Reports

In order to establish protocols for investigating new economic and workforce development opportunities as well as assessing current business sectors and attracting new business and investment, LBEP has prioritized its partnership with California State University Long Beach Office of Economic Research. 

The CSULB Office of Economic Research (OER) conducts applied economic research that supports the mission of the university and the city by addressing key issues facing the region, state, and nation, including the development of a resilient and equitable economy. The Office of Economic Research integrates scholarship and learning by building on faculty expertise and providing research opportunities for students.

Together, this partnership allows LBEP to create a protocol for establishing how a project or initiative is assessed, how validation for action is determined and how engagement with stakeholders is achieved in order to move objectives forward. It further allows The Partnership to develop a repository of research, data and reports that can be shared with the network of members, partners and stakeholders invested in this work.

Mayor Richardson’s Grow Long Beach is a focus on further developing five already strong economic sectors – Aerospace and Aviation, Ports and Logistics, Health Care, Housing and Education, and the Creative Economy, including the arts, culture and tourism.

As part of the 2023 Strategic Plan, the Board of Directors agreed that access to of-the-moment data and research was required to inform the work undertaken by The Partnership. In alignment with the City’s priority growth sectors, together LBEP and the City reached out to California State University, Long Beach, Office of Economic Research, in order to commission a series of Industry Profiles and related research. 

Industry profiles are meant to provide information on current market forces and trends, analyze industry performance, identify leading companies, and gather aggregate financial data and forecasts related to Long Beach and the region.

LBEP anticipates using the industry profiles in several ways including providing the information needed for attracting new business or expanding business, hosting roundtable discussions with business leadership and discussing workforce training needs and discerning future market trends. Investors also use these industry profiles to explore viability of potential investment opportunities, as do employers who are looking to expand operations in a new industry and job seekers before investing in additional training or education.

The CSULB Office of Economic Research reviews the data of hundreds or often thousands of different companies within an industry. They combine that information to give an overview of the industry as a whole on a regional or sometimes national or even global level. The value of such information cannot be understated as a much needed asset to LBEP and its partners.