Economic Development

Greater Palm Springs continues to advance its 2025 economic development priorities through collaborative branding, innovative marketing, placemaking initiatives, and workforce development efforts. This reporting period saw major steps forward in regional branding, stakeholder engagement, and growth strategy implementation.

MARKET THE REGION

Brand & Website Launch

Website: LiveWorkGPS.com serves as a comprehensive resource showcasing the vibrant economic landscape of Greater Palm Springs. The site is thoughtfully designed for entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and businesses seeking the perfect blend of opportunity and lifestyle. It highlights a wide array of strengths—from excellence in healthcare and higher education to recognized leadership in sustainability, creative industries, and agriculture—positioning Greater Palm Springs as a collaborative and welcoming destination for smart and inclusive development. 

By bringing together city-specific resources, essential regional data, and authentic stories of innovation and entrepreneurship, the website provides users with a focused resource that provides information necessary for their success. Important to the overall message is spotlighting the unique qualities and offerings of each community and industry through data, blogs, reports, imagery, and the recently completed economic development video.

The website can be accessed at LiveWorkGPS.com.

Media Plan: Working with JNS Next, Visit Greater Palm Springs’ marketing agency, a comprehensive media plan was developed to consistently promote the region to key audiences. 

The plan aims to reach business “decision makers” responsible for choosing where companies operate, focusing on both startups and businesses considering expansion or relocation. These segments include site selectors, developers, C-level executives, business owners/entrepreneurs, and remote workers in the agriculture, creative economy, energy & technology, healthcare, and tourism & hospitality industry segments.   

The plan includes a variety of marketing tactics such as dedicated eBlasts/sponsored newsletters, digital display ads, native content, and audio through partnerships with Site Selection Magazine, Western Real Estate Business, and Basis. Basis provides programmatic digital marketing through targeting, geofencing events, native ads, and banners on a variety of relevant media sources. The effort will also include paid social on LinkedIn.  

Ad creative for the media plan is currently in the process of being finalized with launch anticipated this month.   

Media Coverage: Since the launch of our new economic development website, Visit Greater Palm Springs has tracked 7 media stories highlighting both the site and the region’s collaborative approach to economic growth. These placements have reached a combined circulation of more than 3 million, helping to raise awareness of our efforts to attract new investment and business opportunities to the Coachella Valley.

Newsletter: The Greater Palm Springs Economic Development e-newsletter, “Thrive & Shine,” was launched. The e-newsletter will serve as a communications tool to keep stakeholders, businesses, investors, and interested individuals informed and engaged with Greater Palm Springs Economic Development efforts.  

Distributed monthly, the e-newsletter will include information on current events and activities, noteworthy news from partners, industry updates, resources, spotlights, and more. View the full email HERE.

To receive the “Thrive & Shine” VGPS economic development e-newsletter, please click here.  

Upcoming Conferences & Trade Shows 

ICSC Western

From September 28–30, VGPS staff will be attending ICSC Western at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Greater Palm Springs Economic Development will be joining Riverside County in a booth at the show while promoting the region, networking, and connecting leads with partners. 

ICSC Western is attended by thousands of development professionals including developers, brokers, retailers, site selectors, investors, and more. Having this show in Palm Springs provides the region with a unique opportunity to connect with this important audience.

To that end, VGPS staff is coordinating and hosting a regional bus tour for attendees on Sunday, September 28. The tour will showcase current developments and opportunities in each city and in unincorporated areas. Starting at the convention center, the tour will travel east along Highway 111, break for lunch at the Empire Polo Grounds, and continue west along Interstate 10. Representatives from each city and Riverside County will be in attendance and able to speak to their respective communities during the tour. This is a great opportunity to spotlight the many opportunities in Greater Palm Springs to the development community.  

