San Bernardino County Economic Development Department

What San Bernardino County Economic Development Department does

The San Bernardino County Economic Development Department is a county government agency that delivers free economic development services to businesses, entrepreneurs, and film production companies operating in or relocating to San Bernardino County, California. Its core service portfolio comprises Site Selection, Market Analysis, Project Facilitation, Small Business Resources, and Film Permitting, supplemented by strategic planning via the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) document. Services are delivered through a hybrid model: one-on-one consultation by specialized staff, partnerships with 24 incorporated cities, three regional America's Job Centers of California (AJCCs), the Inland Empire SBDC, and self-service through digital platforms.

The department's technology surface is modest and primarily informational rather than productized. It operates the Select San Bernardino County consumer website (selectsbcounty.com), the Data Hub (sbcountydata.com), the Map Hub for spatial analysis, the EZOP online film permitting system, and BizHUUB, a small business resource portal launched in July 2025 in partnership with HUUB and available in English and Spanish. The platform stack is conventional web technology; no proprietary AI/ML or differentiated technical IP is disclosed. The department produces no commercial products and holds no patents or trademarks beyond its operating brand.

The business model is government-funded rather than commercial. The department operates on public budget allocations under the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and provides all services at no cost to users. It is led by Director Deepak Bahl with a team of approximately 12 staff members spanning a Manager (FDI), Film and Events Marketing Manager, Economic Development Coordinator, specialists in business retention, international business development, market analysis, and film permitting, plus technical and administrative support. Revenue is not generated commercially; the department's measurable outputs are jobs attracted, capital invested, businesses supported, and deals closed on behalf of the county, including Amazon's 4.1 million square foot Ontario warehouse (the company's largest U.S. warehouse deal), Maersk's 1.2 million square foot Inland Empire lease, ZM Trucks' first North American manufacturing plant, and Victoria Gardens' approximately $530 million retail acquisition.

Name

San Bernardino County Economic Development Department

Legal name

San Bernardino County Economic Development Department

Website

https://selectsbcounty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

The San Bernardino County Economic Development Department is a county government agency providing free site selection, market analysis, project facilitation, small business support, and film permitting services to businesses and entrepreneurs across San Bernardino County, funded entirely through public budget allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Administration of Economic Programs (9261), Administration of General Economic Programs (92611)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), State/Provincial Licensing, Permitting & Regulatory Administration (Cross-sector) (BPAIABAO)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business attraction support
• Site selection assistance
• Small business resources
• Film permitting coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

San Bernardino

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a county government department, the Economic Development Department is funded through public budget allocations rather than commercial revenue generation. Services are provided at no cost to businesses and entrepreneurs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The San Bernardino County Economic Development Department provides free, no-cost economic development services to businesses, entrepreneurs, and film productions seeking to establish, expand, or operate within the county. Core offerings include site selection, market and demographic analysis, project facilitation, small business support resources, dedicated business retention and international trade assistance, and centralized film permitting. The department also operates the BizHUUB online portal, which consolidates permitting, licensing, and incentive information across all 24 incorporated cities in the county, alongside Data Hub and Map Hub resources.

