Economic Development
November/December Activities
Jobs EQ & Tenant Expansion Report
Access to timely, reliable data is essential to effective economic development work. VGPS uses JobsEQ to strengthen our workforce and business-attraction efforts by tracking industry demand, employment by sector, wage trends, and education and training needs. This information supports responses to development inquiries and informs economic overview reports for each of the nine Coachella Valley cities. These reports are available on the corresponding city pages on LiveWorkGPS.com: Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage.
VGPS also recently subscribed to the Tenant Expansion Report, a resource that identifies commercial establishments exploring new or expanded locations. The report includes site and space requirements, existing locations, growth status, and company details. Staff is currently reviewing the data to identify prospects that align with Greater Palm Springs opportunities and will share priority leads with the Economic Development TAC to support ongoing business attraction efforts.
Several additional platforms are also being assessed for access to information related to sales, demographics, property status, and more. Any new resources will be shared once available.
Amateur Sports Complex
Staff continues to advance efforts toward the development of a large-scale indoor amateur sports facility in Greater Palm Springs. Based on discussions with potential partners for the development of the complex, there is broad consensus that the addition of such a facility would provide significant economic impact.
One of the key considerations for moving forward with the development is identifying funding sources for the estimated $80M construction cost. To address this need, Visit Greater Palm Springs has contracted with Kosmont Companies to conduct a comprehensive financial analysis to identify potential funding sources, estimate revenue potential from said sources, and outline implementation pathways to support project development. Kosmont’s work was initiated in late November and is expected to conclude in the first quarter of 2026. Once the analysis is complete, it will be shared in follow-up discussions with prospective partners.
Study Tours
VGPS Economic Development staff is coordinating a series of “Study Tours” with peer regional organizations—including REACH (Central Coast) and Greater Phoenix/Scottsdale—to learn from their proven approaches and best practices in economic development. These destinations have established strong models for regional collaboration, business attraction, and program execution that can inform and strengthen Greater Palm Springs’ efforts.
Staff met with REACH in December and plans to reconnect in February to confirm potential timing and tour components. Outreach is also underway with Greater Phoenix/Scottsdale to explore a similar visit and identify topics most relevant to our regional priorities.
Agriculture Roundtable
On December 4, staff convened an Agriculture Roundtable with local industry leaders at Shields Date Garden to share an update on Greater Palm Springs’ economic development efforts and to facilitate a focused discussion on the state of regional agriculture and the potential to grow agri-tourism. Participants raised key issues and opportunities, including concerns about potential Colorado River water reductions and competitive pressure from imported produce. The group also emphasized the importance of stronger connections with K–16 education, clearer storytelling around the value of locally grown products, deeper linkages between regional farms and local restaurants, and exploring a practical framework for agri-tourism. Staff is following up with participants to gather additional input and outline next steps.
Quarterly Tac Meeting
The Q4 Economic Development TAC meeting was held December 19 at Acrisure Arena during a Coachella Valley Firebirds game—an engaging setting that supported both meaningful discussion and relationship-building. The gathering provided an opportunity for economic development leaders from across the valley to strengthen regional collaboration while experiencing one of Greater Palm Springs’ signature economic assets in action.
2025 Highlights
In 2025, Visit Greater Palm Springs continued to advance a coordinated regional economic development strategy focused on strengthening the business brand, attracting investment, expanding workforce pipelines, and supporting long-term placemaking initiatives. Through strategic marketing, data-driven analysis, and stakeholder engagement, VGPS positioned Greater Palm Springs to compete more effectively for jobs, talent, and capital while delivering year-round economic benefits to the region.
Launch of Brand and Marketing Plan
North Star Place Branding + Marketing, with the assistance of a creative committee from across the Coachella Valley, established the Greater Palm Springs Economic Development brand name and “Thrive & Shine” tagline, along with the associated visual identity creative. North Star also guided the effort to define the region’s brand, crafted a three-year marketing strategy, and produced branded collateral concepts.
VGPS built on this work with an economic development promotional video used across conferences and events to convey the region’s energy and opportunity. North Star’s work also provided the framework for buildout of the Greater Palm Springs Economic Development website, establishing a dedicated hub for businesses, developers, site selectors, brokers, remote workers, and workforce. VGPS partnered with JNS Next on the creation of a media plan to drive awareness of Greater Palm Springs as a destination for business investment through a variety of strategies including industry e-blasts and newsletters, digital ads in trade publications, sponsored content, podcasts, and LinkedIn (which quickly became the top traffic source, generating over 70% of website views in 2025).
