ONTARIO, CA-A group of competing office landlords here haveformed an alliance called OntarioHQ and have launched a marketingcampaign to promote their buildings, as well as the city itself, asa business location. OntarioHQ member Jack Hileman, principal withconsortium member the Hileman Co., tells GlobeSt.com that thealliance is extremely unusual if not unique, noting that he hasnever before participated in or even heard of such a cooperativeeffort among office landlords.

The consortium is a sign of the times, according to Hileman. "Wehaven't really had to do anything like this before, but this is avery unusual economy," Hileman says. In a growing, vibrant economy,he adds, landlords really don't have to do things like this becausebuildings fill with tenants who are growing and moving.

"What we have now in the Inland Empire, as in probably mostmarkets in Southern California, is a demand issue," Hileman says."The absorption that we all have enjoyed for years and years, evenin down markets, is way off because tenants can't grow because theycan't get financing, so we have to come up with new and creativeways to promote our projects."