RCCD Hosts Two-Day Showcase of Regional Innovation
08/06/2025
The Riverside Community College District (RCCD) hosted a two-day event spotlighting the Inland Empire’s growing role in advanced manufacturing and defense innovation. A key stop was NavalX’s Inland Empire Tech Bridge at Maverick Innovation Labs in Norco, where regional leaders explored resources designed to strengthen the defense innovation ecosystem.
Attendees included Kim Gibson, executive director of America Makes—the nation’s leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing—along with representatives from Dual Use Ventures, Congressman Ken Calvert’s office, California State University, San Bernardino; California Baptist University; and other federal, state and local agencies.
Adjacent to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division, the Inland Empire Tech Bridge draws on the region’s skilled workforce and manufacturing assets. Director Troy Clarke highlighted the facility’s additive manufacturing equipment, collaborative prototyping and meeting spaces, and support services for government contracting and workforce development. Designed as a launchpad for entrepreneurs and innovators, the Tech Bridge offers programs to accelerate technology development across commercial and defense sectors.
“Being part of the Inland Empire Tech Bridge has given me hands-on experience with advanced equipment and industry processes I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise,” said Oswaldo Cisneros, Tech Bridge Innovation Fellow. “It’s not just helping me learn — it’s preparing me for a career in advanced manufacturing and engineering.”
The showcase also included tours of Phenix Fire Helmets in Riverside and Exquadrum in Victorville, where participants gained insight into local companies advancing technology and manufacturing in support of national defense and dual-use ventures.
“The strength of the Inland Empire lies in its spirit of collaboration. Partnerships between RCCD, Tech Bridge, and local companies are not only developing a skilled workforce but are also laying the foundation for the region to become a strategic center for defense manufacturing. America Makes wants to support alignment in the region among education, industry, and advanced manufacturing innovation, so that together, we are creating long-term opportunities that benefit the entire community.”– Kimberly Gibson, Industrials Base Integration Director, America Makes
By uniting education, government and industry, the district is helping build a resilient, innovation-driven economy. As momentum grows, RCCD remains committed to partnerships that drive economic growth, workforce development, and technological advancement across the region.
Published by External Relations & Strategic Communications