Economic Development

Business Development

Long Beach is the ideal location to start and grow a business. We are conveniently located on the Pacific Ocean, south of Los Angeles and adjacent to Orange County. Enjoying an ideal Southern California climate, Long Beach is home to an abundance of cultural and recreation options that serve to draw 6 million visitors a year. The City is home to top educational institutions and educational partnerships that are recognized throughout the country. And, we offer a competitive and supportive business environment that empower businesses to succeed.

The goal of the Business Development Bureau is to build a supportive economic ecosystem that creates reliable pathways for entrepreneurs to successfully start and grow. We work to achieve this goal by:

• Providing access to capital through our small business lending programs.
• Working with our local business improvement districts to ensure safe, attractive, and prosperous business districts across the city.
• Facilitating business startups by working directly with entrepreneurs at all levels to help them navigate the process of starting and growing their business.
• Making available key economic, demographic, and real estate information so that can workers, investors, and entrepreneurs can make well-informed economic decisions.

We have a number of resources that are available to help you start and grow your business, such as:

• Small business license incentives
• Small business loans
• Façade improvement rebates
• 10 business improvement districts
• Site-selection support
• Workforce training and recruitment
• Free technical assistance
  

Whether you are launching a company or looking to expand an existing business - start by exploring BizPort, the City’s new, award-winning on line business portal, which is designed to help you navigate the process.