The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) has published the 2021 Impact Report and the data shows that the IECE continues to have a growing and impactful economic presence in the region.
Among the findings is that in 2021, the IECE had a total net positive economic contribution of slightly more than $70 million when the total loans, contracts, and exports are combined. “That's the direct economic impact, that doesn't account for any multiplier effects,” said Mike Stull, Director of IECE.
IECE was also responsible for the creation and retention of approximately 17,000 jobs in 2021. The jobs are representative of a variety of industries including hospitality, logistics, tech, construction and retail services. Another category of jobs is for the entrepreneurs themselves who become self-employed after launching their ventures.
“Due to the pandemic a great deal of focus in last years impact to the economy was in assisting companies in keeping employees on the payroll. We did a lot of work to keep people employed and to keep their employees in-house. And so that's reflected in that number as well,” said Paul Nolta, Manager of the IECE Small Business Development Center.
The report also details that IECE held more than a thousand training and networking events last year with more than 17,000 attendees. Women-owned and minority-owned businesses were also heavily featured in the IECE training and assistance programs with more than 2,000 and 2,500 businesses facilitated respectively.
For a copy of the report visit https://entre.csusb.edu/.
About CSUSB’s Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship
The Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at Cal State San Bernardino is the largest and most experienced organization in the Inland Empire dedicated to supporting small business and entrepreneurship on campus for the Jack H. Brown College of Business & Public Administration’s School of Entrepreneurship, and within the community throughout the Inland Southern California region. Established in 1999, the IECE has served nearly 150,000 individuals and business owners with comprehensive business counseling, mentoring, innovative training programs and engaging events. These services have resulted in the creation and retention of nearly 40,000 jobs and an economic impact of nearly $400 million. The center is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and strives to continue to expand its reach across all business owners to support them through the post-pandemic repopulation and beyond.
The top tier segments of the IECE include the Women’s Business Centers (IEWBC.org) (CVWBC.org), the Small Business Development Centers (IESBDC) (IEsmallbusiness.com) and the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) (californiaexport.org) and the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Awards (spiritawardsie.com.
To learn more about IECE and all of the programs available visit, entre.csusb.edu.
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