List of Regional Centers

Since www.uscis.gov/eb-5centers now lists Regional Center names only and no longer functions as a directory, I have added a page to my website  (RC List) with more helpful information including the web address and approved geographic area/industries for each center.

New Regional Center (CA)

The USCIS list of Regional Centers has added two entries (up to 204), but I think just accounting for multi-state centers. However I notice one new center I previously neglected to report:

USA Continental Regional Center (www.usacontinentalregionalcenter.com)
Geographic Scope: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura Counties
Investment Focus: Construction of commercial and office infrastructures

New Regional Center (CA)

The USCIS list of Regional Centers has been updated as of 11/10 with its 202nd entry:

Pacific Dynasty Regional Center (www.pacificdynastyrc.com)
Geographic Scope:  California Counties of Riverside and San Bernardino
Industries:  Retail, Food Services

New Regional Centers (CA, MO, KS)

The USCIS list of approved Regional Centers has a new link (www.uscis.gov/eb-5centers) and two new centers as of 11/3/2011.

American General Realty Advisors Regional Center (www.agradvisors.com)
Geographic Scope: Los Angeles and Orange counties in the State of California
Industries: Accommodations; Food services & Drinking Places; Retail Trade

1900 Gulf Street Partners Regional Center (www.polymerwood.net)
Geographic Scope: The Missouri Counties of Vernon, Barton, Jasper, Cedar, and Dade as well as Crawford, Kansas
Industries: Wood, Window and Door Manufacturing; General Warehousing and Storage; Industrial Building and Construction

New Regional Centers (CA, IL)

The USCIS list of approved Regional Centers has been updated again. Apparently we list watchers can no longer depend on the “last updated” date but need to look at the number of entries on the list as a clue that centers have been added or subtracted.  The list currently has 196 entries, by the way, though fewer than 196 centers since multi-state centers are listed more than onece. Note the latest entry in the competition among California regional centers to get alphabetized first on the list, and in the branding of real estate development as public service.

AAA California Regional Center
Geographic Scope: San Francisco, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Benito, Fresno and Kings Counties of California
Industries: Retail, Hospitality/Hotel, Food Service, Professional Office, Medical Office, Entertainment, Assisted Living Facilities and Manufacturing assembly

New Energy Horizons Regional Center (www.nehorizons.com)
Geographic Scope: Counties of Kings, Kern and Los Angeles in the state of California
Industries: Construction, Management of Companies and Enterprises, Administrative and Support Services Educational services and Finance and Insurance

Local Government Regional Center of Illinois
Geographic Scope: Cook County, Illinois
Industries: Full service restaurants, Mobil Food services, Drinking places, Supermarket & other grocery (except Convenience stores), and other Community housing services

New Regional Centers (ME, TX)

Three new centers have appeared on the USCIS list of approved Regional Centers since it was updated yesterday 10/24. These are the first regional center approvals this month, and include the first regional center in Maine.

USA Lifestyles Regional Center http://www.usalifestylesinc.com/
Geographic Scope: The entire county of Franklin and the town of Livermore Falls in Androscoggin County in the State of Maine
Industries: Ski Lodges and resort with accommodation, Testing laboratories, all other miscellaneous wood product manufacturing,Lessors of nonresidential bldg. (except Mini Warehouses), Full service restaurants, museums and construction.

McAllen EB-5 Regional Center http://www.mcallenedc.org/eb5-regional-center.php
Geographic Scope: Hidalgo County, Texas
Industries: Industrial Building Construction, Miscellaneous Manufacturing, Post Harvest Crop Activities, Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers, Wholesale Trade, Industrial Machinery Manufacturing, Commercial & Institutional Building Construction, Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels, Power and Communication Line Construction, Solid Waste combustors and Incinerators, Retail Trade, Leasers of Non-residential buildings

Texas Urban Triangle Regional Center LLC 
Geographic Scope: The Texas Urban Triangle Regional Center will be located within the State of Texas and its Geographic region will consist of 40 counties located within the 13 county group areas in the Texas Triangle Area that is contiguous one to the other
Industries: Food services and Drinking places, Accommodation, Retail Trade, Assisted Living Facility and Construction

Also note that President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness supports the EB-5 program. Anyone have EB-5 gossip from San Antonio to share?

Terminated Regional Center (CA)

The USCIS list of approved Regional Centers was updated as of 10/03/2011 with one fewer Regional Center. El Monte Regional Center in California has been removed from the list. This is not surprising considering the fraud and embezzlement scandals surrounding its flagship project since 2009. Another reminder to investors to use Google to investigate projects and promoters before investing. I expect that the coming months will find me reporting a number of subtractions from the list. By the way, for those of you following the Victorville Regional Center termination case, it has been stayed pending an AAO Decision with a deadline for an update (and proposed order) by Dec. 22, 2011. See Joseph Whalen’s slideshare for the stay order and USCIS’s request for dismissal or stay of the civil case City of Victorville v U.S Department of Homeland Security.

New Regional Centers (CA, NH, NY)

The USCIS list of approved regional centers was updated as of 9/23 with a bunch of new centers. Before looking at them let’s pause a moment to admire the increasing rate of I-924 approvals from the California Service Center:

Month (2011)	# of Centers Approved
January	2
February	0
March	7
April	5
May	7
June	7
July	5
August	11
September	13

These numbers should encourage Regional Center applicants but also caution investors, who must remember not to depend on a rushed government agency to provide sufficient due diligence. When a new center comes out I read the website if available and then Google the contact person, applicant, project, and project backers, and have recently encountered more than one rotten apple. We now have so many good companies in the market — don’t fall for the bad opportunities!

California Real Estate Regional Center
Geographic Scope: Southern California Counties in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino
Industries: Hotels

Home Paradise Regional Center (www.homeparadiserc.com)
Geographic Scope: Imperial County, Kern County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, San Diego County in California
Industries: Retail, Hospitality, Food Services, Interior Design Services

New World Regional Center (www.newworldrc.com)
Geographic Scope: Alameda, Contra Costa, Merced, Napa, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Stanislaus, Yolo Counties in California
Industries: Retail Trade, Food Services & Drinking Places, Finance & Insurance, Healthcare & Social Assistance, Administrative & Support Services. Nursing & Residential care Facilities, Traveler Accommodation, Arts/Entertainment & Recreation, Transportation, and Professional Scientific & Technical Services

United Venture Regional Center, LLC
Geographic Scope: California counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus
Industries: Hotel, Retail Trade, Restaurant, Office, Assisted Living, Residential, and Supermarket

New Hampshire EB-5 Regional Center
Geographic Scope: Towns of Andover, Hill, Danbury, Wilmot, New London, Sutton & Newbury in Merrimack County in New Hampshire
Industries: Resort Hotels (without Casinos)

Extell New York Regional Center (www.eb5extell.com)
Geographic Scope: Comprised of counties in the New York City, Metropolitan Area: 1. New York (Manhattan); 2. Bronx, 3. Brooklyn, 4. Queens, 5. Westchester, and 6. Nassau
Industries: Construction, Rental & Leasing Services, Administrative Support Services.

Congratulations to New Hampshire on its first Regional Center and to California on more Chinese real estate developer RCs.

New Regional Center (WA)

The USCIS list of approved Regional Centers has been updated as of 9/20 with one new center.

Eastern Washington Regional Center (www.eb5ewrc.com)
Geographic Scope: County of Kittitas,Washington
Industries: Other Electrical Power Generator (Wind Farm), Retail Trade, Indoor Water Park & Hotel