Compton’s Economic Development Strategic Plan Moves Forward
What Local Businesses Need to Know Next
The City of Compton is moving forward with the development of a comprehensive Economic Development Strategic Plan—a citywide roadmap intended to strengthen Compton’s business environment, attract responsible investment, support existing businesses, expand employment opportunities, and guide future economic-development priorities.
On November 4, 2025, the Compton City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a professional-services agreement with The Natelson Dale Group, Inc. to prepare the City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan, at a cost not to exceed $143,270.
The City selected The Natelson Dale Group, Inc., an economic and financial consulting firm, to assist with the preparation of the plan. During 2026, residents, business owners, property owners, employees, students, community organizations, and other stakeholders have been invited to participate through surveys and stakeholder meetings.
For Compton’s business community, this process represents an important opportunity. A strong strategic plan can help the City move beyond individual projects and short-term initiatives by establishing clear economic priorities, measurable goals, responsible parties, funding strategies, and a practical implementation schedule.
Why This Plan Matters
Compton occupies one of the most strategically valuable locations in Southern California. The city is positioned near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, major freeways, rail and transit connections, regional employment centers, and one of the nation’s largest consumer markets.
Compton also contains a substantial industrial and logistics base, established commercial corridors, locally owned businesses, entrepreneurial talent, educational institutions, and developable or underutilized properties.
However, economic activity occurring within or around a city does not automatically produce broad local prosperity. The larger question is how Compton can capture more of that economic value through locally owned businesses, quality employment, local contracting, commercial-corridor revitalization, workforce preparation, entrepreneurship, and stronger municipal revenues.
The new Economic Development Strategic Plan should help Compton answer that question.
What Has Happened So Far?
The planning process has included stakeholder outreach, community meetings, and a public survey intended to gather information about Compton’s economic strengths, challenges, business conditions, workforce needs, and development opportunities.
This input is expected to help the City and its consultant evaluate Compton’s current economic position and identify realistic priorities for future action.
As the process advances, the Compton Chamber of Commerce believes the business community would benefit from a public progress update addressing what has been learned and what will happen next.
Questions the Business Community Needs Answered
The Chamber respectfully invites the City and The Natelson Dale Group to share publicly available information concerning the following areas.
Participation and Community Input
How many people participated in the economic-development survey and stakeholder meetings?
How many participants represented existing Compton businesses, property owners, entrepreneurs, major employers, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, residents, and members of the local workforce?
Broad participation matters, but the plan must also reflect the direct experience of people operating businesses, employing residents, developing property, navigating City processes, and investing in Compton.
Preliminary Findings
What recurring themes have emerged from the surveys, interviews, meetings, and economic research?
Local businesses would benefit from knowing what participants identified as Compton’s greatest economic strengths, most significant obstacles, and most promising opportunities.
The business community also needs to understand whether concerns have emerged regarding permitting, licensing, infrastructure, public safety, commercial-property conditions, access to capital, workforce availability, business assistance, communication with City departments, or other barriers to business growth.
Priority Industries
Which industries are being evaluated for business retention, expansion, attraction, and workforce development?
Compton already has a considerable presence in logistics, transportation, warehousing, manufacturing, food production, construction, healthcare, retail, professional services, and other sectors. The strategic plan should determine which industries offer the strongest combination of competitive advantage, responsible growth, quality employment, local contracting, and long-term economic value.
The plan should also explore how Compton can support newer and emerging opportunities in technology, aviation, media, creative industries, healthcare, specialized manufacturing, food entrepreneurship, and environmentally sustainable business activity.
Commercial-Corridor Revitalization
Which commercial corridors and business districts are receiving particular attention?
Compton Boulevard, Long Beach Boulevard, Rosecrans Avenue, Alameda Street, Central Avenue, Wilmington Avenue, and other corridors each present different conditions and opportunities. Effective revitalization will require more than physical improvements alone.
The plan should consider business recruitment, storefront occupancy, property maintenance, pedestrian access, lighting, signage, parking, public transportation, beautification, code enforcement, neighborhood-serving businesses, and the retention of established local enterprises.
Support for Existing Businesses
Economic development should not focus exclusively on attracting outside companies.
Existing Compton businesses have already invested in the city, hired employees, served residents, paid taxes, and built relationships within the community. Their ability to remain, expand, purchase property, obtain financing, secure public and private contracts, and pass businesses to the next generation should be a central part of the strategy.
The business community therefore needs to know what recommendations are being considered for business retention and expansion, technical assistance, procurement readiness, access to capital, entrepreneurship, and support for minority-owned and locally owned businesses.
Implementation and Accountability
A strategic plan is only as valuable as its implementation.
The final document should identify:
Specific actions and priorities;
Responsible City departments and partner organizations;
Short-, medium-, and long-term timelines;
Potential funding sources;
Measurable performance indicators;
Opportunities for private-sector and community participation; and
A process for reporting progress publicly.
The business community should also be informed of the expected dates for completion of the draft plan, public presentation, City Council consideration, possible adoption, and the beginning of implementation.
A Constructive Role for the Chamber
The Compton Chamber of Commerce is prepared to help connect the planning process with the city’s business community.
The Chamber can support business outreach, distribute surveys and progress information, organize business roundtables, identify concerns affecting existing companies, highlight investment opportunities, promote local procurement, connect entrepreneurs with technical assistance, and help communicate measurable progress after the plan is adopted.
This collaboration should continue beyond the preparation of the document. Successful economic development requires sustained cooperation among the City, Chamber, businesses, property owners, educational institutions, workforce organizations, investors, nonprofit partners, and residents.
An Invitation for a Public Progress Update
The Compton Chamber of Commerce respectfully invites the City of Compton and The Natelson Dale Group to provide a progress briefing or written update that can be shared with the local business community.
Such an update could address participation levels, preliminary themes, industries and commercial corridors under evaluation, the remaining planning schedule, and opportunities for businesses to remain involved.
The Chamber would be pleased to publish a follow-up article presenting the information made available by the City and its consultant.
We Want to Hear From Compton Businesses
The Chamber also invites Compton business owners, entrepreneurs, employers, property owners, and professionals to share their economic-development priorities.
What makes operating a business in Compton attractive? What obstacles make it more difficult? What types of businesses, services, employment, investment, and commercial improvements does the city need? What would help existing businesses remain and grow?
The Economic Development Strategic Plan should become more than a report. It should provide a practical framework for converting Compton’s location, assets, economic activity, and entrepreneurial energy into lasting opportunities for the people and businesses of Compton.
Businesses and community stakeholders are encouraged to contact the Compton Chamber of Commerce to share their perspectives and remain informed as the planning process continues.
