Entrepreneurial Resource Center to open in San Bernardino

A new resource for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners will soon be available with the opening of the Entrepreneurial Resource Center (ERC) in San Bernardino thanks to a partnership between the City of San Bernardino and the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino.

The ERC will bring together a wide range of entrepreneurial support programs and organizations to provide a complete set of training, business counseling, and access to resources for small business owners and entrepreneurs in the City.

“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.”

Each partner is making a significant commitment to ensure the success of the ERC, including the City of San Bernardino investing of $1.87 million over three years, and the IECE investing $1.9 million of 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 City and CSUSB project that the ERC will be operational in October 2023.

“In just a few months, the ERC will be assisting San Bernardino’s small and family-owned businesses startup, grow, and thrive,” said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. “We are pleased to be partnering with Cal State San Bernardino on this and thank President Morales and his entire team for joining us by investing in the entrepreneurial spirit of our residents.”

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.

“The ERC in San Bernardino is an excellent example of how local communities such as the City of San Bernardino and the University can work collaboratively to generate long-term, inclusive economic growth through entrepreneurship.” said Tomas Gomez-Arias, dean of Jack H. Brown College.