Economic Development Director Gina Gonzalez has been recognized as a certified economic developer by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), making Menifee the only city in Southwest Riverside County to have a certified economic developer on its staff leading city economic development efforts and strategies.
“The certified economic developer is the most prestigious designation for the economic development profession in the world and is extremely difficult to achieve,” the city said.
Certification recipients must have at least four years of consecutive full-time economic development-related work experience within the past six years and must also take several rigorous professional development courses in varying economic development concentrations to test the skill and proficiency of each candidate. The final step is a challenging three-part exam that tests against several disciplines including business retention, credit analysis, finance, and real estate development and reuse.
Gonzalez has been serving the City of Menifee for the past five years. “Gina has a proven track record of encouraging quality businesses and projects to come to our community and this achievement further exemplifies her expertise in economic development for our city and region,” City Manager Armando G. Villa said.
“From new restaurants and retail to new hotels, corporate headquarters, and booming industrial development, Gina and her nationally recognized economic development team, along with Menifee’s award-winning development team, continue to have great success with new business attraction efforts.”
In addition to being a certified economic developer through the IEDC, Gonzalez has also been recognized as one of only 150 Accredited California Economic Developers (ACE) in California through the California Association for Local Economic Development.
“Earning these accreditations is extremely important for cities as they help to ensure that they remain current on emerging trends, tools, and resources in the economic development industry, while also developing an integral economic development network and enhancing the performance and knowledge in economic development,” Gonzalez said. “I truly value the opportunity to work with our city leadership and local business community to continue growing our robust and thriving economy.”
