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June 2012
EDA Office of Foreign Trade • Riverside County, California • USA
R
ecognizing the importance
of opportunities afforded by
globalization and its location on
the Pacific Rim, the City of Murrieta has
created an international focus for its
economic development strategy. This
strategy is designed to encourage area
companies to expand their businesses
locally by increasing the export of their
products and services to the expanding
overseas markets and to encourage
the growth of foreign direct investment
to promote the continued growth of
Murrieta’s regional economy.
The Murrieta City Council approved
the establishment of an International
Business Center (IBC) at City Hall
which is intended to focus the area’s
resources on promoting international
connections to expand the regional
economy. Through the IBC, the City
has hosted high-level business and
governmental delegations from
Indonesia, Vietnam, Kenya, Iraq, and
China. One such visit by Singapore
resulted in a regional business
breakfast at Murrieta’s Bear Creek
Golf Club, at which representatives
of Singapore’s government described
business partnership opportunities
for area businesses that would allow
them to grow their businesses in
the Murrieta area while selling their
products through Singapore.
The City worked with Swenson
Advisors – an accounting firm with
offices in San Diego, Hong Kong and
Murrieta – to host a “Doing Business
with China” event at the Murrieta City
Hall earlier this year. Murrieta is now
preparing for a “Doing Business with
Malaysia” event in September 2012
with the government of Malaysia.
“I believe that one of the ways to keep
growing the companies that we have
here is to encourage our firms to find
additional markets for their products.
The purchasing power in many
countries has grown dramatically and
this creates an outstanding opportunity
for Murrieta area companies to grow
in this area by expanding their sales
overseas,” said Rick Dudley, City
Manager.
Murrieta is already home to a
number of successful exporters,
including Nimbus Water, Cryoquip,
and Challenger Water as well as
other companies. Nimbus has
hosted a delegation from the Iraqi
Water Ministry looking to purchase
their products which include green
technologies such as solar-powered
water treatment systems.
Murrieta’s City Council has recently
approved a ‘Memorandum of
Understanding’ with the U.S.
Department of Commerce to help
increase exports from the region.
An agreement was signed last week
with Fred Latuperissa, Director for
the Foreign Commercial Services, U.S.
Department of Commerce.
The City has been an active leader
in promoting the growth of foreign
direct investments in the region
through the EB-5 program. Due to the
difficulty in obtaining new construction
financing through traditional sources,
the City has worked to encouraged
EB-5 investments to create new jobs
within the community. The first
project funded through American
Redevelopment Solutions is a mixed
use retail/office project, which is
currently under construction near the
Murrieta Civic Center. Continental
East Development, based in Murrieta,
has created the new USA Continental
Regional Center which has funded the
major expansion of the RadNet medical
imaging center in Murrieta.
Recently, the Murrieta City Council
entered into an agreement with the
County of Shaoxing, China to promote
the growth of trade, as well as to
cultivate cultural and educational
relationships between the two
communities. The City recently worked
with Paulson Manufacturing and
Cryoquip to host a high level delegation
from Shaoxing to Murrieta.
Due to the work of the County’s Office
of Foreign Trade in the City of San
Diego, the Murrieta area has now
been incorporated in to the City of San
Diego’s Foreign Trade Zone, which
provides a major business incentive to
local manufacturers.
Murrieta’s City Council sees a great
opportunity in the global market and
we are embracing this opportunity
for Murrieta’s businesses and for the
region.
Murrieta:
A Local City with a Global Focus
CIEDC group meets in Murrieta.
Visiting Chinese group from Shaoxing is received by city of Murrieta.
3rd District Supervisor Jeff Stone(left) presents The First
International Investment Award to Al Rattan (middle), President
of USA Continental Regional Center in Murrieta, CA. The Mayor
of Murrieta, Doug McAllister (right) participates in the ceremony.
Supervisor Stone and the team from USA Continental Regional Center
at their EB 5 funded medical center in the 3d district. Mayor Doug
McAlister and Al Rattan along with other staff members are also
shown. Rattan received the very first “International Investment
Award” ever presented by a County Supervisor.
By Bruce Coleman, Economic Development Director, City of Murrieta
and Kimberly Davidson, Business Development Manager, City of Murrieta