Product overview

San Bernardino County Economic Development Department offers a unified suite of economic development services rather than a modular software product. The core offerings include Site Selection, Market Analysis, Project Facilitation, and Small Business Resources, which function as interconnected service lines. Supporting these are digital platforms including BizHUUB (the small business resource portal launched July 2025), the Data Hub and Map Hub for geographic and statistical intelligence, and the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) as the governing strategic framework. Film Permitting operates as a specialized permitting service with its own online application workflow through the EZOP system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Selection Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Amazon's biggest U.S. warehouse deal - 4.1 million square feet in Ontario
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HUUBcoreTechnology or Integration · 8 July 2025HUUB is an online platform partner for BizHUUB, San Bernardino County's small business resource portal. The partnership provides free 24/7 online access to business tips, guidance from local experts, educational webinars, expert consultants booking, funding directory, learning library, events calendar, and community resource directory. Available in English and Spanish.
• Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGO-Biz is California's leader for job growth, economic development, and business assistance. Offers no-cost consultation for incentive identification, site selection, regulatory/permitting compliance assistance, foreign direct investment, and export assistance. The department refers businesses to GO-Biz for state-level support.
• San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department (WDD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates programs under Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) guidance. Runs America's Job Centers of California (AJCCs) in East Valley, West Valley, and High Desert regions. Provides On-the-Job Training Funds, Customized Training, Business Workshops, and labor market intelligence.
• Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (SBDC)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides no-cost technical assistance, extensive one-on-one long-term professional business advising, low-cost training, and specialized services for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. Offers monthly workshops and consulting on marketing, funding, management, and planning.
• Asociación de Emprendedor@sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to uplift Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs in San Bernardino County. Offers programs in Spanish, tailored support, mentorship, and facilitated access to resources. Programs hosted quarterly throughout the county.
• Randall Lewis Center for Entrepreneurship at CSUSBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading organization in the Inland Empire for innovative programs and educational resources for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Provides comprehensive support for entrepreneurial journey.
• U.S. Commercial ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. Offers expertise in international trade with local assistance in Ontario. County has partnered and sponsored Gold Key services for manufacturing for export purposes.
• 24 City Partners (Countywide Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 24 incorporated cities: Adelanto, Apple Valley, Barstow, Big Bear Lake, Colton, Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Hesperia, Highland, Loma Linda, Montclair, Needles, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, San Bernardino, Twentynine Palms, Upland, Victorville, Yucaipa, and Yucca Valley. Cities provide coordinated economic development services and local support.
• State of the County 2025 SponsorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors include Amazon, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Athens Services, BNSF Railway, Burrtec, Cadiz, CalPortland, California Steel Industries, CBRE, Chino Valley Medical Center, City of Ontario, Discover Inland Empire, Dokken Engineering, Equinox Gold, Garner Holt Productions, General Atomics, General Motors, GOCAL, Goodwill Southern California, Griffin Structures, Hillwood, HMC Architects, IE Health Plan, Inland Regional Energy Network, IAFF, Kaiser Permanente, Lewis Group, Loma Linda University Health, Majestic Realty, National CORE, Next Era Energy, Niagara, Ontario International Airport, Options for Youth, Placeworks, Quality Management Group, Related, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas, Transtech, Voya, Watson Land Company, Workforce Development Board, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation.
• California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents small business views and interests across the state, advocating for equitable access to capital, markets, and networks to help California small businesses start, manage, grow, and become resilient.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC): NYCEDC is a quasi-public economic development corporation that combines planning, real estate, and business attraction services. While much larger and urban-focused, its hybrid public-mandate model is structurally analogous to SBC's department.
• Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC): GPEC is a leading U.S. regional EDO that competes with Inland Empire jurisdictions for logistics, manufacturing, and semiconductor projects. Comparable scale, multi-county coordination, and site-selection service model make it a national comp.
• Greater Houston Partnership: Houston's regional chamber-EDO hybrid, comparable in scale and scope to a large county EDO. Operates site selection, FDI, and workforce development programs in a similarly logistics- and manufacturing-heavy economy.
• San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation: San Diego Regional EDC pursues business attraction and retention across San Diego County with a comparable service mix (site selection, market analysis, advocacy). It is a regional SoCal peer with a more life-sciences-oriented portfolio.
• Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz): California's state-level economic development agency, which SBC partners with for incentive identification, permitting assistance, and FDI. GO-Biz operates one tier above the county and sets the policy/competitive framework within which county EDOs compete.
• Orange County Business Council: OCBC is the established business advocacy and economic development organization for Orange County, a higher-cost Southern California market that competes for corporate HQs, advanced industries, and FDI capital alongside SBC.

Direct peers

• Riverside County Office of Economic Development: Riverside County's EDO serves the adjacent Inland Empire market and competes head-to-head with SBC for warehouse, logistics, and manufacturing tenants. Shared labor shed, port-proximity narrative, and similar industry targets make this the closest direct peer.
• Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC): LAEDC is the county-level economic development organization for neighboring Los Angeles County, pursuing overlapping mandates of business attraction, retention, and policy advocacy across Southern California. It directly competes for the same enterprise tenants and FDI leads that SBC targets.
• Inland Empire Economic Partnership (IEEP): IEEP is the regional private-public partnership covering the Inland Empire bi-county region (Riverside + San Bernardino). It operates the Business of the Year awards referenced in SBC's customer wins and serves overlapping employer-advocacy and policy functions.

Others

• San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District: Not a direct EDO peer, but a key regional infrastructure provider whose water availability, rates, and reliability materially affect SBC's ability to attract water-intensive manufacturing and logistics users. Functions as an enabling/adjacent peer in the regional economic-development ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/selectsbcounty
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfbqkECBSBRpJEf23CDiaBw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/county-of-san-bernardino-economic-development-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Bernardino County Economic Development Department