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About Launchpad Collective
Mission
Mission
Mission
LaunchPad builds sustainable, community-rooted developments that combine attainable housing, small business incubation, and workforce opportunities to create dignity, stability, and wealth in San Bernardino.
Vision
Mission
Mission
We envision thriving communities where every family has access to housing, opportunity, and the tools to build generational prosperity.
Why We Exist
- San Bernardino faces a critical shortage of attainable housing, limited job opportunities, and some of the highest poverty rates in California. Too many families are forced to choose between rent and stability, while young people see few pathways to opportunity.
- Over 60% of residents are renters, with limited access to ownership or wealth-building.
- Unemployment in the city is nearly double the state average.
- One in four residents lives below the poverty line.
- LaunchPad exists to change this trajectory by creating housing, jobs, and opportunities rooted in the community itself.
Our Founder
Robert Carrillo, M.Ed. | Founder and President
Robert is a first-generation Afro-Latino from Washington Heights, NYC, who has dedicated his career to making a difference in underserved communities. His journey has taken him from there to Connecticut for high school and college, to the South Bronx, where he immersed himself as a community resident, organizer, and teacher, through Baltimore, and now to San Bernardino, where he's called home since 2020.
With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, he has navigated diverse roles, including investment banking, commercial real estate brokerage, affordable housing development, and residential brokerage. He founded Carrillo Group CANY (CGX), a firm committed to culturally responsive real estate practices prioritizing equity and justice in community development. Its mission is to combat gentrification.
His passion for youth empowerment led him to co-found Lucha Vida IE, Inc., a nonprofit organization that uses the sport of wrestling to empower girls of color. As an executive producer of LUCHA, an award-winning documentary about girls in that program, he's helped bring to light the powerful stories of youth.
Team Members
Yvette Romero
Yvette Romero, Mexican-Filipina, born in Long Beach and rooted in the Inland Empire since the 90s. After raising her son in Riverside, she moved to San Bernardino in 2021, deepening her commitment to the community she now serves. She is currently pursuing a degree in Public Health at California Baptist University to enhance her expertise in housing as a key determinant of health.
Yvette Romero brings over two decades of healthcare experience to her leadership in mission-driven real estate development. As a former nurse, she witnessed how housing instability directly impacts health outcomes - especially in marginalized communities. That frontline insight fuels her conviction that real estate, when designed with purpose, can be a tool for healing, equity, and generational change. “Housing is healthcare. Real estate isn’t just about buildings - it’s about building futures.”
Yvette leads deal coordination and internal operations across all LaunchPad and Land Fund developments. She ensures projects move efficiently from vision to execution while keeping community impact at the center. She oversees the day-to-day execution of deals, ensuring every project stays on track - from land acquisition to entitlement - and is aligned with CGX’s mission to build equity-driven developments in underserved communities.
Ruben Mendoza
Ruben Mendoza is a local Inland Empire native serving at The LaunchPad Collective as their Housing and Economic Analyst. Through his collective experiences within the homeless services industry and political advocacy efforts to advance equitable housing options, Ruben brings a systems-level approach in addressing some of society’s most pressing challenges.
Ruben’s career first started by serving houseless populations in San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties, gaining first-hand knowledge about institutional systems, directly and indirectly, perpetuating unstable levels of poverty rippling across all generations.
Wanting to do more, Ruben began to engage with various local, state and national policy development coalitions to move the needle forward, except the needle didn’t. Recognizing the importance of policy development to create systems change, it was also important for Ruben to engage in work that could create an immediate impact, and provide solutions to systemic issues in real time, and that is where he decided to make the transition with The LaunchPad Collective.
Our Partners
STOKES FOUNDATION & LAUNCHPAD
We've partnered with Stokes Foundation, Inc. | The Foundation for Residential Education on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will directly result in development of a $6MM mixed-use modular construction, which is slated to include a non-profit retail incubator, green space, and vertical farm on the first level, and a residential dormitory pilot program for adolescent female high school students on the second level. Learn more about Stokes Foundation here.
LaunchPad is part of CGX, which specializes in developing transformative real estate rooted in equity, ownership, and opportunity. CGX acquires and activates land to create permanently affordable housing, inclusive commercial spaces, and long-term pathways to health for those historically excluded from the real estate economy. Learn more about CGX here.
Our Template for San Bernardino
LaunchPad addresses the root causes of housing instability, economic disparity, and community fragmentation by creating a space where opportunity, resilience, and innovation thrive. It’s not just a development - it’s a comprehensive solution designed to empower individuals, uplift neighborhoods, combat gentrification, and transform San Bernardino into a model of equitable growth and sustainability.
The ground floor will consist of micro-retail, small-scale-manufacturing, and commercial kitchen spaces, along with daycare and an indoor verticle farm. It will be supported by San Bernardino Community College District, Asociacion de Emprendedor@s, LiUNA, and CGX.
The second floor will include permanent housing for vulnerable populations – specifically youth aging out of foster care, transitional-age youth, and veteran women with children. It will consist of a state-of-the-art laundry room and meeting spaces with support from organizations like Family Assistance Program and With Open Arms.
Residents will benefit from access to LaunchPad’s outdoor green space for communal gatherings, designed to promote a sense of belonging and well-being within the community. This 100% electric, LEED-certified development will offer free wi-fi to residents and entrepreneurs, have an e-bike-sharing program, and be easily accessible via public transportation.
The CGX Partnership Methodology
At LaunchPad Collective, we believe that true transformation happens when we work together. LaunchPad is a community-centered initiative, driven by collaboration with a network of strategic partners who share our vision of building a stronger, more equitable San Bernardino.
This approach is rooted in the expertise and dedication of our Founder and President, Robert Carrillo, M.Ed. Through his firm Carrillo Group CANY (CGX), Robert has championed the philosophy of "Real Estate with Purpose." LaunchPad expands on this vision by combining Robert’s expertise with the strengths of our partners, ensuring that every aspect of this project meets the community’s needs.
Our Partnership Philosophy
LaunchPad is not just a project - it’s a collaborative effort where each partner plays a critical role in creating a cohesive and sustainable model for community development. These partnerships are designed to:
- Provide comprehensive support to both entrepreneurs and residents.
- Foster an ecosystem of economic growth, resilience, and opportunity.
- Set a new standard for community-driven development that can be replicated across the city and county.
Our Inaugural Strategic Partners
Our Partners: A Network of Excellence
LaunchPad’s success is made possible by the expertise of these outstanding organizations, each bringing unique strengths to the table:
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Asociación de Emprendedor@s
Carrillo Group - CGX
Laborers' International Union of North America
San Bernardino Community College District Economic Development
& Corporate Training
San Bernardino Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Residential & Supportive Services
Family Assistance Program
Stokes Foundation | The Foundation for Residential Education
With Open Arms
Sustainability, Carbon Neutrality, and Climate Resilience
Our Commitment
At LaunchPad Collective, sustainability is core to our mission to foster lasting economic growth and community resilience. We see addressing the climate crisis while building equitable communities as both a responsibility and an opportunity to create a thriving, sustainable future for San Bernardino.