Expanding Manufacturing Initiatives in Partnership with AMCC
May 2025 - In 2024 Blended Impact partnered with a number of local organizations to launch the regionally focused #InlandSoCalWantsYou manufacturing attraction initiative for the Inland Empire. Aligned with the CA Jobs First efforts and statewide blueprint, this was a grounds up effort to organize around regional goals for future growth industries best poised to succeed in the region and create high road jobs for local residents. Significant traction occurred in April 2024 when Blended Impact was designated as a semi-finalists in the MAKE IT Prize Competition by the U.S. Department of Energy, the only California based coalition to advance in the national competition.
Upon winning the initial $50,000 award, the team immediately began the research process in partnership with Venture Partners, aligned around business and labor friendly goals to design an MOU in partnership with IELI, and coordinated with IEGO to create the roadmap for the attraction plan and community engagement process. In October 2024, research materials, learnings, and recommendations were presented in a virtual forum to official partners and additional key local leadership prior to submitting for consideration in the next phase of the national competition.
Subsequently, significant changes occurred at the federal level post elections, including a deprioritization of clean energy and affiliated funding via the Inflation Reduction Act which supported these initial efforts. Given the region’s strong research institution presence via the University of California Riverside, new $419M California Air and Resources Board campus development, new $200M OASIS campus development in progress, proximity to “Lithium Valley” to the east, and the ARCHES Hydrogen Hub projects to the west, the Inland Empire is naturally poised to be a clean energy manufacturing hub and leaned into seeking funding to develop these efforts as an initial category of manufacturers to attract to the region. In fact, in 2024 alone, the City of Riverside attracted four new clean energy manufacturing companies locating their U.S. headquarters or manufacturing facility to the city: Ohmio, Hyundai Rotem Tech, GreenPower Motor Company, and Voltu Motors.
To adapt to the changing Federal priorities and reposition efforts, as well as broaden efforts to expand our reach to other categories of manufacturers in our outreach— such as defense manufacturers also well positioned to succeed in the region— we enlisted the expertise of the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative (AMCC), the U.S. EDA manufacturing community of practice. Regional visits by AMCC are a part of its partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration and works toward a revitalized American manufacturing base by strengthening the regional manufacturing ecosystems of support that manufacturers need to thrive. Blended Impact, along with partners California Baptist University, IEGO, IELI, and Ryvet, will be hosting AMCC for their first Inland Empire Roadshow. Through a mix of presentations, panels, and roundtable discussions, we will co-create a regional conversation on advancing manufacturing across six key industries including Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Health & Life Science, IT & Communications, and Transportation. Subsequently, Blended Impact will continue conversations via a 2025 Webinar Series.