Meet the Consultants 

Staff will be attending TeamCalifornia’s Meet the Consultants conference in Contra Costa County November 5–7. This event is attended by economic development professionals, site selectors, state and federal agencies, developers, utilities, investors, works force development professionals, and more. Attendees are able to engage in roundtable discussions, hear presentations by experts, network with industry representatives, and learn about best practices and industry trends from business leaders.  

PLACEMAKING & REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Riverside County Economic Development Strategic Plan 

The Natelson Dale Group (TNDG) is nearly complete with their countywide and Greater Palm Springs Economic Development Strategic Plans (EDSP). Over the last several months, Greater Palm Springs staff has been working with representatives from TNDG to support the draft regional EDSP.  

Riverside County contracted TNDG for the completion of a countywide EDSP and also offered to create a Greater Palm Springs EDSP as part of the effort. The result will be a guiding document that will provide a regional SWOT analysis, include pertinent data, and identify areas of focus for economic development with a framework for action within each area. It will also connect Greater Palm Springs with potential federal funding through recognition as a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.  

County staff anticipates bringing the EDSP (inclusive of the Greater Palm Springs component) to the County Board of Supervisors in November for consideration of approval. 

Amateur Sports Complex 

Staff continues to explore opportunities for the development of an indoor amateur sports facility in Greater Palm Springs. An update of the 2024 CSL study by Synergy Sports further substantiated the viability of a large scale, indoor, multi-court complex. The facility as proposed by Synergy would include 10 full-sized courts, would be 200,000 square feet in size, and positioned to capture a large share of the amateur sports market, particularly with the lack of supply to meet the growing demand in Southern California and adjacent regions. Developing an indoor facility that thoughtfully caters to adaptive sports, is sustainably built, and able to host a wide range of activities and events would be a significant draw.  

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Educational & Employer Partnerships

• Met with representatives from UCR and CSU Palm Desert to deepen our understanding of cybersecurity, agriculture, and other degree and training programs. These meetings are helping to align local workforce programming with industry demand and inform employers about current educational resources.
• Participated in UCR outreach efforts, including updates from University Extension on new and ongoing programming, such as free training for farmworkers in ESL and Early Childhood Education (funded by the California Employment Development Department). The success and waitlist for this program highlights significant local demand, and we are collaborating on strategies to secure future funding and further support educational advancement.
• Celebrated the graduation of 68 City of Coachella residents from a UCR Extension business training program offering Business English, Business Readiness, and MicroMBA courses. The next cohort begins this fall.

Employer Engagement & Needs Assessment

• Conducted meetings with major area employers this summer to better understand their workforce and staffing needs, identify opportunities for collaboration, and inform workforce strategies that respond to real-world demand.
• Shared relevant program details from UCR, CSU, and OneFuture CV with local employers, including information on available degree programs, talent pipelines, and internship opportunities.

Workforce and Youth Pipeline Connection

• Continued strong participation in employer meetings and events with OneFuture CV, ensuring our outreach is aligned with regional workforce goals and that employers are aware of programs designed to support student transitions into local careers.
• Provided information about state and regional workforce support programs, including details about the California Jobs First Catalyst Funding grants to both educational partners and employers.

Supporting Tech & Remote Work Innovation

• Participated in the Palm Springs AI & Creativity Expo, expanding our contact list of innovators and supporting a growing number of remote-working tech entrepreneurs in the Coachella Valley. This engagement helps foster a supportive environment for tech-based businesses and showcases regional opportunities for creative and digital professionals.

Industry and Community Outreach

• Enhanced connections with the agricultural sector through direct farm tours and stakeholder meetings over the summer to identify workforce needs and highlight career pathways.
• Providing ongoing support and participation in the City of Coachella’s AgVISION summit this fall to foster dialogue and drive innovation within local agriculture.
• Participated in Salton Sea Action Committee meetings and contributed to planning tours and outreach for the coming fall, strengthening partnerships for workforce and environmental engagement in the region.

For more information about economic development in the destination, please contact:
Sean Smith
Director of Economic Development
sean@visitgreaterps.com | 760.969.1308