EDA Annual Report 2013-2014

Riverside County College of Foreign Trade Riverside County, in partnership with The Small Business Administration and the Department of Commerce, provided the Export Training Assistance Program (ETAP), a series of free seminars. Over 200 manufacturers, service providers, economic development professionals, and elected officials took part in the seminars this past year. The purpose of the College of Foreign Trade is to provide training, a path to connect with agencies that provide foreign trade services, connect companies with new potential overseas markets, and promote the economic advantages of expanding foreign trade efforts.

Awards Riverside County EDA/ Office of Foreign Trade (OFT) received International, national, state, and regional recognition winning several awards this year. Internationally the OFT received the European Union President’s Recognition Award, the Republic of Croatia Foreign Service Award, the Canada California Business Council Canadian Order of Merit Award and the Vancouver Canada Mayor’s Recognition Award. Nationally the OFT was given the United States Small Business Association International Trade Merit Award and has been nominated for the Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center- Democratic Governance Innovation Award. The OFT garnered state and regional recognition receiving the “Award of Merit” from the California Association for Local Economic Development for “Innovation in Economic Development” and the “Red Tape to Red Carpet” award from the Inland Empire Economic Development Partnership.

Immigrant Investor EB-5 Regional Centers Thanks to the investments made possible by the “EB-5” Program, Riverside County now has five projects that when completed, will represent over $100 million in direct foreign investment and will create a minimum of 250 jobs county-wide. Among these various projects is a new apartment building in the City of Riverside, a shopping center in Jurupa, and three state- of-the-art senior care centers located throughout the county; in Moreno Valley, Murrieta and Indio. In addition to those already in progress, as many as 7-8 projects may also be introduced in Riverside County this year alone, pending the project approvals by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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