Economic Development
MARKET THE REGION
Economic Development Marketing
From June through August, the Economic Development "Here Life Powers" campaign generated more than 4.1 million impressions and 3,300 clicks, continuing efforts to raise awareness of Greater Palm Springs among business, industry and talent audiences.
The campaign drove 365 landing page visits and achieved a 91.83% video completion rate, demonstrating strong engagement with video content.
June featured the most robust media mix of the period, including:
- Sponsored eBlast and eNewsletter banner through Western Real Estate Business
- SiteSelection.com display advertising
- Basis display banners and podcasts
- LinkedIn carousel units
As the new fiscal year began, staff started refining the Economic Development marketing strategy around more targeted industry- and job-specific audiences and creative.
The Greater Palm Springs Economic Development LinkedIn channel continues to perform well against 2026 digital goals, exceeding annual targets across all key metrics. Impressions have reached more than 500% of goal, while engagements have surpassed 200% and clicks have reached 240% of goal. Video views have also exceeded the annual target at 119%.
Thrive & Shine Spotlight Series
The Greater Palm Springs Thrive & Shine Spotlight series showcases local industry leaders, innovators and businesses that demonstrate the diversity of the region’s economy and what makes Greater Palm Springs a great place to build a business, grow a career and call home.
The latest business spotlight features Gabriel Lechuga of Airex Manufacturing, a longtime Coachella Valley manufacturer. The video highlights Airex’s growth in the region and helps showcase Greater Palm Springs’ manufacturing sector and business environment.
The series also recently featured Dr. Amir Lavaf of Desert Regional Medical Center, who shares how world-class healthcare is being delivered here in the Coachella Valley and how access to quality healthcare contributes to the region’s appeal as a place to live and work.
The series will continue highlighting local leaders and industries throughout the year, with Antonio Carvajal, owner of Next Machina, scheduled as the next featured business leader.
Business Attraction & Industry Outreach
Staff attended the 2026 BIO International Convention in San Diego to better understand opportunities within the biotechnology sector, an industry identified in the Coachella Valley Regional Economic Development Strategic Plan as having potential for the region. The event provided opportunities to connect with industry leaders and better understand what biotechnology companies consider when evaluating expansion and relocation opportunities.
Staff also attended the SoCal Industrial, Logistics & Manufacturing Conference presented by Bisnow in August. Discussions focused on electrical capacity, transportation and freight connectivity, entitlement certainty, workforce availability and other factors increasingly influencing industrial site-selection decisions. These insights will help inform efforts to attract manufacturing, logistics, clean technology, food and agriculture-related industries and other industrial users.
Economic Development communications are also becoming more industry-specific. Recent manufacturing content featured Next Machina and BASEstud.io and highlighted the region's available industrial space, transportation access, commercialization opportunities and growing innovation ecosystem. This content supports efforts to position Greater Palm Springs as a location where manufacturers can test, scale and bring new products to market.
Building on relationships with regional innovation partners, Greater Palm Springs Economic Development has also invited companies from the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and UCR Life Sciences Incubator to Palm Springs for the Heat as Infrastructure Conference on September 18, followed by dinner with regional economic development partners. The outreach provides an opportunity to introduce climate- and life-sciences companies to Greater Palm Springs, learn more about their growth needs, and explore potential connections, pilot projects and future investment opportunities in the region.
Upcoming business attraction activity includes ICSC Western, LiveXchange Fall Forum, and two October Bisnow events focused on healthcare real estate and the Southern California development market. Greater Palm Springs Economic Development will have a booth at both Bisnow events and receive four full-page newsletter takeovers to promote the region to targeted Southern California business and real estate audiences.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
OneFuture Coachella Valley
On August 8, staff met with OneFuture Coachella Valley to discuss opportunities to strengthen regional education and workforce pathways and better align economic development, education and industry efforts.
Discussions included opportunities to expand dual enrollment and OneFuture's broader technology and innovation pathways.
Next steps include exploring greater integration of technology into OneFuture's Business Engagement Committee, developing a more strategic approach and measurable metrics for Tech and Innovation Pathways, reconvening the regional Tech Working Group, and establishing regular communications between OneFuture and Greater Palm Springs Economic Development. The organizations will also continue exploring opportunities to collaborate on grants, workforce initiatives, conference presentations and other efforts that highlight regional workforce successes.
