About Us – Greater Palm Springs Business Insider

GPS Business Insider is Greater Palm Springs’ independent business and public affairs newsroom – the first call for executives, entrepreneurs, public-sector leaders, and nonprofit innovators who need clear, timely reporting on the forces shaping our desert economy. Every day, we track the deals, policies, developments and people moving the needle forward in the region’s nine cities and unincorporated communities, publishing digital exclusives and a concise weekly e-blast that keep decision-makers a step ahead.

Why our coverage matters

• Local depth, strategic breadth. From Indio redevelopment votes to healthcare expansions and clean-energy breakthroughs, we cover the full spectrum of business and public-sector news, so readers see how one city hall decision can ripple across real estate, tourism, logistics, or water policy.
• Action-oriented storytelling. Each article pairs on-the-ground sourcing with context that helps leaders anticipate risk, spot opportunity, and make faster, better-informed choices.
• Access you can trust. Our newsroom’s relationships across boardrooms, council chambers, and community organizations open doors to voices and data you won’t find elsewhere.
• No “gotcha journalism.” At GPS Business Insider, our default approach is to look for and present the positive in every case possible. If data or direction in the economy or a given sector is negative, we will not shade the truth. However, when it comes to rumors, innuendos, insults, and recriminations tied to individuals and organizations, we won’t do it.

Read, act, and lead with confidence with GPS Business Insider as your partner.

Bob Marra, CEO/Publisher

Bob Marra is the CEO and publisher of GPS Business Insider, the hyper-local business, economic and public affairs news platform covering business, public affairs and economic news focused on the Greater Palm Springs/Coachella Valley region.

Bob also owns and operates GPS Market Intel, the regional economic and demographic market intelligence firm that publishes a variety of newsletters, special reports, white papers, feasibility studies and market analyses for landowners, developers, banks, entrepreneurs, municipalities and many other public and privately held businesses in numerous industries.

As part of his portfolio, he runs Marra Consulting, a strategic marketing and public affairs firm for market-leading local private companies and public agencies. As a marketing and public affairs consultant, Bob has helped major regional and statewide law firms, medical practices, CPA firms, financial planners, municipalities, developers and other sophisticated organizations define their brands and develop and implement creative and strategic marketing plans that have enhanced the value of their companies and greatly increased their scope of business and revenues.

In addition to owning and operating his own companies during his 32 years as a desert resident, Bob has held executive positions for Verizon, where he was a regional public affairs director, Desert Healthcare District, for whom he served as CEO, and our region’s PGA Tour tournament, now known as The American Express, where he was the CEO.

When the long-established Bob Hope Chrysler Classic PGA TOUR event became the Humana Challenge (now The American Express), Bob took the reins as CEO for several years, helping to reconfigure and turn the tournament into a more well-rounded, entertainment-focused event beyond professional golf.

Bob earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with honors, from the University of Delaware, with concentrations in marketing and journalism.

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