Richard Dozier, Riverside County Office of Foreign Trade, highlighted several of the efforts that have been key in increasing the region’s position as a center for international trade and investment. In addition to multiple trade agreements and the expansion of the county’s Foreign Trade Zones, the Office of Foreign Trade has been actively promoting the development of EB-5 centers and providing export training to local business owners.  The results are promising – 35 nations have already invested in Riverside County and an estimated 11,800 direct jobs with a payroll of $805 Million have been created from foreign investment. In addition, the County’s global rank for exporting regions jumped from 43rd in 2009 to 27th in the world.

Danielle Wheeler, March Joint Powers Authority, highlighted the benefits of the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) that serves the City of Riverside businesses. The FTZ is a geographic region that serves provides certain tax, tariff and duty benefits to companies that are importing, exporting, or adding value to imported materials before selling or distributing finished products. In 2012, 564 people were employed in active sites within the FTZ and $1 Billion worth of product moved through the zone. Because of these programs, businesses that take advantage of the FTZ, including Flexsteel and Skechers, have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

Another international resource is Riverside’s eight Sister Cities. Lalit Acharya, City of Riverside Mayor’s Office, noted how these relationships provide direct access to the economic and educational opportunities of each city. Examples of projects that have been a direct result of Riverside’s Sister City program include the relocation, expansion and research investments of SolarMax (estimated impact of $28.5 million to date and growing), Southern California Research Initiative for Solar Energy (SC-RISE), several student exchange opportunities, as well as the City’s signature Festival of Lights event and the more recent addition, Long Night of Arts & Innovation. Acharya estimated the overall Sister City impact to date to exceed $112 Million.

To watch the full international trade presentation, click here (Item #10, Workshop).

For more information on local international trade opportunities, be sure to attend the June 6 World Trade & Investment Summit.

Dominguez’ first project was the automation of marriage licenses with the County of Riverside. When the State of California purchased the software for statewide implementation, his company was officially launched.

Since then, he and business partner Grant Gyulnazaryan continue to work with government agencies and businesses to build software that improves the efficiency of the organization’s operations.

SouthTech owners Jose Dominguez (left) and Grant Gyulnazaryan (right)

“We see too many companies build something without understanding their client’s business process,” explains Grant. “Instead, we listen to our customers and try to see where the problem is – and it may not be just a technical issue, it could be a fear of the process itself – so we try to make it better. Then, we go back and ask our clients what has worked and what doesn’t so that we are always improving and working to better meet their specific needs.”

The company’s most recent success was the automation of the Form 700, the employee disclosure statement required of certain public employees as mandated by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).  This service alone is already assisting over 30,000 filers across California and will soon include the City of Riverside.

SouthTech has been in Riverside since 2006 and its owners view the community as not just a great place for their families, but a fertile ground for their business’s future as well. As a small, self-funded company in which the owners must wear several hats, access to support and businesses resources are key.

“I recently evaluated our company and its growth track,” stated Gyulnazaryan. “I started seeing so many good resources here in Riverside, such as the CEO Forum where great minds get together once a month and exchange ideas or offer you insight on a project.  In addition, we love the attitude here – it’s more like a business environment than a government and I think that brings a lot of value.”

To find out more about SouthTech Systems, visit their website at SouthTechSystems.com.

Ronaldo Fierro, left, owner of the Salted Pig in downtown Riverside, stands with Austin Amento, owner of Augie's Coffeehouse in Redlands, in front of Fierro's restaurant on Wednesday, May 14, 2013. Amento is opening a satellite location in Fierro's building (pictured at left) at the Salted Pig's corner. Photo by David Bauman; source: PE.com

Ronaldo Fierro’s work is far from done in his native Riverside, a community he loves.

The young CEO of a downtown gastro pub called The Salted Pig plans to open two more businesses on the block. Both works-in-progress in buildings that he owns are well underway: a specialty cocktail bar called W. Wolfskill and a combination coffeehouse and craft beer shop named Bobby’s Bottle Shop/Augie’s Coffee Roasters.

“I’m extremely blessed,” said Fierro, 28, who sports a nearly-shaved head, signature comic book shirts and oversized glasses.

