Plans Unwrapped On How To Draw High-Tech Companies To Desert
Riverside County and UC Riverside will make a combined effort to draw businesses with growth potential to the local area, under an agreement the Board of Supervisors is expected to approve next week.
The county’s Economic Development Agency and the UCR School of Business Administration are proposing to pair up to develop programs and marketing campaigns that emphasize the benefits to companies choosing to locate in Riverside County.
The board will vote on the proposed memorandum of understanding Tuesday.
“Look for the new partnership to help foster development of the UCR Medical School … biomedical and medical research facilities, high-tech, green technology and renewable energy resources,” said EDA spokesman Tom Freeman, who described the effort as “groundbreaking.”
The agreement calls for EDA and the business school to serve as “centers of information,” offering “expertise and assistance” to prospects.
“EDA and UCR-SBA agree to work together to develop an image of Inland Southern California as a place where … high technology companies are located and where their employees grow and thrive,” the agreement states.
The partners will cross-promote on their respective Web sites and in marketing campaigns.
Representatives from EDA and the business school will also develop promotional strategies and participate jointly in trade shows and other events that may attract prospects, county officials said.
The business school’s planned Institute for Developmental Economics & Advancement — IDEA — Forecasting Center is expected to be a key component of the partnership, pointing to trends in the marketplace that help the parties decide where to focus their energies.
Undergraduate and graduate students at UCR will have an opportunity to take part via internships “with significant focus in foreign trade, import and export, and international business development,” the agreement states.
