Economic Development
Regional Collaboration
Indoor Sports Complex
Visit Greater Palm Springs continues to explore opportunities to develop a regional indoor sports complex that could support year-round tournaments, youth sports, and sports tourism.
During this reporting period, staff held additional meetings with potential location partners to evaluate site opportunities and explore potential partnerships for the project. In parallel, we are working with Kosmont Companies on a funding analysis to identify potential financing and partnership structures that could support development of an indoor sports facility in the region.
As part of our annual city updates, Visit Greater Palm Springs also shared the latest feasibility findings and project information with each City Council across the nine Greater Palm Springs cities, ensuring local leaders are informed about the opportunity and potential economic benefits associated with a regional indoor sports facility.
Sustainability Case Study
BASE stud.io is rethinking traditional streetlights. The company, led by CEO Hiedi Adams, is manufacturing an innovative composite multifunctional streetlight with an aesthetic modern design. The pole includes solar panels and can maintain light for 48 hours in the event of a loss of grid power, charge electric vehicles, and provide a Wi-Fi network when clustered together.
Visit Greater Palm Springs is working with BASE stud.io to coordinate the temporary installation of one of their lights in the parking lot with the goal of generating media coverage, allowing interested parties to see the piece in person, and showcasing regional innovative manufacturing. The installation will most likely occur at the beginning of April.
Market the Region
During January and February, Visit Greater Palm Springs continued using LinkedIn to position the region as a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunity. Content highlighted regional entrepreneurship, workforce development, and investment stories that reinforce the Coachella Valley as an attractive destination for talent and business growth.
Media Coverage
Our communications team secured a feature story in San Diego Magazine, “A New Creative Energy is Reshaping Downtown Indio”. The article showcases the city’s growing arts, culture, and creative economy and its role in attracting new businesses, residents, and visitors. While this story focused on Indio, our communications strategy continues to highlight opportunities, investment, and community character across all nine cities that make up Greater Palm Springs.
Newsletters
Monthly Thrive & Shine newsletters were distributed highlighting regional innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development activity. Average open rate was 52% and average click-through rate was 21%. Content featured local business stories, workforce development initiatives, and partnerships that support long-term economic growth in the Coachella Valley.
Placemaking & Development
Economic Development Strategic Plan Presentation
The Greater Palm Springs Economic Development Technical Advisory Committee, comprised of economic development representatives from each member city, participated in a walk-through presentation of the GPS Economic Development Strategic Plan with The Natelson Dale Group on February 24. The presentation allowed TAC members to better understand the Plan, ask questions, and get clarification where needed.
Next steps include hosting another walk-through for partners and stakeholders and reviewing the Plan’s actionable items and key areas of focus with TAC members to identify options for addressing each.
Industry Conference Engagement
Visit Greater Palm Springs provided recommendations to City Managers and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) members on high-value industry conferences that support regional economic development and investment attraction. In February, several city economic development representatives attended the Entertainment Experience Evolution Conference, helping to strengthen the region’s visibility and connections within the entertainment and experiential development sectors.
Foreign Direct Investment Strategy
In February, Visit Greater Palm Springs met with representatives from the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development to strategize ahead of the upcoming SelectUSA Investment Summit and align on a regional foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction strategy. During the meeting, GO-Biz shared updated data on existing foreign direct investment in the Coachella Valley, providing new insights into international companies already operating in the region and opportunities to build on those relationships as part of our economic development outreach.
Federal Reserve Bank Executive Roundtable
On March 5, a representative from the United States Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco convened a roundtable discussion with Greater Palm Springs business executives from various industries to obtain firsthand information regarding conditions impacting their business. Participating was:
- Michael Braun, President, Grit Development
- Mollie Doyle, General Manager, Shops at Palm Desert
- Gabrial Lechuga, Owner and Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Airex Manufacturing
- Kevin Pillow, Director of Sales and Purchasing, A.C. Houston Lumber
- Mark Tadros, Owner, Aziz Farms
The Federal Reserve hosts in-person roundtables throughout the district to listen and gain a deeper understanding of how people and businesses are experiencing the economy, which informs their work on monetary policy. This is the second roundtable by the Federal Reserve in Greater Palm Springs. The first was last year and resulted in beneficial feedback. This was a great opportunity for regional businesses to have a voice in the process.
