The City of Indio is expanding its small business support infrastructure with the launch of the Indio Business Connect Center, a new program and downtown facility designed to give local entrepreneurs easier access to training, consulting, and practical business resources.
The program, funded through the city’s Economic Development Department, brings together a range of services that have often been fragmented across different agencies. City officials say the goal is to create a centralized hub where business owners, from first-time entrepreneurs to established operators, can find consistent support as they navigate growth, staffing, and long-term planning.
Indio Business Connect officially began operating in October 2024 and has already been used by businesses opening or expanding within the city. The next phase of the program includes the opening of the Indio Business Connect Center in downtown Indio, a physical location that will host classes, workshops, one-on-one consulting sessions, and, eventually, co-working and hands-on learning space.
The new center, located at 45222 Towne Street, opened this week and hosted its first public workshop on January 28. The free event, held in partnership with the Riverside County Workforce Development Center, focused on employer services such as hiring assistance, recruitment support, wage subsidy programs, and workforce training resources.
Beyond workshops, the Business Connect program emphasizes ongoing access to professional guidance. Through partnerships with organizations such as the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center, the Coachella Valley Women’s Business Center, and the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino, local business owners can receive no-cost consulting and training in areas including business planning, marketing, financing, and operations.
One component of the program focuses on expanding access for underserved entrepreneurs. A 12-week Spanish-language business development course, iTú Sí Puedes!, is being offered at no cost to Indio-based businesses. A similar English-language program and open office hours with business advisors are also available, reflecting an effort to reach a broad cross-section of the city’s business community.
Indio Business Connect membership is free and includes access to weekly business counseling sessions held every Tuesday at City Hall, along with networking events, workshops on topics such as leasing, payroll, and legal basics, and inclusion in a local business directory. The program also supports promotional efforts through shop-local campaigns, photography assistance for small businesses, and ribbon-cutting events for new openings.
City leaders describe the initiative as part of a longer-term strategy to strengthen the local economy by investing directly in small businesses, which make up a significant share of Indio’s commercial activity. By providing technical support and education at no cost, the city aims to reduce barriers that often limit growth for small and independently owned businesses.
City of Indio Mayor Elaine Holmes
“The Indio Business Connect Center marks an exciting next step in the city’s continued investment in its growing business community and in the entrepreneurs and business owners who are driving Indio’s economic future,” Mayor Elaine Holmes said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be kicking off 2026 with a dedicated, welcoming space specifically to support our hardworking business owners.”
Additional programming and events at the Business Connect Center are expected to roll out over the coming months as the facility becomes fully operational. For local entrepreneurs, the center represents a new, centralized resource designed to support day-to-day challenges as well as long-term business sustainability.
