Entrepreneurial Resource Center welcomes public at grand opening

Several hundred people from the community joined entrepreneurs, dignitaries from the California State University, San Bernardino and City of San Bernardino staff and elected officials last night for the grand opening of the new Entrepreneurial Resource Center (ERC).

The ERC, an initiative developed by the city and the college, is located in Studio D, on the fifth floor of the Chase Building, next to City Hall. The center is led by the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at CSUSB and is a place where entrepreneurs and small business owners in the city can access resources to launch and/or grow their businesses.

According to a report released earlier this year by the IECE, nearly half of all companies in the Inland Empire are minority-owned, but access to capital and resources continues to be a challenge for those businesses.

“The new center will improve access to resources for all aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, increase the rate of business creation, and foster greater success and long-term sustainability for local small businesses,” said Mike Stull, a professor of entrepreneurship and director of the IECE and the CSUSB School of Entrepreneurship. “The ERC will also seek to address disparities in small business ownership and entrepreneurship through a deliberate focus and outreach to underrepresented groups in the City.”

San Bernardino has committed $1.87 million to the joint venture over three years, while the IECE has earmarked $1.9 million in resources through its major business assistance programs including the Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (IESBDC) and Inland Empire Women’s Business Center (IEWBC).

“The creation of the Entrepreneurial Resource Center stands as a testament to the unwavering partnership between California State University, San Bernardino and the City of San Bernardino,” said Tomás D. Morales, president of the university. “The ERC will serve as a beacon of opportunity, a hub of creativity, and a catalyst for economic growth, providing budding entrepreneurs the resources and support they need to turn their visions into reality. Together, we embrace the spirit of innovation, resilience, and inclusivity, confident that this center will unleash the potential of our community and drive us towards a brighter, more prosperous future.”

The ERC grew out of the city and the university’s participation in the Aspen Institute Latinos & Society Program’s City Action Lab, a unique initiative that focuses on Latino majority cities and communities to strengthen local entrepreneurial ecosystems. San Bernardino was one of six cities nationally chosen to participate in the program, which focuses on generating long-term, inclusive economic growth through business ownership.

The IECE, housed at the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration at CSUSB, is one of the largest university-based centers in the world and has a 20-plus year track record of providing business assistance programs, having served more than 173,000 business owners and achieving an economic impact of more than $534 million.