“This is a homecoming to me. The city of Corona, California has reached out on multiple occasions to welcome us back. The mayor, city council, everyone here…it feels good,” stated Ivan Perez, resource director at Vantage LED USA.
Vantage officially started in 2003 among a group of friends dedicated to simplifying how outdoor LED displays were designed, built, and operated…and they succeeded. In 2012, the company established roots in their first major manufacturing facility in Corona, California. Poised and streamlined, they conquered high-profile projects from Las Vegas to the World Cup and disrupted the industry with their extraordinary seven-year on-site warranty, and their industry-first 100 percent cloud-based LED software.
During a major expansion in 2015, they moved into a much larger facility in Ontario, California. The surprise move was made during the weeks leading to that year’s ISA Sign Expo.
“That move was completely nuts, but the timing was right. We had an amazing three-and-a-half years there…and our growth was astounding, but we felt a bit homesick. Everyone was longing to go back, and we knew it would happen eventually. And again, the timing was right,” stated Chris Ma, founder and CEO of Vantage LED USA.
So immediately after the 2019 new year celebrations, everyone at Vantage rallied together, rented some trucks, and moved back to Corona…grass-roots style.
According to Kyle Carnes, CIO of Vantage LED USA, this helped continue the “team-building culture” at the company. “Of course, we had professional movers take care of the big machinery stuff, but taking care of business ourselves is the Vantage-style through and through,” he said. “We love working together, so this was another amazing opportunity to get to know each other even more, have fun, and just hangout.
We literally rented big box trucks, packed them up ourselves, and made the journey back and forth about twenty-seven times. It was incredible!”
Vantage was up and running within a week of the move shipping out displays and setting up customer visits. They were back to business as usual.
Carnes added, “It’s a building you walk into and feel proud to be in every day. I see a different attitude and a refreshed feeling from everyone. People are working hard to make sure the space looks nice. There’s pride and definitely that feeling of coming home.”
Chris Ma added, “It was great to see our warehouse crews pull together to get this done, and of course, hang out with all of them. Our new building is very modern, and the production floor is a lot more functional with a lot of natural light…and we already made plans to install solar panels which should help lower our carbon footprint. It’s great to be back in Corona.”
The city of Corona, California was very pleased to have Vantage return. Many of the council members, as well as the mayor, reached out to welcome them back.
“I’m excited to see Vantage LED USA choose to expand once more in the city where it all started,” said Darrell Talbert, City Manager. “Vantage is a great asset to our business community, and we’re eager to see the company continue to flourish.”
Visit Vantage LED USA in person or online at www.VantageLED.com.
