RSG created an Economic Development Strategic Plan, focused on maximizing the effectiveness of current programs while bolstering capacity to network with businesses with RSG acting as an extension of City Economic Development staff. In collaboration with the City, RSG developed a list of 20-25 active commercial brokers and property managers and conducted surveys to ascertain how the City can improve communication and access to key resources they need, as well as understand the specific challenges their tenants are facing. RSG collected this feedback, analyzed the results, and reported back to the City on key opportunities for immediate attention. RSG then identified a representative list of small businesses in the City and suggested parameters for outreach, including industry subsector, COVID-19 closure threats, and neighborhood/commercial districts. We conducted a bilingual phone survey around issues facing these businesses and placed follow-up calls to 15 of these small businesses to seek input on key needs the business community is facing. Feedback was compiled, analyzed, and shared with staff.
RSG fully engaged the resident community in Corona by creating four different resident surveys to understand the obstacles and barriers they face. Topics included workforce needs and financial wealth building; shopping, dining, and entertainment; starting or owning a business in Corona; and small business needs. RSG and the City hosted a workshop in Spanish geared towards the topics covered in these surveys in order to ensure well-rounded and inclusive input. RSG also engaged economic development partners during a public workshop to understand their working relationship to the city, capacity, and key strengths that may not be fully leveraged, as well as developed input for a SWOT analysis. As part of these interviews, RSG gained perspectives on emerging economic data findings.
Throughout the development of the Strategy, RSG presented updates and received direction from the City Council Committee of the Whole.