With the help of investors and his parents, Mel and Mary-Ann Fierro, owners of Inland Premium Packers, the rookie restaurateur opened the 8,000-square-foot Salted Pig at 3700 12th St. on Valentine’s Day 2011. He bought the former Crystal Antiques store, which contains the vacant site he is turning into the hybrid brew tasting room and coffee house, in 2008.

“I feel as though I’ve hit it out of the park with my first restaurant in a part of downtown Riverside that was underdeveloped,” Fierro said. “We’ve been through some hard times, but we’re very profitable. I’m not in this to make a lot of money, but to develop the bar and restaurant scene.”

He said he has sunk close to $1 million gutting and remodeling the abandoned Royal Falconer Pub at 4281 Main St., a building he owns five doors from The Salted Pig.

By next fall or winter, he hopes to open a 4,000-square-foot bar there that serves high-end, hand-crafted cocktails. The name is a tribute to William Wolfskill, a Los Angeles agronomist/cowboy who helped develop the state’s commercial citrus industry, especially the Valencia orange.

“We want Riverside to be known for innovation, not imitation,” Fierro said.

Mark Allen, a Riverside resident, said he has succeeded. He recently brought a colleague to The Salted Pig for a business lunch. Allen, 35, a Friday night regular, praised the staff’s knowledge of its craft beers, the ambience, the “show” in the kitchen and the food.

Fierro’s other project, the joint coffeehouse and bottle shop, will occupy the 1,500-square-foot empty corner next to The Salted Pig at 4205 Main St and will seat 40 inside and out. The shop will marry gourmet roasted beans from Augie’s Coffee House in Redlands and craft beer, the latter to be poured and sold on site. Fierro said he is shooting for a late summer or early fall opening.

To read the full article as published on PE.com, click here.

Follow Laurie Lucas on Twitter @laurielucas and check her blog on http://blog.pe.com/retail/.

Photo source: www.meetup.com/startupie

Meetups are an increasingly popular option for like-minded individuals to connect, get together and learn, do or share their common interests. StartupIE  is helping to bring together the burgeoning tech startup community of Inland Southern California. In addition to hosting the monthly Meetups, StartupIE was also a key partner in Riverside’s first Startup Weekend held earlier this month.

If you are interested in tech entrepreneurship, have an idea for a startup company, want to work at a startup, or just want to network with people, StartupIE organizers invite you to join their group.

The May 23rd event will be held at 7 p.m. at the CE-CERT building in Riverside. To register, click here. For more information about the featured speaker, Mr. Sean Varner, click here.

Photo source: www.PortofLosAngeles.org

In  an effort to provide local businesses with an up-close and personal look at how port operations can make or break their importing or exporting endeavors, the Riverside County Office of Foreign Trade hosted a tour of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Fifty-eight business owners from throughout the county attended the tour, which included a briefing on port activities and economic impacts, as well as the opportunity to meet with Federal SBA representatives. While Riverside County is located approximately 60 miles from the Ports, these U.S. entry-points are the lifeline to exports of billions of products manufactured or grown in Riverside County.

The event was yet another part of Riverside County Office of Foreign Trade efforts to educate the business community and business owners on the opportiunes to grow their business by exporting products made in the county or by bringing goods in the county that are assembled here. The close proximity to the Ports, the county’s four Foreign Trade Zones, its Ex-Im Bank  partnership, and nation-leading number of EB 5 Regional Finance Centers are significant incentives for retention and attraction of businesses in the region, and is one of the many reasons why Riverside County has emerged as an international commerce destination and national export leader.

For more information on this and other international trade programs, a special presentation will be made during the afternoon session of the May 14, 2013 City Council meeting, including highlights on Riverside’s EB-5 program, local Foreign Trade Zones and the Sister City program. Also, don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Riverside County World Trade & Investment Summit to be held on June 6, 2013 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

RECon is the world’s largest gathering of retail real estate professionals and provides the opportunity to network, make deals and learn from industry experts. No other retail real estate convention attracts a worldwide audience of over 30,000 attendees.

