Annual Report

Economic Development

With and through 150 investors, EDC works hands-on with companies to offer more than 10 no-cost services to support business growth and drive economic development across in San Diego. In 2025, EDC’s most sought out services were Strategic Partnerships, Expansion Services/Site Selection, Talent Pipeline Development, Marketing/Visibility, and Regulatory/Permitting Support.

OUR SERVICES BY THE NUMBERS

149

companies supported

23%

of companies supported were small businesses

13.4K+

total jobs impacted in 2025

64.2K+

jobs impacted since 2019

CALIFORNIA’S FUSION ENERGY ADVANTAGE

Through more than 20 executive interviews with state-wide fusion leaders, EDC published an interactive web report—featured six times across major San Diego publications—quantifying the economic impact of California’s fusion energy industry and its potential to support more than 40,000 jobs and $125 billion for the state economy.

DIVE INTO FUSION

business resources newsletter

To continue connecting San Diego businesses to key resources, incentives, and events, EDC’s Economic Development team launched Growth Stage, a quarterly newsletter spotlighting regional, state, and federal resources and incentives to 2,857 readers.

Discover business resources

Regulatory Landscape Survey

Through California Jobs First, EDC developed targeted plans for the Life Sciences, Clean Energy, and Advanced Manufacturing sectors, while convening employers, educators, and community groups. To identify priority projects, regulatory barriers, and workforce needs in San Diego and Imperial Valley, EDC convened industry roundtables and conducted interviews with 65 companies and organizations across these key sectors.

How we can help

SUPPORTING BUSINESSES

Case Study

EDC helped Wildcat Discovery Technologies save on energy costs, retain San Diego operations

Wildcat faced rising energy costs and considered relocating outside California. With EDC's help, the company stayed and made plans to expand in San Diego.

EDC helped Wildcat Discovery Technologies save on energy costs, retain San Diego operations

Case Study

UNIGRID accelerates permitting with EDC support to break ground on manufacturing facility

EDC leveraged its relationship with the City of San Diego’s Economic Development Department to obtain UNIGRID a timely permit for its project.

UNIGRID accelerates permitting with EDC support to break ground on manufacturing facility

Blog

Local procurement means big impact: The power of the Anchor Institution Collaborative

Collaboration, one of San Diego’s greatest strengths, is at the core of the EDC’s Anchor Institution Collaborative: A partnership between the region’s largest buyers committed to using their combined purchasing power to strengthen our local economy. Launched in 2020, the Anchor Institution Collaborative brings together San Diego universities, hospitals, utilities, and large companies around a […]

Local procurement means big impact: The power of the Anchor Institution Collaborative

CASE STUDIES

RESEARCH BUREAU

In 2025, EDC’s Research Bureau released quarterly snapshots analyzing the region’s economic drivers, supported CA’s Fusion Advantage and Cali Baja’s Trade and Competitiveness reports, and composed 8 additional economic impact analysis for key projects, industries, and employers in the region like the San Diego Padres, San Diego Wave FC, San Diego International Airport’s New T1, and more.

San Diego’s cyber cluster EXPANSION amid tech contraction

Drawing on San Diego’s history as a leading cyber region, the Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE) and EDC released a 2025 cybersecurity impact and workforce report exploring the $4.3 billion cluster and its 1,300 firms. Despite a broader tech industry contraction, the report finds San Diego’s cyber sector continues to expand while leading national cyber certificate growth and supporting 29,000 local jobs.

Track Cyber’s Growth

MIDWAY RISING’S ECONOMIC IMPACT

In an analysis commissioned by Midway Rising, EDC estimated a $285 million direct annual economic impact by the $3.9 billion Midway Rising redevelopment project in the Sports Arena facility. The project will include 4,250 new homes, a new 16,000-seat arena, and 130,000 square feet of retail space.

