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Source: The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.迷利倉Dec. 26--One word: Stabilizer.With its twists and turns, moments of trepidation, transition and glory, 2013 was a year Inland Southern California's retail giants, small business, manufacturing companies, banks and real estate industry gained surer footing.In many respects, it's as if Inland business has ridden through the rip curl of the Great Recession.Here are the Top 6 stories for 2013 that show why:No 1: HOME PRICE GAINSEconomists, who predicted modest home price appreciation in 2012, admitted to being a bit dazzled by consistent 20 to 30 percent gains for much of the year. Home equity rode with it, giving a larger percentage of homeowners who saw home values plummet after the housing bubble burst some breathing room on the large outstanding mortgages they still owed.The steady ramp-up attracted investors from around the globe. It put the squeeze on short sales and pushed prices to a point that opened the doors to new home construction again.Foreclosure-related filings fell in 2013 to 2006 levels.Homebuilders shagged rattlesnakes out of garages in half-built subdivisions. Old plans were dusted off to start new developments from Temecula to Eastvale and from Rancho Cucamonga through Calimesa to spots as far away as Coachella.By year's end, affordability was no longer the buzzword to describe the price of a distressed house. It became the lexicon for first-time buyers once again.No. 2: JOB PICTURE BRIGHTENEDThe slow slog back to employment took on a brighter sheen.An updated U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report on second-quarter growth for the nation shows the job market in the Inland counties grew at about a 2.4 percent rate, compared with the second quarter of 2012.The rate is about four times more than the state has reported. Riverside County had 2.8 percent growth, while San Bernardino County's job market growth was 2percent.That puts more than 1.2 million Inland residents on a payroll by BLS standards, some 49,000 more than the state noted in June.As of November, unemployment in the two-county area declined to 9.4 percent, the second-lowest level in five years. The jobless rate had been as low as 9.3 percent in May, following double-digit unemployment figures for all but four of the previous 60 months.Even as the region seems to have gained some job momentum, layoffs are still taking place in the banking and government sectors.Payrolls, for a time, could be tight and job hunters challenged -- especially the chronically unemployed -- as employers adjust to costs with the Affordable Care Act and the steps the Federal Reserve takes to taper its economic stimulus efforts.No. 3: RETAIL INVESTMENTRiverside Plaza, a half-century-old retail center in the heart of Riverside, took on new life when its owners, Phoenix-based Vestar, began a $12 million facelift that brought new energy -- a new Forever 21 look -- to the space.Pedestrian walkways with pavers and concrete accoutrements have been carved out. The exterior on retail buildings are noticeably different. Much was made of Forever 21's move from the once vacant Harris/Gottschalks building the retailer had occupied to the smaller, former Borders bookstore.In August, blueprints detailed spots for three buildings and an array of yet-to-be-named retail, bank and office tenants.Thirty miles away, Desert Hills Premium Outlets of Cabazon was immersed for much of the year in an ambitious $100 million expansion.Owner Simon Property Group began construction last Christmas of a parking garage, which it just opened, and a new two-sided interior structure that will add 45 stores to the 130-store complex.Desert Hills, and the nearby Cabazon Outlets, which is 迷你倉wned by Newport Beach-based mall operator Craig Realty Group, is expected to add 500 jobs when the new retail centerpiece is completed in 2014.No. 4: BANK BOUNCE-BACKAltura Credit Union, in a year-end report it released in January, reported that 2012 was the best in its 56-year history.And Arrowhead Credit Union, taken over by federal regulators almost three years ago when it was in severe financial distress, was returned to the control of its local members and governing board.At the time of the takeover, the San Bernardino-based credit union was on pace to lose $4 million. Its net worth ratio was 4 percent lower than it needed to be to claim good fiscal health. As of May, the net worth ratio was 3.5 percent to the good. The credit union recorded a first-quarter profit of $5.6 million.As fiscal conditions improved, Orange County-based Opus Bank made a push from the coast.Opus entered into a joint agreement to acquire 10 branch banks from Pacific Western. The transaction, that was to close by the end of the year, involves the transfer of $145 million in deposits. Inland-based branches that Opus said it would acquire are in Chino, Twentynine Palms and La Quinta.No. 5: SUPERMARKET MOVEMENTFresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets had a got'cha moment.Billionaire Ron Burkle, a guy who got his start in the supermarket industry as a teenage grocery bagger at Stater Bros. and an early investor in Wild Oats, inked the deal to buy the conglomerate of stores that sprung up in Southern California and other boom towns in the West from British retail king Tesco.Terms of the deal were not released, but Burkle didn't wait long to reveal his hand. The Yucaipa Companies owner opted to spin off more than 150 stores, and keep the Riverside distribution center intact.The Riverside operation has been a major distribution cog for a vast network of neighborhood groceries in Inland Southern California. As a show of commitment, it has been widely reported that Tesco's $126 million loan to Yucaipa as a term of the sale is to be secured against the Riverside plant.From another front, Chicago-based Aldi set its sights on Moreno Valley for its expansion in the West.Moreno Valley city officials confirmed that an Aldi subsidiary AI California expects to invest $55 million on construction of a 935,000-square-foot warehouse and office suite in Westridge Business Park, a 60-acre parcel near Skechers' warehouse along Highway 60, west of Redland Boulevard.Aldi, opening nine stories in Houston in April, operates more than 1,200 low-price grocery stores in 32 states and credits some of its growth to low prices on fresh products, a "Double Guarantee" for consumers and exclusive brands.No. 6: FARRELL'SSpeaking of exclusive, the story that generated the most talk in the small family business category was the March reopening of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour.Gone since 1985, the red, white and blue funhouse on Tyler Street in Riverside was dubbed by 43-year-old IT worker Mark Nelson as the second Happiest Place on Earth. Giddy with happiness, Nelson was first in line to step inside and gobble down the "Homerun" burger he ate as a youth.Nostalgia is packed into the place that Parlour Enterprises runs with a side of patriotism that its investors hope will steamroll across the country -- and in its own way rekindles one truism that history has proven to hold true.Broken economies can mend, and bounce back after a period of stabilization.Follow Debra on Twitter @DebinPalmsprngs and at the real estate blot at blog.pe.com/real-estate/Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.) Visit The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, Calif.) at .PE.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