DATE: 08/06/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Office of Economic Development
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE CORONA CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE FOR BUSINESS PROMOTION, MARKETING, AND RETENTION
SERVICES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to consider approving the proposed agreement between the City and the Corona Chamber of Commerce for Business Promotion, Marketing, and Retention Services for a total value of $67,250, with $60,000 in monetary services and an in-kind match of $7,250.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council authorize the City Manager, or their designee, to enter into a Professional Services Agreement with the Corona Chamber of Commerce for Business Promotion, Marketing, and Retention Services.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Office of Economic Development partners with various local, regional, state, and federal agencies to enhance the City’s business offerings and resources to more than 12,000 businesses operating in Corona. Through these partnerships, the City leverages resources to address various business and community needs. These partnerships position the City to offer a variety of programs, services, grants, and technical assistance to aid business growth and resiliency in Corona.
For many years, the City and the Corona Chamber of Commerce (“the Chamber”) have entered into a Professional Services Agreement (Agreement) for business promotion, marketing, and retention services. The Chamber serves as a unique strategic partner to the City, offering access to hard-to-reach and curated business audiences that support broader economic development goals. Through the Agreement, the Chamber provides support for initiatives that are aligned with shared goals of the City and the Chamber.
ANALYSIS:
For Fiscal Year 2026, the Chamber proposed an expanded range of services and sponsorships totaling $142,500. With the adopted FY26 City budget for this agreement as a guide, Staff reviewed the FY 2026 Chamber proposal for offerings that provided the greatest benefit to residents, were most in alignment with City strategic objectives, and cumulatively fit within the adopted FY26 budget.
For ease of comparison, staff prepared the table below outlining the Chamber’s FY 2026 proposal with FY 2026 recommended expenditures:
Item FY 25
Approved
Contract
FY 26
Chamber
Proposal
FY 26
Recommend?
Rationale
Executive
Partner
Marketing
Support
$18,000 $18,000 $18,000 Staff recommend the customized marketing partnership to increase City visibility through
print, digital, and promotional outreach. This
includes enhanced support for the Shop Dine
Corona campaign, dedicated advertising in
Chamber publications, and opportunities to copromote City programs, services, and events.
The partnership also conveys Chamber
membership benefits to Council and Staff for
events and programming.
Business
Workshops
$20,000
(4x)
$40,000
(8x)
$10,000
(2x)
Staff recommend offering two business
workshops (at $5,000 each) through the
Chamber. Staff has sufficient capacity to support
the coordination and delivery of additional
workshops in-house if needed.
New Business
Welcome
Reception
$4,000 $4,000 $4,000 City staff recommend partnering with the Chamber to host an annual in-person New
Business Welcome Reception. This initiative
aligns with the City of Corona’s Strategic Plan to
support business retention, expansion, and
community engagement.
Manufacturing
Tours &
Industry Visits
$10,000 $10,000 $10,000 City staff recommend allocating $10,000 for the Chamber to lead all coordination for this effort,
which includes a minimum of (5) manufacturing
tours per year and up to (2) major industry
events focused on Corona’s target industry
sectors. This initiative supports the City of
Corona’s Strategic Plan to strengthen key
industries and promote economic development.
Good Morning
Corona
events
$6,250 $10,000
(10)
$5,000
(up to 5)
City staff recommend allocating $5,000 to
sponsor (up to 5) Good Morning Corona events
in partnership with the Chamber.
Taste of
Corona
$5,000 - $5,000 City staff recommend allocating $5000 of the budget to sponsoring the annual Taste of
Corona event. This opportunity is not listed in
the Chamber’s proposal but is included based
on Council’s FY25 sponsorship of the event.
Executive
Leadership
Roundtable
$3,500 - $3,000 Staff recommend sending two City
representatives to attend the Executive
Leadership Roundtable to engage with
participants. Having staff participate in the
program helps build bridges of trust and
understanding between the city and the
community.
Host Local
Gov ELR Day
$3,000 (in
kind)
$3,000 (in
kind)
City staff recommend providing in-kind support,
including staff time valued at approximately
$3,000, to host the Executive Leadership
Roundtable (ELR) Group for Local Government
Day. This contribution aligns with the City of
Corona’s Strategic Plan to promote public sector
collaboration and leadership development.
Business
Expo (InKind)
$1,250 (in
kind)
- $1,250 (in
kind)
Staff recommend providing in-kind support,
including facility rental and staff time to host this
event at the Circle City Center or a comparable
City venue. This contribution, valued at
approximately $1,250, aligns with the City of
Corona’s Strategic Plan to support business
engagement and economic development.
Chamber
Working
Group
Meetings (InKind)
$3,000 (in
kind)
- $3,000 (in
kind)
City staff recommend providing in-kind support,
including facility rental and staff time, for midweek Chamber Working Group meetings at a mutually agreeable City facility. This contribution
aligns with the City of Corona’s Strategic Plan to
foster collaboration and stakeholder
engagement.
Community &
Business
Surveys
- $15,000 $5,000 Staff recommend partnering with the Chamber to conduct one Community & Business Survey,
utilizing the City’s advanced surveying
capability, to assess needs and connect with the
larger business community. This targeted
outreach aligns with the City’s economic
development priorities.
Economic
Forecast
Event
- $7,500 - Staff do not recommend sponsoring this event given the high cost and availability of other
means to obtain this information.
Innovation
Month
- $20,000 - Staff do not recommend sponsoring this event because it does not clearly align with the City's
strategic goals, and the cost would exceed the
allocated budget.
World Trade
Conference
- $6,000 - Staff do not recommend sponsoring this event because it does not clearly align with the City's
strategic goals, and the cost would exceed the
allocated budget.
Women’s
Leadership
Conference
- $5,000 - Staff do not recommend sponsoring this event because the cost would exceed the allocated
budget. Staff would be agreeable to provide inkind support.
Custom
Introductions
& Onboarding
for ED Staff
- $15,000 - Staff has the internal capacity to facilitate connections with business owners and
executives.
Downtown
Initiatives
- $10,000 - Staff has the internal capacity to facilitate business engagement about the Downtown.
TOTAL $66,750
$7,250 (in
kind)
$142,500 $60,000
$7,250 (in
kind)
This specific combination of recommendations is curated to best support business promotion, marketing, and retention activities that align with the City of Corona’s Strategic Plan and contribute to a thriving local economy. These represent staff’s assessment of the highest and best use of the budgeted funds for this agreement.
The City of Corona’s Economic Development Department is currently fully staffed with the capacity and expertise necessary to carry out the objectives outlined the City’s strategic plans. The recommended agreement with the Chamber will help augment these efforts with the business community.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended action is available in the Economic Development Department’s operating budget within General Fund 110. The department has budgeted $60,000 for this agreement. Any expenditures exceeding this amount will require an additional allocation from the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action simply recommends Council provide direction on a formalized agreement between the City and Chamber for business promotion, marketing, and retention services and there is no possibility that this action will have a significant effect on the environment
PREPARED BY: JOEL BELDING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR REVIEWED BY: JOEL BELDING, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Professional Services Agreement with the Corona Chamber of Commerce FY26
2. Exhibit 2 – Corona Chamber of Commerce Proposal