IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Earlier this month the City of Riverside was presented with an award for cutting red tape and helping new business start up. On August 5 the U.S. Small Business Administration names Riverside as a winner in the national “StartUP in a Day” competition. The competition was created to encourage cities to simplify the licensing process for entrepreneurs.
“This is an exciting step forward for the City of Riverside and for entrepreneurs who know that time equals money when getting a business off the ground,” said Interim Economic Development Manager Greg Lee. “Providing quicker and more helpful information to people starting businesses is a central tenet of the Business Ready Riverside 2.0 plan, as well as the Business First program, and this award will further those goals. We also look forward to leveraging this opportunity to look at additional tools that will aid our entrepreneurs and small businesses through the permitting process.”
As a winner, the City of Riverside received $50,000. Across the country, 24 cities and two Native American tribes received similar awards. Riverside will use the funds to digitize the permitted use table, which explains how property can be utilized. The current table is a 30 –page PDF that cannot be searched.
“The City of Riverside encourages innovation and entrepreneurship, both within its own ranks at City Hall and with our partners in the business community,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “The work that will be funded by this award will help remove obstacles that keep business owners from opening their doors faster, which will enable them to get their goods and services to market quicker than ever.”