LEARN MORE

QUARTERLY ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT

Every quarter, EDC’s Research Bureau analyzes San Diego’s key economic indicators to provide valuable insights to understand the region’s changing economy. The quarterly publication generated more than 6,700 visits to EDC’s Snapshot webpage and 5,100 organic social impressions with an average 28.7 percent engagement rate.

see the latest Snapshot

RESEARCH BUREAU BY THE NUMBERS

14

research products supported and published

18

media features of research products

30+

data presentations to regional leaders

world trade center san diego

Launched in 2015 as EDC’s international affiliate, World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) serves as the region’s Export Specialty Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and a leader on trade and investment by cultivating a pipeline of export-ready firms to enhance San Diego’s global identity and connectivity.

In 2025, WTCSD launched a 2025 Binational Trade and Competitiveness report, completed its MetroConnect VII cohort, executed a France trade mission, and supported 89 companies in expanding internationally, from one-on-one counseling to webinars and in-person seminars with experts from around the country.

Read WTCSD’s Annual Report

Cali Baja trade growTH under USMCA

In collaboration with EDC’s Research Bureau, WTCSD released the 2025 Binational Trade and Competitiveness report, quantifying the $34.5 billion cross-border economy of the Cali Baja region which supports $2.3 billion in cross-border goods trade daily and roughly 95,000 jobs—positioning the region as a critical hub for priority industries.

Inside Cali Baja’s Engine

MetroConnect VII WRAP-UP

In 2025 WTCSD’s export accelerator helped 15 companies grow in international markets as part of the MetroConnect VII cohort. The program supported $10 million in new international sales—104 percent increase from 2024—32 new international contracts and created 44 new local hires impacting a total of 295 jobs.

Meet the Winner and Learn More

France Trade Mission

Together with Congressman Scott Peters and Mayor Todd Gloria, WTCSD led its 2025 Trade Mission to France with 30+ C-level delegates across industries. Over the course of 15 meetings, the delegation made strides with FDI investment targets such as French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, nurtured research ties with renowned institutions like CNRS, formalized a Sister City relationship with Marseille, and more.

reflections from Nikia

GLOBAL IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS

89

companies supported

5.7K+

jobs impacted

$5.1B

FDI supported by WTCSD in 2025

1.9K

DeepWater Exploration awarded $11K+ in STEP grants with WTCSD’s support

Talent Initiatives

In 2025, EDC’s Talent Initiatives team convened healthcare industry leaders to understand and quantify the region’s healthcare demand, designated new Verified Programs, recruited businesses to host fully-funded interns and gain visibility via a social media campaign, and boosted the region’s identity through San Diego: Life. Changing.’s sixth Summer Bash, as well as its Life in San Diego and Unexpected Innovation blog series.

ADVANCING SAN DIEGO WINS

89

Verified Programs recognized since 2019

210

summer interns placed in 2025

$1.38M

intern payroll covered via ASD in 2025

82%

of interns identified with priority populations

12th talent demand report, exploring healthcare locally

EDC’s Advancing San Diego program surveyed nine major healthcare providers, representing more than 66,000 employees across the region to assess real-time demand for critical roles. Despite 2,000 new RNs graduating annually, the region faces a shortage of specialty nurses revealing a misalignment between labor market data and actual employer need.

Explore the Gap

PLNU, EDC biotech SCHOLARSHIP program

Inspired by work with EDC and Advancing San Diego (ASD), Point Loma Nazarene University launched the Biotech Pathway Scholarship which covers two years of tuition for STEM transfer students from Southwestern or Miramar College at the university’s designated ASD Verified Program offering a 10-week summer research experience, a stipend, and more.

Building local talent

San Diego: Life. Changing.

In addition to hosting its sixth annual Summer Bash with more than 350 attendees, EDC’s talent attraction brand launched its annual ‘Just Say No to Winter’ campaign garnering an impressive 287,989 views. The brand also profiled 240 local job opportunities through its monthly newsletter, The Lead, published eight blogs including spotlights on neighborhoods across the region, and more.

Ready to Change your life?

San Diego employers share 2025 talent needs across critical roles

To better understand San Diego’s talent demand in priority industries, EDC’s Advancing San Diego program partnered with BW Research to conduct a comprehensive talent demand survey focused on business, computing, and engineering occupations. A survey of 264 businesses in San Diego County was fielded in March 2025. The survey prioritized larger firms to develop a […]

San Diego employers share 2025 talent needs across critical roles

Inclusive growth

The Inclusive Growth initiative is a data-driven, outcomes based call to action making the case that San Diego’s sustained competitiveness in high-growth innovation industries requires greater economic inclusion. The region’s 2030 Inclusive Growth goals are to create 50,000 new quality jobs in small businesses, strengthen the talent pipeline with 20,000 annual post-secondary education completions to meet workforce demand, and increase the number of thriving households by 75,000 despite rising affordability challenges.

