San Bernardino County State of the County Vision 2020 to Deliver Message of Growth

San Bernardino County State of the County Vision 2020 to Deliver Message of Growth

By San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair Curt Hagman — January 28, 2020

The start of the new year provides an opportunity to reflect back on where San Bernardino County has been and how this region is positioning itself for future growth. 

One of the best ways to plan for this year and what the future holds is to join me at San Bernardino County’s State of the County and Regional Business Summit. On February 5 more than 1,000 business, government and community leaders will be in attendance for the event. This year’s theme is Vision 2020.

These past 10 years have marked an exciting evolution for San Bernardino County and the Inland Empire. Throughout most of this last decade, we led population and job growth for Southern California and even across the State. And this remains true even now.

In one of its latest reports, Beacon Economics noted that the Inland Empire’s economy is defying recessionary fears and, in fact, is helping to drive the state’s continued economic expansion. In addition to ongoing job growth, the region’s home price appreciation over the past year has surpassed price growth in the state as a whole and in every other urban metro in Southern California.

As we look at the ways San Bernardino County will continue to expand it will be driven by innovation, a strong quality of life and a skilled workforce. These are what companies, start-ups and Fortune 500 firms alike, need to thrive in today’s economy. While we have long been an enviable choice for business expansion thanks to a strong transportation network, these new priorities for business expansion and relocation will be an important part of what makes San Bernardino County a preferred choice for business investment for the next decade. 

In a recent investment profile in Site Selection magazine, Dr. Michael Stull, professor of entrepreneurship and director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at Cal State-San Bernardino, says the area is on the cusp of becoming a national leader in innovation. “There’s a critical mass happening here,” he says. “There’s a general awareness of entrepreneurship and acceptance that this is a viable path. There’s been a definite increase in the awareness of the community and among the students that I work with. Twenty years ago, that was not the case.”

One of the innovators profiled in the article is Exquadrum, a firm that does rocket propulsion R&D in the High Desert. According to the firm, a broad-based workforce fuels much of the innovation taking place at Exquadrum. “We need technical personnel, aerospace engineers, chemical engineers and highly skilled technicians — people to build the hardware and test facilities — and a wide variety of support personnel,” Exquadrum CEO Kevin Mahaffy notes. 

Companies such as Exquadrum among others are leading San Bernardino County in innovation. At this year’s State of the County, we look forward to sharing the innovative companies, dynamic people and exciting new places that are going to be part of the region’s future and that will help us to continue economic expansion. 

Plus, we will share how we can best work together, across private and public sectors, to train our workforce to ensure we remain a top choice for job growth in California. 

On February 5 at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, we will have so much to share as we look back and look ahead to the future of the region, beyond what 2020 holds. In addition to our presentation, we will also host one of the best networking and business development events in the region. It’s all part of this year’s State of the County Vision 2020 and I look forward to seeing you there.

For tickets, go to www.SelectSBCounty.com.