City of Menifee Economic Development Director Receives Prestigious National Certification

The City of Menifee is excited to announce that Economic Development Director
Gina Gonzalez has been recognized as a Certified Economic Developer by the International
Economic Development Council (IEDC). Menifee is now 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. 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.

“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,” said City Manager Armando G. Villa. “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,” said Gonzalez. “I truly value the opportunity to work
with our city leadership and local business community to continue growing our robust and thriving
economy.”