“The City of Riverside economic development team has been attending the ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) national trade show for over a decade,” explained Larry Vaupel, Economic Development Manager. “This large-scale event is characterized as the ‘dance’ with prospective retail tenants and developers, and we need to be there to promote Riverside’s opportunities as well as support our developers and property owners that have invested in Riverside.”

One of the key tools that Riverside utilizes for the event is their international award-winning ‘Retail Opportunities Map’. Providing an overview of the key demographics on which retailers base location decisions, including average household income and local traffic counts, the map has proven extremely effective in retail promotion efforts and is highly regarded by local real estate partners. Team members will have copies available at the trade show, or you can download and preview the map here (Adobe 9.0 or later is required).

The conference and trade show takes place May 19 through 21, 2013. Brokers, retailers or developers interested in scheduling an appointment with a City of Riverside team member can email Sherry Shimshock or Greg Lee.

With research proving play is critical to the overall well-being of children, Riverside earned recognition from national non-profit KaBOOM! as a 2013 Playful City USA community for our efforts to give children the childhood they deserve by providing ample opportunities for play.  This year, 217 cities and towns were recognized.

Today’s generation of children play less than any previous generation despite the vast benefits. The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive and physical well-being of children. 

Sponsored by the Humana Foundation, Playful City USA is a national program from KaBOOM! that celebrates and promotes local policies that increase play opportunities for children and is a key platform in combating the lack of play among children.

“Active living is the Riverside Way” said Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey.  “This community understands the important role of connecting with others – and that begins with ‘Play’ during childhood.  We are a Fit Fresh & Fun city and we are proud to be recognized by KaBOOM as a Playful City USA.”

KaBOOM!, the national non-profit organization dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve by bringing play to those who need it most, created Playful City USA in 2007 to help local governments address the lack of play and it is through mayors, city council members, parks and recreation departments, school districts and community leaders that the program succeeds in benefitting children.

“Kids need to play actively, every day, at home, in school and in their communities, yet play is disappearing,” said Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM! and author of The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: A Movement to Save Play. “Children spend nearly eight hours a day in front of a screen; almost half of all poor students are deprived of recess; and to make matters worse, only one in five children live within walking distance of a park. Playful City USA communities like Riverside are creating innovative programs and initiatives and deserve recognition because of their efforts to give kids the childhood they deserve and best prepare them for their future.”

Each of the 2013 Playful City USA communities demonstrated creative commitments to addressing the lack of play among children. Playful City USA celebrates and highlights these unique initiatives developed by communities across the country. A primary goal of Playful City USA is to encourage cities and towns to share ideas, concepts and programs in an effort to increase play opportunities for children. City initiatives include:

KaBOOM! also selected Riverside for its outstanding dedication to play. Riverside’s partnership with ARC of Riverside County has raised awareness of the universally accessible playground at Fairmount Park and increased the opportunity for children with disabilities to play and interact with their peers.

The 217 Playful City USA communities are now eligible for $15,000, $20,000 and $30,000 grants via Let’s Play, a community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to get kids and families active nationwide. Grant recipients will be announced in the fall. 

For more information on the KaBOOM! Playful City USA program, including Let’s Play grants and applications for 2014, visit www.playfulcityusa.org. 

About KaBOOM!

KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving kids the childhood they deserve by bringing play to those who need it most. Children today spend less time playing outdoors than any previous generation, a fact that is having disastrous consequences on their health, achievement levels, and overall well-being. Social entrepreneur Darell Hammond founded non-profit KaBOOM! in 1996 in Washington, D.C. with a vision of creating a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America because children need to play actively every day at home, in school and in their communities. Since then, KaBOOM! has mapped over 90,000 places to play, built more than 2,200 playgrounds, and successfully advocated for play policies in hundreds of cities across the country. KaBOOM! also provides communities with online tools to self-organize and take action to support play on both a local and national level. Hammond chronicles the founding of the organization and the importance of the cause of play in his The New York Times Best Seller KaBOOM!: A Movement to Save Play, now out in paperback. The book details how businesses and communities can work together to save play for children across the country. All author proceeds support KaBOOM!. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has an office in San Mateo, Calif. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org.

