Hundreds of leaders in the real estate industry converged on Moreno Valley this week to attend The Inland Empire Real Estate Conference, the region’s premier real estate event, to explore current and future trends in the rapidly growing Inland Empire market.

“The Inland Empire is projected to surpass Orange and San Diego Counties in population within the next 30 years,” Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez told the capacity crowd at the January 23 event. “The connections fostered in Moreno Valley today will lay the groundwork for jobs, retail opportunities, and housing that current and future residents will need to build their lives here.”

Mayor Gutierrez celebrated the City’s unprecedented job growth of 17,000 new jobs created in the past five years.

The City’s economic growth is a testament to the innovative approach Moreno Valley has taken to streamlining government along with offering lucrative job creation incentives, Mayor Gutierrez said.

The City’s award-winning Hire MoVal program encourages Moreno Valley businesses to hire local residents by offering incentives including utility rate discounts, business license fee waivers and hiring assistance. The City’s Hire A Grad program offers incentives up to $5,000 per business to encourage businesses to hire recent Moreno Valley college and technical school graduates.

Industry leaders discussed booming investment in Moreno Valley and the Inland Empire, along with costs of construction, finding new uses for existing spaces, and housing.

Attendees included executives from Lewis Retail Centers, Marcus & Millichap, Reliable Properties, Stater Bros., Progressive Real Estate Partners, High Street Residential, TruAmerica Multifamily, Prologis, Highland Fairview, Cushman & Wakefield and Alere Property Group.

The Inland Empire Real Estate Conference was produced by Shopping Center Business, Western Real Estate Business, California Centers and the InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media, Inc. the largest commercial real estate publisher in the United States.

For more information about the City of Moreno Valley’s growth or to learn more about developing a business in Moreno Valley, please visit www.morenovalleybusiness.com and contact the Economic Development Department at EDTeam@moval.org or at 951.413.3460.