The Palm Desert Entrepreneurial Resource Center (ERC) celebrated its grand opening on March 5 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included networking, entertainment and refreshments provided by local small businesses.

The ERC is a partnership between the City of Palm Desert, the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at CSUSB, the Riverside County Office of Economic Development and CSUSB’s School of Entrepreneurship. It is located at 37023 Cook St., Ste. 102 — across the street from the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus.

Occupying the former Palm Desert iHub location, the ERC brings together a wide range of entrepreneurial support organizations to provide a complete set of training, technical assistance and access to resources for small business owners and entrepreneurs in the city and adjacent communities. In addition, the ERC offers co-working space, offices, conference and meeting areas for innovative startups, home-based businesses, remote workers and businesses relocating to Palm Desert that have not yet moved into a commercial space. 

Palm Desert ERC grand opening

Congratulatory remarks were provided by CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales, County of Riverside Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, City of Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Evan Trubee and CSUSB School of Entrepreneurship Director Mike Stull.     

“We at CSUSB are always looking for ways to support and strengthen opportunities and conditions for all who live here,” said Morales. “We view the ERC as a catalyst for economic growth in the city of Palm Desert and the greater Coachella Valley region.”

Stull added, “The ERC aims to empower small businesses, foster innovation and drive sustainable growth across the Coachella Valley. Together, we’re shaping a future where small businesses thrive, communities flourish and lives are changed. The ERC is more than an initiative, it’s a movement to transform lives through economic empowerment.”

The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship is part of the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at CSUSB. It is one of the largest university-based centers in the world and has a 25-plus year track record of providing business assistance programs in the community, having served more than 199,000 business owners and achieving an economic impact of more than $846 million. 

Visit the Palm Desert ERC website to learn more about its many programs.

About the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus: The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus is dedicated to providing a transformative educational experience in the Coachella Valley. With a focus on academic excellence and community engagement, the campus offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs designed to meet the diverse needs of its students and the region.

For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the Office of Marketing and Communications at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the PDC website at www.csusb.edu/pdc.