Advancing a Regional Amateur Sports Facility
An updated review of the original CSL feasibility study was completed by Synergy Sports, reinforcing CSL’s assessment that a regional indoor amateur sports facility in Greater Palm Springs would be highly successful. The concept includes approximately 200,000 square feet of flexible indoor space able to accommodate a variety of sports and activities including adaptive sports and other special use needs. Synergy Sports estimates that a facility in Greater Palm Springs would attract 560,000 annual attendees, producing an initial year economic impact of $49 million. The facility would significantly increase visitation during shoulder and summer months, providing business to hotels and local businesses during periods of need.
VGPS advanced the facility concept by sharing the Synergy Sports insights with regional agencies, tribal partners, developers, and the Economic Development TAC and developed a blog to build awareness.
Over 20 meetings in 2025 were held to vet partnership opportunities, site options, and funding/delivery models. Stakeholders aligned on the facility’s strong economic and community impact but identified funding and governance as areas to address. In response, VGPS engaged Kosmont Companies to conduct an analysis of funding mechanisms and partnership models—identifying revenue sources, estimating capacity, and outlining an implementation roadmap— with findings expected in Q1 2026 to guide next steps with prospective partners.
Placemaking and Regional Development
VGPS promoted Greater Palm Springs at major tradeshows and conferences to attract investment, build industry relationships, and strengthen brand recognition while capturing insights that were shared with the TAC and regional stakeholders to align strategy. Events included SelectUSA, ICSC Global & Western, CALED, City Nation Place, CA Forward, and Team CA. In conjunction with the ICSC Western Regional show, VGPS hosted a FAM tour taking commercial development professionals and partner economic development teams across the region to showcase current developments and opportunities.
Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) provide economic opportunities for investment and job growth. VGPS, the City of Palm Springs, and an FTZ expert explored the potential for expanding the PSP-based FTZ. The city is pursuing a Foreign Inspection Station (FIS) required for establishment of FTZ-related U.S. Customs. Given the clear regional interest and upside, staff will continue to support formal FTZ utilization and expansion following activation of the FIS.
Riverside County engaged The Natelson Dale Group to produce a dedicated Greater Palm Springs Economic Development Strategic Plan as part of their work to create a countywide plan. VGPS provided data, outreach, and stakeholder input throughout the process. The plan was activated in late November as a framework for regional priorities, with a partner walkthrough being scheduled for early 2026.
Data and Analysis
VGPS leveraged JobsEQ to build industry and city economic profiles on LiveWorkGPS.com and to fulfill on-demand workforce data requests from commercial developers. To complement this, VGPS subscribed to the Tenant Expansion Report, which tracks companies seeking to expand with important firm-level details. Findings from both sources will be shared regularly with regional partners to support their efforts.
Workforce Development Expansion
VGPS engaged industry leaders across the Coachella Valley in 2025 to identify current and emerging talent needs. These insights are guiding priorities to better align education, training, and employer demand, strengthening pipelines and closing skills gaps.
VGPS continued to partner with OneFuture Coachella Valley to expand employer outreach and connect businesses to readiness, upskilling, and career pathway programs. Staff connected with College of the Desert, CSU San Bernardino, and UC Riverside to support new programs and the expansion of four-year degree options while working to establish connections between employers and higher education and workforce efforts.
Community and Industry Engagement
VGPS deepened engagement with regional stakeholders to support business attraction, strengthen workforce partnerships, and position Greater Palm Springs for long-term investment. Staff convened quarterly Economic Development TAC meetings to advance dialogue on shared priorities and met regularly with industry leaders to identify emerging needs and inform regional strategy.
During the year, VGPS hosted the San Francisco Federal Reserve to elevate local business perspectives that help inform monetary policy discussions. In the fall, staff organized a GO-Biz briefing for regional economic development teams, outlining available incentives and programs—including small business loans, tax credits, energy savings resources, workforce support, manufacturing incentives, clean vehicle programs, and a new tool designed to promote city-level opportunities to the development community. Throughout the year, staff also presented the region’s updated brand and marketing strategy at chambers and community meetings, expanding awareness and connecting partners to tools and resources that support growth.
For more information about economic development in the destination, please contact:
Sean Smith
Director of Economic Development
sean@visitgreaterps.com | 760.969.1308