Legislative Advocacy
Staff continued advocating for priorities included in the Greater Palm Springs Legislative Platform with local and state partners, focusing on policies that improve infrastructure, reduce barriers to development, and support key regional industries. This work complements ongoing advocacy efforts highlighted in the partnership advocacy update.
Economic Diversity & Workforce
Three noteworthy agriculture events took place during the period:
University of California, Riverside (UCR) agriculture roundtable
UCR hosted an agriculture roundtable at the Palm Desert campus on January 23. The event included a presentation by the new Director of the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, Dr. Elia Scudiero. Dr. Scudiero announced the creation of a new bachelor’s degree in agriculture expected to launch in 2027 and discussed the core components of the program. A panel of UCR department staff discussed the degree and shared information on campus amenities related to agriculture and asked attendees for feedback.
Dr. Scudiero also shared that a recent forecast by Purdue University anticipates nearly 25% of all agriculture jobs in the United States will occur in the western portion of the country and most of these jobs will be in California. It also spoke to more opportunities with good-paying jobs becoming available.
A panel of industry leaders discussed trends and workforce development needed to sustain the sector. Several noteworthy discussion points included:
- The industry needs more people with broad skills that can adapt and address multiple needs.
- Labor costs are 60% less in Mexico and 40% less in Arizona.
- Moving forward there will be greater need for tissue harvesting and water delivery and efficiency specialists.
- Ocean Mist regularly has 6-8 internships open.
- Coachella Valley farmers traditionally planned for 30 frost events per year, with that number decreasing to 3 over the last 6-8 years, and 0 now.
- European ag tech is more advanced than in the United States.
Southwest Agricultural Summit
Staff attended the annual Southwest Agriculture Summit in Yuma, Arizona February 18–20. The summit included sessions on a variety of topics as well as presentations on new technologies and industry updates. It was evident that higher education plays a key role in the industry through the Arizona Hub for Agriculture Innovation which includes participation by all three major state universities. This pipeline bridges the gap between agriculture-related technology and use in the marketplace by working directly with farmers.
Regional Agricultural Tour
Growing Coachella Valley and the City of Coachella hosted an Ag tour as a follow up to the AgVision event held last year at the Coachella library. The tour was guided by Janell Percy from Growing Coachella Valley, who reported a regional annual crop value of $864,000,000 in 2024.
The tour also included a presentation by CVWD, two field visits, and a walkthrough of the Ocean Mist facility where cleaning, packaging, cooling, and transporting of produce occurs. The tour also included a visit to the UCR agriculture research center in Mecca where a variety of significant ag-focused research is done.
Career and Technical Education Advisory Meeting
The region’s three public school districts (Desert Sands, Coachella Valley, and Palm Springs Unified) worked with regional partners to host the Coachella Valley Wide Career and Technical Education Advisory Meeting on February 27th at the JW Marriott. This event provided a unique opportunity for industry experts and educators to collaborate on the future of our CTE programs with direct interaction between students, district representatives, and a variety of industry partners. The discussion included industry trends, related certifications, and student projects.
Conferences and Tradeshows
NAIOP I.CON CONFERENCE
Staff attended the NAIOP I.CON West conference March 3–4. NAIOP is an association of commercial real estate developers focused on industrial and office development. With advanced manufacturing identified as a strong fit for the region in the Greater Palm Springs Economic Development Strategic Plan, this provided an opportunity to gain deeper insight into the industry and build valuable connections.
A few key takeaways from the conference:
- While advanced manufacturing continues to grow, there is an ongoing concern with labor availability.
- The West Coast market is pacing behind other U.S. markets in leasing and rent growth in the logistics space.
- There is pent up demand in the Asian markets, and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are very attractive.
- Tariffs remain a concern and are resulting in space being designed for flexibility to meet changing needs and opportunities.
- As with other industries, power is an issue in California.
Upcoming Events
Staff will be attending the following upcoming conferences and trade shows:
- Site Selectors Guild – Spring Conference (March 23–25, Atlanta, GA)
- CALED – 2026 Annual Conference (April 15–17, Palm Springs)
- Select USA – Investment Summit (May 3–6, National Harbor, MD)
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any feedback or questions regarding these events.
For more information about economic development in the destination, please contact:
Sean Smith
Director of Economic Development
sean@visitgreaterps.com | 760.969.1308
