Typically, CVEP hosts a seminar on the second Wednesday of each month as part of our Small Business Forum series. This month, that day happens to fall on a day when we remember one of the greatest tragedies of a generation: September 11. Connecting with and educating people at our workshops is usually the highlight [...]
Early this week, giant old-school retailer Macy's came under fire for - of all things - dinnerware. Across social media, users called out Macy's for fat-shaming. And body-shaming. And food-shaming... pretty much everything-shaming. The plates in question, sold by Pourtions, feature concentric circles labeled from inside to outside: "skinny jeans, favorite jeans, mom jeans." The [...]
Event Planning 101 The Coachella Valley has never lacked for an event to attend. Business, social, philanthropic – the choices are ample. Along with many others, I have been a veteran attendee. I have also done a great deal of event planning behind the scenes. Here are some some basic event planning "dos" I have [...]
In the fall of 1996, I was selected and sworn onto my first jury. It was a civil case in Ventura County: a dispute between neighbors over a home improvement project's impact. We listened for a week and deliberated for a couple of days, only to be told that the case was settled. They thanked [...]
On Wednesday June 19, 2019, the CVEP Board of Directors assembled at the University of California Riverside's Palm Desert Campus for its second annual board retreat. The retreat brings together those leaders in Greater Palm Springs who are most committed to key regional economic development priorities. Every seat in the room was taken, and some [...]
I recently overheard a young professional discussing the high cost of living. He asked his colleague how it would ever be possible to save enough money to make a down payment on a house. The young man's spending habits were observed over the course of a few hours. During that time, he consumed a bottle [...]
CVEP has produced two videos that show renderings of what can happen in the Coachella Valley by the year 2050. In these videos, our concentration has been on traditional economic development needs. These needs include a comprehensive public university, an intermodal trade hub, state-of-the-art bandwidth, a fully developed Salton Sea, and entrepreneurship. These are all [...]
If there is one thing that the Coachella Valley is well known for, it is fashion. From Trina Turk, to Fashion Week in Palm Desert, to the Palm Springs iHub's Eco Sustainari headed by Nima Pauline, we are an oasis of fashion. Even the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is known for its attendees' [...]
Greater Palm Springs is a pretty exciting place to live, and certain times of the year are even more exciting than others. Spring is one of those times. Wildflowers are blooming (please, don’t trample them); some of the region’s biggest events are happening (BNP Paribas Open just wrapped up, Desert X is in full swing, [...]
From time to time I think back to the time right after I graduated from Stanford and wanted badly to buy a home in or around the Stanford campus. I couldn't quite afford a modest tract house in Palo Alto then. Today even though I am a CEO with an decent entrepreneurial exit in the [...]