UCR Workforce, Research & Innovation Partnerships
On July 9, Visit Greater Palm Springs joined representatives from Cathedral City, Palm Desert, and Riverside County for a collaborative visit to UC Riverside. The group met with UCR leadership and toured the Life Sciences Incubator to explore opportunities for deeper collaboration around workforce development, entrepreneurship, applied research, industry engagement and long-term regional growth.
Discussions included UCR's plans for its Palm Desert campus, healthcare workforce training, agricultural and Salton Sea research, entrepreneurship, internships and employer-developed certificate programs. UCR is also developing workforce programs in areas including AgTech, electric vehicles, smart-grid technology, the circular economy, lithium and the Salton Sea.
A recurring theme was the importance of connecting education and research more directly with regional employers and creating opportunities for students to build careers in the Coachella Valley after completing their education.
Potential next steps include connecting UCR researchers with regional businesses, exploring internship and applied research opportunities, involving UCR in regional workforce discussions, and identifying opportunities for joint grants and industry-focused programming.
RESEARCH & REPORTS
New Economic Development Data & Research Tools
Greater Palm Springs Economic Development has expanded its research capabilities with several new platforms designed to provide cities, partners, developers, businesses and prospects with more detailed information to support economic development decisions.
Unreal CRM provides parcel-level property and ownership information throughout the region. Staff can search properties by characteristics such as size, zoning and ownership, identify property-owner contact information, manage outreach and export information for additional analysis. The platform can support activities ranging from identifying potential development sites to targeted outreach to property owners.
Advan provides GPS-based visitation intelligence, including business visits, visitor demographic profiles, heat maps, traffic patterns, visitation and spending trends, and work and home locations. This information can help partners better understand customer patterns, evaluate commercial areas and provide data to businesses considering Greater Palm Springs.
These platforms complement the team's existing access to JobsEQ, which provides detailed labor market and economic data. Greater Palm Springs Economic Development can prepare customized JobsEQ reports for cities, businesses, developers and other partners seeking information on topics such as employment, wages, occupations, industries, workforce availability and economic trends.
Partners are encouraged to contact the Economic Development team when data or research could support a project, business recruitment effort, funding application, development opportunity, or other economic development initiative.
EVENTS & ENGAGEMENT
Business Resources & Concierge Support
Greater Palm Springs Economic Development's Business Resources Hub provides a centralized source for local, regional and state programs serving startups and expanding or relocating companies. Resources include mentorship, business planning, financing, technical assistance, accelerator programs, grants and training. Staff is also available to help businesses identify the right resources and make direct introductions. This work supports the longer-term goal of developing a regional business concierge approach that makes it easier to navigate assistance and opportunities throughout Greater Palm Springs.
Commercial Broker Engagement
Building relationships with the commercial brokerage community remains an important part of connecting businesses and investors with opportunities throughout Greater Palm Springs.
PS/NExT and Regional Innovation
PS/NExT Summit 26 brought together the region’s technology, business, education, creative, and civic communities at the Palm Springs Convention Center on June 22–23. The immersive program featured 55 speakers and 46 sessions covering practical applications of artificial intelligence, emerging technology, creativity, entrepreneurship, education, cybersecurity, and healthcare. Highlights included keynote presentations from Baratunde Thurston, filmmaker Rob Minkoff, artist Kelly Boesch, technologist Philip Su, and Dr. Eric Leroux, along with hands-on experiences such as the Vibe-a-thon and GenJam. On-site installations, a digital media gallery, and a showcase of Palm Springs-based manufacturer BASEstud.io further demonstrated how technology and creative thinking can generate practical solutions and economic opportunities for Greater Palm Springs.
Building on the Summit's momentum, Greater Palm Springs Economic Development is working with regional partners to identify opportunities for additional technology and innovation programming throughout the year.
The goal is to create more opportunities to connect entrepreneurs, businesses, students, educators, investors and civic leaders and continue strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem.
For more information about economic development in the destination, please contact:
Sean Smith, Director of Economic Development
sean@visitgreaterps.com | 760.969.1308
