35% a year, rehiring) | $2,450 |
| Manager and QA time (5 hours a week) and admin (4 hours a month) | $21,150 |
| Total, before ramp time | $124,700 |
Headcount: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091). The cost lines are the starting values of our SDR cost calculator: $15,000 commission, 25% payroll taxes and benefits, $550 a month in tools, $7,000 recruiting and training, 35% yearly turnover, and manager, QA and admin time. Change any of them there.
$124,700
for one in-house SDR's first year at a $55,000 base salary.
That buys one rep. It does not buy the list, the manager's coaching system or cover when the rep leaves.
Part two Apply this
The Riverside market toolkit
4 working tools built from the chapters above. Tick the boxes as you go (they stay ticked in this browser), copy the scripts into your CRM, or save the whole guide as a PDF and print this part as a worksheet.
Tool 01
Account scorecard
Before an account goes on the call list, check every line that fits. Call the accounts with the most ticks first, and leave the ones with none for later.
Tool 02
Discovery question bank
Ask fewer, better questions. Pick three or four for the call and save the rest for the meeting. Each one comes with the reason it earns its place.
Restaurants: 2,839 sites here
From our fire protection talk track. Staying open and passing inspection. Multi-unit operators are worth more than single locations.
- When was your hood suppression system last inspected, and when is the next one due?Due dates tell you when to call and what to offer.
- Have you had a failed inspection or a citation recently?Failed inspections threaten the ability to stay open and create urgency.
- How many locations do you operate, and does each one use a different vendor?Multi-unit operators are more valuable and often want one vendor across locations.
Retail stores: 2,010 sites here
From our roofing talk track. Leaks in front of customers. Qualify early whether the store or the landlord owns the roof.
- Does the store or the landlord own the roof under your lease?This is the first qualifying question, since many retail roofs are the landlord's responsibility.
- Where have leaks hit, the sales floor, the stockroom or around rooftop units?Leak location shows how much they affect customers and inventory, which drives urgency.
- Is a remodel or refresh scheduled for this location?Remodels are when replacement or major repair gets funded and scheduled.
Manufacturing plants: 1,005 sites here
From our MSP talk track. Downtime that stops shipments. Ask what happens to production and shipping if the server or network is down for a day.
- If the server or network went down for a day, what would happen to production and shipping?Downtime that stops shipments puts a dollar figure on IT in the owner's own words, which justifies backup and recovery work.
- Do you supply parts or services to the Department of Defense or its prime contractors?Defense contracts that involve controlled information now carry CMMC requirements, so a supplier needs a certification level to win and keep that work, which is a scoped, deadline-driven project.
- Which ERP do you run, and is an upgrade or replacement coming?ERP projects touch servers, networks and security, and the provider who supports the migration usually stays.
Any first meeting
Plain practice that works in every market.
- How are you handling this today, and what would you change about it?The gap between today and what they want is the whole reason to meet.
- What happens if nothing changes this year?Tells you whether there is a cost to waiting, or only curiosity.
- Who else would need to agree before anything moves?Names the people who can stall the deal, while you can still invite them.
- When does the current contract or budget come up for review?Gives you the date to plan around, even when the answer today is no.
- What would make a first meeting worth your time?Lets the buyer set the agenda, which is the agenda they will show up for.
Tool 03
Trigger watchlist
Each of these changes gives a buyer a reason to take the call this month instead of next year. Tick the ones you will track, and set a news alert or CRM field for each so you hear about it first.
Tool 04
30-day action plan
4 weeks, 15 steps, nothing you need to buy. Tick each one off as you finish it; your progress stays in this browser.
Week 1Draw the territory
Week 2Check the rules, then write the talk track
Week 3Make the calls
Week 4Measure and decide
Sources and notes
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023: business sites by category, size and county, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private ownership, 2026 Q1: contractor establishments, one-year change and concentration (location quotient).
- Projects: named public sources linked on each card, current as of 2026-09.
- Anchor owners: sources linked on each card, checked 2026-10.
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2015 to 2024: hail and damaging wind reports by month across the metro's counties.
- NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county monthly series, 1991-2020 averages: degree days and average highs by month.
- Abstrakt sales center, Performance Intelligence, national, as of October 2026: dials, appointments, proposals and wins by trade. Method.
- Abstrakt territory record counts, as of October 2026: decision-maker records per program in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario territory.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services and travel (SOC 41-3091).
- The toolkit's discovery questions come from our trade talk tracks; the plan and checklists are sales practice, not data.
