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Have you ever heard of GIS? Host Laura James is joined by CVEP’s GIS coordinator, David Robinson, for an ever-so-slightly nerdy, data-driven show about Geographic Information Systems. David shares his path towards becoming a GIS practitioner as well as his path towards working in GIS for an economic development agency – which isn’t all that common. Learn what GIS is; what it can do for a small business, nonprofit, or government agency; where all that data comes from; and how to get in touch with him to inquire about GIS projects for your business.

As the COVID-19 crisis persists, Joe Wallace and Laura James discuss how invigorating it has been for the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership team to help save area businesses from pandemic-caused demise. They talk about the "Visionary of the 21st Century" Elon Musk who is flexing his business muscle at politicians and getting his way with reopening his company.

Joe Wallace and Laura James discuss a study that the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership conducted and released last week entitled The Employment Impact of COVID-19 on the Coachella Valley. It focuses on how hard the virus is affecting the local economy being that we are so dependent upon tourism in the desert Cities. More than 50,000 jobs have been lost and the unemployment rate will be swelling to between 32% and 35%.

On this edition of Time To Prosper with Joe Wallace and Laura James, the conversation turns to Round 1 vs. Round 2 of SBA assistance for companies struggling to survive the Coronavirus shutdown of 2020. Is the money getting through to those who need it? And, what are the implications for businesses that receive aid but are not in dire circumstances when smaller operations may not have received help and are in jeopardy of going under?

This episode of Time To Prosper features Joe Wallace interviewing Holly Lassak, the owner of Massage Envy spas in the Coachella Valley. Holly is also on the executive committee of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership. This program was originally broadcast on iHub Radio on July 22, 2018.

Joe Wallace and Laura James talk about how businesses are being impacted across many different sectors, and discuss the lessons to be learned going through the difficult economic circumstances brought about in the age of COVID-19. Will many businesses use the Coronavirus as a means of shutting down without any shame in failing? Stone James, Economic Development Director for the city of Cathedral City also joins the discussion.

Joe Wallace and Laura James talk about a number of options available through county, state and federal programs to help businesses stay afloat in the wake of the COVID-19 curfews that have impacted most enterprise, as well as relief for workers including those who traditionally are not eligible for help in the gig economy or because they are self-employed.

With so much discussion in the news cycle during a presidential election season, who is really paying what and what are they getting for their money when it comes to paying taxes? As Americans contemplate a candidate who has pro-Socialist views, what is the reality in nations like Sweden vs. the United States? Joe Wallace and Laura James may have some surprising perspective for you on corporate tax rates, personal income tax, and reinvestment by business in communities and the economy that may shed a different perspective if you think that Corporate America is making out like a bandit while the Middle Class is gasping for air. Don't judge the book by the cover this week on Time To Prosper!

Laura James hosts this week's edition of Time To Prosper and she is joined by CVEP colleague Agustin Aragon. They discuss what it takes to be innovative today in business, and that April will mark Innovation Month in Riverside County. They also discuss new innovation hubs in Indio and Palm Desert. And, get the scoop on the region's own version of Shark Tank, the Fast Pitch competition for entrepreneurs.

There is a lot happening in the Coachella Valley this time of year. This week, CVEP CEO Joe Wallace discusses several things including the state of the local real estate industry, developing a health improvement plan with the Desert Healthcare District, and the ribbon cutting of another iHub campus to incubate entrepreneurs in the desert cities.

Palm Desert is one of a handful of cities under consideration for the next full campus of California State University. Home to a satellite campus for CSU San Bernardino already, Joe Wallace and Laura James discuss and make the argument for a STEM-rich university with degree programs that will make the desert cities region flourish with economic development that will otherwise not be likely should CSU not expand to the Coachella Valley.

Hosting the Super Bowl or other major cultural events comes at a great expense to municipalities across the United States. Do taxpayers get a fair return on millions of dollars they invest to play host? Is the economic impact a region derives from these events all that it's reported to be? Joe Wallace and Laura James from the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership have some raw numbers and practical thinking when weighing the options.