Jackie Krentzman is a Bay Area-based writer and editor.   

When Martha Moreno, a commercial real estate agent, was working out a deal to open a regional bagel shop in Eastvale, she came to the process with her usual set of concerns about drawn-out permitting. But to her surprise, Cassidy’s Corner Café was pouring coffee and serving egg and bagel sandwiches just six months later.

“Six months was record time,” says Moreno. “The level of services the city provides to businesses is incredible. “Often, architects will submit their plans, a city will want a bunch of revisions, and this process takes forever, with a lot of back-and-forth. But Eastvale reviewed the plan super-fast and expedited the permitting process. That timeframe at most other cities is closer to two years.”

The city of nearly 75,000 at the western edge of the Inland Empire launched its Business First Initiative last July to spur economic development and support businesses, large and small. Eastvale is one of the youngest cities in California, incorporated in 2010. What was once a stretch of dairy farms is now a thriving exurb with a median household income of $162,000 a year, boasting an economic growth that shows no sign of abating.

“Eastvale has become a very popular destination for millennials who are looking for a family-friendly, safe, and relatively affordable community,” says Economic Development Manager Alex Fung.

As a result, businesses — especially those geared towards a high-income clientele — are eager to set up shop in the city. Eastvale’s robust real estate tax revenue is centered around two large shopping malls, Eastvale Gateway and The Station at Eastvale, that each draw more than 10 million shoppers annually from throughout the region. Eastvale is also a warehousing and logistics hub, including one of the largest Amazon distribution facilities in the country, says Fung.

Eastvale began a concerted effort to bring in more economic development from its inception, culminating in the Business First Initiative. Officials say the city’s youthfulness allowed them to draft an economic development plan with a clean slate, without having to unwind years of red tape and processes that didn’t fit the moment.

“We are grateful to be one of the youngest cities in the state, and with that comes some advantages,” says Fung. “I’ve worked in other jurisdictions in the past where they’re not as new, and it takes a lot to undo or even modify some of those processes in those cities.”

The internal focus of the initiative is streamlining the permitting and development process. Generally, when a new business wants to launch in a city, it must go through several different city departments, each with its own permitting requirements.

“This tends to stress small businesses out, and our goal with this initiative was to reduce that stress,” says Fung.

Fung says the city uses a concierge model. They guide businesses from the pre-planning stage to ribbon-cutting — and beyond.

“Most cities don’t have one central department that can hand-hold you through the process, a partner who can connect you with all the departments,” says Fung. “[Our Business First Initiative] makes it easier to talk to different departments and get the permits and the inspections in a speedy manner. We will never compromise ethics, we will never compromise the regulations, but it’s all about kind of cutting down the red tape as much as possible, breaking down silos, and solving problems.”

A cornerstone of Business First is the city’s concerted effort to publicize and market its businesses.

“In many cities, the apex is the grand opening,” Fung says. “You invite all the officials, you take a nice picture, you cut the ribbon, and then that’s it. But in Eastvale, we don’t want the excitement to just stop there. We want to highlight their accomplishments, milestones, and anniversaries.

“These continued celebrations are particularly meaningful for small business owners,” he continues. “A lot of them have an immigrant background, and opening their business is the fulfillment of the American Dream.”

Kay Trotman, owner of the boutique safari travel company Destined to Travel, marvels at the city’s support of small businesses like hers, such as promotions at business fairs and a video that will live on the city’s website.

“The city itself is a great ambassador for small businesses,” she says. “It does your advertising for you, by directing consumers to your business.”

Another element of Eastvale’s ongoing support is its Business Walks program, where a city representative visits each local business at least once a year. Fung, his team, members of other city departments, as well as members of the city council and local chamber of commerce, roam the shopping malls and storefronts with gift bags and chat with managers to assess their needs.

“Usually, businesses are annoyed or afraid when a city official walks into the store,” Fung says. “They think that they have done something wrong, that they broke some code, and we are there to hand them a notice of a violation. But here, they remember our gift bags, they remember our faces, and that is of tremendous value to our aim to be a business-friendly city.”

Kay Trotman agrees.

“I’ve never seen a city that listens to what businesses need like Eastvale,” she says. “Our city manager attends most of the chamber meetings, along with his staff. They ask me and other businesses all the time what we need to keep our businesses healthy. In most cities, you may have the chamber of commerce do that, but not usually the city itself.”