About the Humana Foundation

The Humana Foundation was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading health care companies. Located in Louisville, Ky., the site of Humana’s corporate headquarters, the Foundation’s mission is to promote healthy lives and healthy communities. The Foundation’s key funding priorities are childhood health, intergenerational health, and active lifestyles. For more information, visit www.humanafoundation.org.

Humana and the Humana Foundation are dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. Our goal is to ensure that every business decision we make reflects our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our members, our associates, the communities we serve, and our planet.

Teams worked to create new businesses in less than three days.

Startup Weekend Riverside organizer and founder of Riverside.io, Benjamin Mueller, described this past weekend’s event as “Amazing,” adding that of the four Startup Weekends he has attended in the past, this one was at the top in terms of the quality of each project – “clean development process and strong product types.”

Startup Weekend is a global program that brings 54-hour events to select cities where “developers, coders, designers marketers, product managers and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products and create startups.”  Typically half of the event attendees have technical backgrounds while the other half have business backgrounds.

Attendees listen to other teams pitch their business idea and plans to event judges on Sunday evening.

Not only are Startup Weekends known for bringing jobs and investment to a community, but according to Mueller, they “Inspire and ignite a passion in the younger, less risk-adverse generation – and that demographic in your startup scene tends to attract more outside investors.”

When Mueller, who is not a native Riversider, was asked why he and his team decided to lead this effort in Riverside, he explained that these endeavors cannot just be built by one person or organization, it really takes a cross-collaboration of leaders from throughout the community that are passionate about entrepreneurialism and startup businesses. He added that, “The way that the City approaches economic development was also key. They don’t try to dictate how businesses should operate, but rather they provide resources and helpful information that enable [businesses] to be successful.”

Mueller credited StartupIE and Riverside.io as the driving forces behind Riverside’s successful inaugural Startup Weekend. His partners, Mike Kennedy and Conley Read, each played integral roles securing the space, sponsors, coaches, food and all other details that made the event a huge success. Participants rewarded their efforts with rave reviews and excitement to continue working on their new business ventures.

Looking ahead the team anticipates organizing two Startup Weekends in Riverside per year, each time adding more elements that build on its special and unique atmosphere. For the next Startup Weekend, which Mueller hopes to take place as early as this fall, the team is focused on bringing in more resources from outside of the area, such as judges, to increase Riverside’s exposure and build credibility.

For more information on the Riverside Startup Weekend, visit their official website at riverside.startupweekend.org.

Throughout the month, events and observances that will take place throughout the country include:

• National Travel and Tourism Week, a celebration of that industry’s contributions to the U.S. economy, will take place from May 4-12.
• On May 16, the Small Business Administration and Denver U.S. Export Assistance Center will co-sponsor the 40^th Annual World Trade Day.
• May 19 will bring the start of World Trade Week, a tradition dating back to 1927 and marked by a Presidential proclamation.
• During that week, the President’s annual “E” Awards will be presented to leading U.S. exporters.

In addition, Twitter chats throughout the month will offer chances to learn about exporting and pose questions to government agencies involved in President Obama’s National Export Initiative. You can also follow hashtag #WorldTradeMonth for more trade and event updates.

Locally, the City of Riverside in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Foreign Trade work everyday to create opportunities for local businesses to benefit from exporting goods or attracting foreign investment. A special presentation will be made during the afternoon session of the May 14, 2013 City Council meeting on Riverside’s EB-5 program, local Foreign Trade Zones and the Sister City program.

Look for more updates on these efforts throughout the month of May and mark your calendars for the Riverside County World Trade & Investment Summit to be held on June 6, 2013 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

The goal of the Riverside Small Business Resource Expo is to enable the growth of the small business community by providing attendees with free workshops and an opportunity to connect with representatives specializing in finance, utilities, human resources, government, business services and health care. It is essentially a one-stop opportunity to efficiently gather free, valuable information from over 50 exhibitors tailored to the needs of small business.

For more information, visit the event’s official Facebook page, or contact the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce at (951) 683-7100, ext. 210 or 218.