Business
CSUSB Entrepreneurship Made a Big Splash at the Virtual Enterprise Expo

On Tuesday, February 19th, at the Pasadena Convention Center, the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) (http://entre.csusb.edu) was on scene as the headlining sponsor in support of the annual Regional Virtual Enterprise Conference & Exhibition Competition. The event represented a unique opportunity to reinforce the value of entrepreneurship to young business-minded professional, high school students from four surrounding counties of San Diego, Inland Empire, Riverside, and Los Angeles as well as some participants from the state of New York.
This event was attended by over 1,600 Virtual Enterprise (VE) students from 430 different schools who networked, competed, and showcased their budding business concepts to professional business judges. Among the activities, IECE sponsored the Elevator Pitch Competition, Business Trade Show Booth Design, and the Marketing Plan Competition. IECE also presented a trade show booth, making direct introductions and gaining interest and recruiting for the CSUSB Entrepreneurship program. Students were excited to learn of all the unique attributes of available resources offered to them by CSUSB campus and hundreds were very interested to learn more about the UpStarters Discovery Camp rolling out in summer 2019.
IECE offered up expertise within additional show format arenas and held “Coffee Talk” session hosted by our Entrepreneur in Residence, Steve Abbott. The format allowed Abbott to directly engage with students and deliver a realistic picture of what it looks like to actually develop your business while pursuing your college degree.
Prior to the closing ceremony, CSUSB Theater Art & Improv. Professor, Johanna Smith delivered a highly anticipated “Improvisational Mind” workshop. This Theater Arts course for Entrepreneurship students demonstrates the unique value that CSUSB Entrepreneurship programs brings to its potential student body. The VE students who participated in the workshop had praise-worthy reviews!
“Prior to this experience, I was a big fan of theatre but I never thought that I was capable of doing anything to that degree of skill. I always thought of myself as slow-witted, so, I never really tried, but your workshop really brought me out of my comfort zone! I think this experience will definitely play into my approach to salesmanship from now on and I feel a lot more comfortable with impromptu speaking. Thank you a lot for taking time out of your day to make our stressful day a little less stressful!” -Vivian Le, VE Student.
“I wanted to express my gratitude to Johanna Smith for her amazing workshop. Coming into the workshop, I was not quite sure what to expect. However, I quickly caught on and was pleasantly surprised. The workshop pushed me to try things that I had never done before. I think that the workshop really brought to light a new side of me and allowed me to grow as a person. I really appreciate Ms. Smith taking her time to host the workshop and I hope that she is able to come again next year to help even more students.” – Ethan Nguyen, CEO of Ecocentric.
The event closing keynote presentation was delivered by Dr. Mike Stull, Director of IECE and academic professor of entrepreneurship. Dr. Stull gave a highly energized talk covering the “Top 5 Rookie Mistakes of Entrepreneurship.” Dr. Stull’s address was well received by the crowd of students. Closing out the event, Dr. Stull and VE California Regional Director Teri Jones presented the top awards to all of the winning students for various competitive categories, including the sponsored IECE Elevator Pitch Competition.
Students reaching the top prizes in their respective competitions will now move on to compete in the national Youth Business Summit, which is a one-of-a-kind global business convention for VE students, held in New York later this year.
Virtual Enterprises (VE) is an educational nonprofit, transforming students into business professionals by bringing the workplace into the classroom. Since its inception in 1996, VE has served over 140,000 students, including many from economically disadvantaged communities. VE’s team includes a community of educators, business leaders, and post-secondary partners who help guide their mission. They currently support over 15,000 students across 19 states each year, working with schools and districts to implement a year-long, credited class that provides students with an authentic, collaborative business, and entrepreneurship experience through its live global business simulation model. Learn more veinternational.org.
Business
Fire Helmet Manufacturer Helps Disabled Community find Employment