Annual Inclusive Growth Progress REPORT

While San Diego is making progress, the latest data reveals that fundamental challenges remain. Small businesses make up 99 percent of all firms but account for only 59 percent of regional employment. The local workforce is not expanding quickly enough to meet the growing demand for middle- and high-skilled labor, and only 51.7 percent of households are thriving, with communities of color disproportionately impacted.

Explore the data

employer CONVENINGS around inclusion

To enlist more employers in the movement, EDC hosted a Leadership Retreat with 46 executives and educational roundtables for more than 120 leaders. To date, 62 businesses and partner organizations have endorsed the 2030 goals and committed to employer-led actions.

JOIN THe movement

Employers in action

EDC shared stories from Cultura, SDSU, SDG&E, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, and other organizations doing their part to advance the 2030 inclusive growth goals. The goal: Inspire other employers to invest in the local talent pipeline, buy from local small businesses, and develop solutions to create more thriving households across the region.

spotlights on inclusion

EDC’s 60th anniversary

In 2025, EDC celebrated six decades of maximizing the region’s economic prosperity and global competitiveness through direct company support, strengthening talent pipelines, expanding export capacity, and delivering data-driven insights on key sectors, companies, and industries.

EDC works with and through employer-led initiatives to guide regional decision-making and advance an economy where inclusion is not just a principle, but a practice—ensuring a thriving, competitive region for all.

Looking into the 2025 crystal ball

As we turned the page into 2025, EDC’s Senior Director of Research and Economic Development Eduardo Velasquez shared a look into the new year:

“Both the national policy and technology landscapes are primed for major disruptions that could shape San Diego’s economic fortunes in more ways than we can count. While the map provides a fairly clear direction, the terrain is difficult to predict…”

WTCSD on trade resilience

While trade volatility and federal tariff threats continued to impact local businesses, EDC’s Chief Strategy Officer Nikia Clarke noted:

“What we have learned is that in the midst of uncertainty, we should return to what we know to be true about this binational region: our border economy, anchored by the busiest port of entry in the Western Hemisphere, has been a tremendous driver of economic growth, job creation, and competitiveness—not just for San Diego, but for America as a whole. What we do here is not trade, it is co-production…”

2025 mid-year check-in

Halfway through 2025, EDC’s Senior Director of Research and Economic Development Eduardo Velasquez reflected on the immediate impacts and long-term implications of a tumultuous first half of 2025:

“There are many famous quotes about navigating uncertainty and how resilience drives success. At EDC, we often quote an African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Collaboration has often defined success in this region; it’s what makes us different…”

Addressing the talent gap through inclusive innovation

To continue momentum toward developing stronger regional talent pipelines, EDC’s Talent Initiatives Director Taylor Dunne wrote a regional call to action for employer-led solutions:

“Despite being an epicenter for innovation and groundbreaking ideas, not all of San Diego’s residents have access to that innovation economy. One potential solution is for the region to invest in more ways for learners to obtain industry-recognized degrees and credentials…”

Our collective power in a time of need

Amid a government shutdown impacting San Diego’s most vulnerable and additional challenges from the federal level, EDC’s President and CEO Mark Cafferty reflected on the power of impact through collaborations led by San Diego organizations:

“I offer no political observations or critique other than to say that our charity for our neighbors and fellow citizens should never be needed because our government refuses to do its job. Yet, I could not feel more pride and gratitude for our EDC investors and partners who have been organizing efforts to help those in need…”

OUR REACH

80

Board Members

150

investors in 2025

40+

opportunities to engage with EDC network

2.5K+

event attendees

60th Anniversary Luncheon with past board chairs

Board of Directors Chair passing of the gavel: from Booz Allen Hamilton's EVP Jennie Brooks to San Diego Padres' EVP of Community & International Impact, Tom Seidler