More detail on this person: Local leading
architect David Ariss dies at 65
David Ariss, a Vietnam War hero who became one
of the leading architects of industrial eastern
Ontario, died Monday. He was 65.
Ariss, a Chino Hills resident, died after a heart
attack and stroke he suffered in November led to a
period of declining health, according to his
family.
The developer is credited as a hard-driving
visionary who developed at the California Commerce
Center, the 1,855-acre industrial zone east of
Ontario International Airport, and had a hand in
the Ontario Mills Mall and Ontario Auto Center.
"He was an unusual guy," said former Ontario
councilman Jim Bowman. "He had no patience for
complacency."
Ariss was born Nov. 29, 1939, in Toronto, Canada.
His family came to the United States when he was
12, settling in Los Angeles and the San Fernando
Valley.
A gifted athlete, he was a star hurdler and
sprinter at Claremont Men's College, now Claremont
McKenna College. Among his fellow students was
future developer Richard Lewis, who is now
president of the Lewis Group of Companies.
Ariss graduated college in 1961 and enlisted in
the Marine Corps in September of that year.
He remained in the Marines until 1970, reaching
the rank of major and serving in Vietnam in 1967
and 1968. He was injured in the war after the
helicopter he piloted was shot down, and was
awarded two Purple Hearts, a Silver Star,
Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star for his
service.
"He was a very no-nonsense type of a person, said
what he thought. He had a lot of good ideas. He
was a tough Marine, I guess, but he also really
helped a lot of people," said Katherine Amick,
Ariss's daughter.
Ariss loved reading, crossword puzzles, music,
sports and his work, Amick said. He thrived on
problems and challenges.
She said Ariss started out in commercial real
estate and vacant land, working with John D. Lusk
and Sons in Irvine and elsewhere in Orange County
before coming to the Inland Empire. He did work in
the Corona area in the late 1970s and then came to
the California Commerce Center in 1984.
Bowman credited Ariss' industrial developments
with creating more than 20,000 jobs in the Ontario
area.
While Inland Empire economist John Husing could
not verify that number, he said Ariss' strategy of
building manufacturing and distribution buildings
that could later be adapted as offices helped
position the West End -- including Ontario, Rancho
Cucamonga, Chino and Mira Loma -- as a jobs-rich
area.
"Really, he was one of the fathers of the strategy
that allowed that to be possible," Husing said.
"He was a ferocious advocate for his positions."
Ariss eventually created his own business, PIB
Realty Advisors and Ariss Realty Advisors. He was
a consultant for area cities and developers,
including the Lewis Co.
"We called him the pit bull. He was a very
determined, forceful person. Certainly not bashful
or shy," Richard Lewis said.
Ontario City Manager Greg Devereaux credited
Ariss with laying the groundwork for much of the
development that occurred, industrial and
distribution warehousing as well as retail.
"Dave was boisterous and opinionated and very
bright and someone who was fun to work with,
because you could get into heated friendly
exchanges," Devereaux said.
Ariss, who was married and divorced twice, is
survived by his sister, Elizabeth McGuire of Chino
Hills, by his three children -- Amick of Winter
Springs, Fla., David William Ariss, Jr. of
Burnsville, N.C., and Dylan William Ariss of Alta
Loma -- and by two grandchildren.
Services will include a full military funeral at
Riverside National Cemetery, and have yet to be
scheduled.
Burial information: Riverside National Cemetery
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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