Riverside’s Phenix Technology Leads with Inclusion, Empowering the Disabled Community Through Workforce Training and Employer Education
Written by Logan Rosselli, IEBJ Content Contributor
In the heart of Riverside, off of Chicago Avenue, a small, but mighty team has been quietly manufacturing life-saving equipment for firefighters across the world for over 50 years. Phenix Technology Inc. is an internationally recognized fire helmet manufacturer who builds their products from start to finish right here in the Inland Empire. For their great products, they’ve received numerous awards such as the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Innovator of the Year, a 2016 “E” for Exports award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, a finalist position in the “Coolest Thing Made in California” competition and more. However, their most recent accolade doesn’t involve their products at all.
In 2024, Phenix founded the ground breaking “Opportunity for All” program to provide disabled community members with the opportunity to access career education, hands-on experience and employment opportunities through an 11 week training cohort. In this program, neurodivergent individuals wanting to find stable employment learn about standard hiring practices, writing a resume, effective interviewing and professional attire while getting on-the-job training with a partnered employer in the community. It has helped dozens of disabled community members to find a new sense of independence and achieve their full potential while helping local employers find dependable employees who bring a unique perspective to the workplace.
It’s for this program that the National Association of Workforce Development Boards (NAWB), a representative of over 570 workforce development boards across the United States, honored Phenix with the prestigious W.O. Lawton Business Leadership Award in late March.
“While we take tremendous pride in the products we make, we also believe we have a mission to create a better world through developing opportunities,” said Angel Sanchez, CEO of Phenix Technology in a statement released in early April. “Opportunity for All has helped prove that individuals who have historically been excluded from the workforce don’t just contribute — they elevate organizations. We are honored to receive this national award and grateful to the partners who have helped us make this vision a reality.”
CEO Angel Sanchez Jr. accepts the NAWB Award
Though “Opportunity for All” is certainly the cornerstone program for the company, Phenix’s leadership team was not satisfied to leave their mission there. Thus, in 2024, the company founded its nonprofit arm, Phenix Gateway to offer more programs and advocacy to the community. Through Phenix Gateway, the company offers workforce development workshops for individuals who don’t need the full scale of the “Opportunity for All” program, but want to improve a specific skill like resume writing or workplace social skills.
However, Phenix knows that preparing disabled people for the workforce is only one end of the equation; the workforce also has to be prepared to accept the unique skills, perspectives and challenges of the disabled community. For this reason, Phenix Gateway offers employer training workshops as well as educational materials available to businesses and the community. Training programs cover a lot of ground, ranging from assistance with optimizing interviews for people with neurodevelopmental disorders to creating sensory-friendly environments in the workplace.
In Riverside, these programs have had a huge impact on the local community. As of March 2025, Phenix’s Opportunity for All program has had over two dozen participants and 44% found stable employment through or after the program. Their one-off workforce development workshops have seen over 200 participants learn new skills and help them find employment and the nonprofit currently partners with close to 90 businesses to assist them in their endeavor to create a more inclusive workforce.
Phenix Gateway staff helps a program participant with his skills
For businesses or community members interested in learning how they can support or participate in these programs, Phenix encourages them to reach out by email to info@phenixgateway.org and to attend their First Annual Gala: Rising Together, A Phenix Gateway Celebration, on Thursday, May 15th. Tickets for this event are available at phenixgateway.org.
Business
Supported by Local Leaders, CALED’s Annual Conference will be in Ontario this May

Empowering Economic Growth: CALED Conference Set to Unite Industry Leaders in Ontario
CALED’s ‘Growing Local Economies from the Ground Up’ Conference is being held in Ontario at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport on May 7-9. This event is co-hosted by the City of Ontario and San Bernardino County, with Jennifer McLain Hiramoto, CALED’s Chair of the Board and Derek Armstrong respectively representing their city and county as Co-Chairs of the event.
With over 950 members and 45 years of empowering economic developers, CALED is the largest economic development association in the country and the annual conference is the number one place to meet and connect with the boots-on-the -ground, decision makers in our communities.
The conference will include a pre-conference teaching tour, ‘Building & Paying for Development Projects’ on May 6th and then begin in full on May 7th, with a welcome session and breakouts. Overall, there will be four general assembly sessions and 18 breakout sessions, which will delve into local economic development practices and innovative tools.
In addition to compelling content, the conference will have numerous opportunities to connect with community leaders and valued peers through networking receptions, the culinary crawl, and new this year, the Tournament of Champions, where conference attendees will navigate a gauntlet of games to win the grand prize on the evening of Thursday, May 8th.
To learn more about the conference and register, visit the CALED website at www.caled.org.
Business
Strengthening Community Connections: Our Exciting New Partnership with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL

Contributed Content | By Chris Venhoff, Senior Vice President and Inland Empire Market Leader for Consumer and Business Banking at U.S. Bank
As the Inland Empire market leader for U.S. Bank, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: we are proud to be the Official Bank Partner of Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center. This partnership represents a reflection of our deep commitment to the Inland Empire and our dedication to fostering a vibrant, thriving community.
At U.S. Bank, we believe that strong partnerships drive meaningful progress. Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center are at the heart of the region’s culture and economy, bringing people together for world-class entertainment, business conventions, and community events. By joining forces, we’re not only expanding our presence but also creating opportunities to engage with residents, businesses, and organizations in ways that make a lasting impact.
Through our sponsorship, we’ll support concerts, sporting events, and conventions that showcase the diversity and energy of the Inland Empire. But this is only the beginning. As our partnership evolves, we’ll work closely with Toyota Arena, Ontario Convention Center, and GOCAL to introduce community-focused programs, including financial literacy workshops and charitable giving initiatives.
This partnership is designed to bring added value to the people we serve. For our customers, we’re introducing the U.S. Bank Fast Pass Lanes, providing priority access at Toyota Arena events. Special offers, exclusive event experiences, and tailored financial solutions for businesses operating in the region are just a few of the many perks we’re excited to roll out.
Our employees are at the core of our success, and this partnership allows us to recognize their dedication. Through exclusive access to events, corporate hospitality opportunities, and community volunteer programs, our team will have new ways to engage with and celebrate the community they serve.
The Inland Empire is a dynamic, fast-growing region, and we’re committed to supporting its continued success. By investing in Toyota Arena and Ontario Convention Center, we’re helping to create and sustain jobs while driving local business growth. These venues bring in visitors, revenue, and visibility, strengthening the region’s economy.
This collaboration is about more than just sponsorship—it’s about making a difference. By working together, we can elevate not just these venues but the entire Inland Empire. At U.S. Bank, we’re committed to being a partner in progress, supporting our customers, businesses, and communities every step of the way.
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