El Segundo's Hard Tech Growth Model Draws Visit from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Delegation

A City Hall roundtable featured El Segundo's Mayor and local business leaders from CX2, Varda Space Industries, Picogrid, and Space Kinetic discussing how Michigan can replicate El Segundo's economic development successes.

L to R: Quentin Messer, CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation; Chris Pimentel, Mayor of El Segundo; Nathan Mintz, CEO/Co-Founder of CX2; Jennie Kim, Chief of Staff to the CEO at Picogrid; Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer; El Segundo Deputy City Manager Barbara Voss; Ben Marchionna, Chief Innovation Ecosystem Officer, Michigan Economic Development Corporation; Cristina Reveles, El Segundo's Economic Development Senior Management Analyst

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — (May 14, 2026) — El Segundo’s business-friendly approach to economic development and growing concentration of hard tech innovators drew Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and senior state economic development leaders to City Hall last week for a founder roundtable focused on startup growth, advanced manufacturing and innovation ecosystem development.

The visit positioned El Segundo as a national example of how local government can help create the conditions for frontier technology companies to start, scale and manufacture.

"We wanted to come and learn from you," shared Governor Whitmer. "There are some great synergies between your expertise and your history and ours as you think about scaling and bringing to production a lot of the incredible work that's happening here."

The conversation focused on practical, transferable lessons for supporting innovation-led economic growth, from regulatory clarity and business responsiveness to investor connectivity, talent access and pathways to strategic customers.

"We emphasize having very clear and transparent regulation," said El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel. "And that support of just showing up and saying, 'We are here and invested in your success.'"

For founders, that model is making a measurable difference.

"The City has been flexible in helping us," said Michael Reilly, Chief Strategy Officer for Varda Space Industries. "Being able to have a place where we can attract and retain people is critical."

"A couple examples come to mind for me. One is clarity of who to call about things," said Nathan Mintz, CEO and Co-Founder of CX2. "Having that rapid flexibility, that responsiveness, that clarity of being able to call one person and get an answer quickly, from a municipal standpoint, it's just hard to beat that."

"What I think is more easy replicated," said Ryan Sullivan, Co-Founder of Space Kinetic, "is the ecosystem knowledge and weak-tie facilitating that the City does. I mean, they really know all the companies that are here." He added, "I just want to give the team kudos for that."

Governor Whitmer concluded the discussion by thanking participants for their candor and practical insights as Michigan explores strategies to strengthen its own startup and advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

"I can't tell you how much we appreciate your input and your counsel," added Governor Whitmer.

About the City of El Segundo
The City of El Segundo is a thriving coastal community in southwestern Los Angeles County. The city’s vibrant economy includes leaders in aerospace and defense, bioscience, information technology, energy, real estate, creative media, and toys. The city has seen tremendous growth and evolution over the past several years and is home to Mattel, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Air Force Base Space Systems Command, and the Los Angeles Chargers, Kings, Lakers, and Sparks.