Inclusive Economic Development
IEGO is a regional, multi-sector approach to Economic Development. We are a network of over 50 organizations serving the two-county Inland Empire region with a focus on existing and emerging clusters in Future Sustainable Logistics, Advanced Manufacturing, Cybersecurity/IT and Green Technology. We do Economic Development differently by centering our collective energy on triple bottom line strategies that foster sustainability, innovation and equity. Our impact is measured in improvements to workforce development, entrepreneurship, business development, quality of life, place, poverty reduction and advances in wealth development, diversity and inclusion.
IEGO believes a Cluster-Based approach to inclusive economic development is the fastest road to advance opportunity for residents and business in the Inland Empire. Brookings defines “industry clusters” as “groups of firms that gain a competitive advantage through local proximity and interdependence.” A cluster-based approach—to create a geographic concentration of related companies and other organizations in a field—is distinct from sector development, which targets the growth of just one existing industry. As Brookings has observed in other regions, developing an industry cluster generates greater productivity and innovation, higher wages and more entrepreneurial activity than developing a single industry sector.
