There's something about California that changes people. Octavio Navarro has seen it.

Navarro, public affairs specialist with Ford Motor Co., knows first hand what a lot of sun and a new attitude has meant for the 150 workers at the Ford-Lincoln-Mercury headquarters in Irvine.

"The people here are getting more involved in the community," said Navarro. "With more sun, you have a lot more opportunity to get out and become part of the town you live in."

While sunshine is a big draw of California, it certainly has a lot more going for it than sand and surf.

The state is large enough to have diversity within its economy that rivals most countries. From agriculture all the way to Silicon Valley, California provides opportunities for just about any type of company.

For Ford, California meant a change in attitude. The company relocated its corporate headquarters from Michigan to Southern California one year ago, in part to be exposed to new ideas and ways of operating.

"We looked to Southern California because it has become a hub of the auto industry," said Navarro. "It is viewed like New York City and the fashion industry, in that it's on the leading edge.

"Ideas start here, and then if they are accepted here, they move across the rest of the country."

About 150 employees work for Ford at the 63,500 square foot Irvine facility.

Ford, along with many other auto companies, located in Orange County to be close to the Arts Center College of Design in Pasadena. The college is one of only three auto design schools in the world, and produces 50 percent of the total auto design graduates in the world each year.

Auto companies that have located close to the school include Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Ferrari.

High-tech haven
Nowadays, when folks are California Dreamin,' chances are it's about the computer industry.

Hewlett-Packard is adding two new buildings at its site in Roseville, north of Sacramento. The expansion of HP's manufacturing, warehouse and distribution operations totals 770,000 square feet. The two new buildings will hold 700 employees when finished in the summer of 2000.

Golden State a starting point, not just a destination
With the largest population of any state in America, California is a natural place to be for companies with a product to sell. The state is also proving to be a jumping off point for many businesses, especially those with an interest in the Far East.

Sears announced earlier this year that it will locate a 186,000 square foot repair and parts distribution center in Fontana, near San Bernardino. The facility will employ more than 300 and will serve the Western region of the United States.

A major company building a distribution center in northern California is Staples. The office supply store, based in Framingham, Mass., is constructing a 111,000 square foot building in Stockton. The building has the capability to expand to 177,840 square feet. The center will employ 40 people when it opens later this summer.

"This new center will help us better serve our customers in the northern California and Nevada markets," said Joseph G. Doody, president of Staples Contract and Commercial division.

In Shafter, just north of Bakersfield, an International Trade and Transportation Center opened in June.

The center covers more than 700 acres and will include 10 million square feet of facility space. The industrial park has both Enterprise Zone and Foreign Trade Zone designations. Companies in an Enterprise Zone are eligible for incentives if they hire employees from designated areas of the state.

One of the biggest distribution projects in California this year is the opening of Best Buy's new facility in Dinuba, in Tulare County in central California. The 655,000 square foot building opened in May at a cost of $35 million.

"This distribution center will allow us to meet the needs of our current stores and support Best Buy's future expansions west of the Rocky Mountains," said Chas Scheiderer, senior vice president of logistics for Best Buy.

-- Lance Yoder