Highland
Highland is an eastern Inland Empire foothill community with significant Native American heritage and a diverse, working-class population — where San Manuel Band of Mission Indians' presence, community development, and neighborhood investment create a unique engagement landscape.
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The Eastern IE's Foothill Community
Highland's identity is shaped by its foothill geography, proximity to the San Bernardino National Forest, and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians' reservation and casino. These elements create a community environment with unique stakeholder dynamics.
The city's diverse, working-class population faces challenges around infrastructure investment, economic development, and community services — but also benefits from the San Manuel Tribe's significant community investment and charitable giving.
RFC Communications understands Highland's unique community dynamics and the engagement strategies required in a community where tribal, municipal, and neighborhood interests intersect.
Key Issues in Highland
Economic Development
Building Highland's commercial base and economic identity beyond the San Manuel Casino's influence.
Infrastructure & Neighborhoods
Investing in aging infrastructure and neighborhood quality in Highland's established residential areas.
Community Safety
Community safety services through the San Bernardino County Sheriff's contract.
Environmental & Wildfire
Wildfire risk management, foothill preservation, and environmental quality in Highland's mountain-adjacent geography.
Highland's Unique Community Fabric
Tribal Community Partnership
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is Highland's most significant institutional stakeholder — the tribe's community investment, charitable giving, and economic impact shape the city's organizational landscape.
Working-Class Community Values
Highland's residents prioritize practical community improvements — infrastructure, safety, and economic opportunity — over abstract organizational messaging.
Diverse Demographics
Highland's growing Latino population, combined with established Anglo and Native American communities, creates a diverse engagement environment requiring culturally competent outreach.
Strategic Communications Services in Highland
RFC Communications provides the full spectrum of strategic communications capabilities to organizations in Highland, San Bernardino County.
Local Intelligence
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians' community investment programs provide significant partnership opportunities for organizations working in Highland and the broader IE
Highland's foothill location creates wildfire risk awareness that shapes community priorities — organizations demonstrating resilience and safety commitment build community trust
The city's proximity to San Bernardino means Highland residents often engage with regional community issues — organizational messaging should connect local and regional contexts
How Engagements Take Shape in Highland
Multi-year community engagement in Highland
A regional health system asked RFC to design a sustained Highland engagement focused on economic development. We built an audience model from Highland household and organizational data, structured a multi-channel community engagement program, and embedded a field cadence that turned a six-month launch into a three-year compounding partnership with local conveners. The program's reach and depth grew every renewal cycle.
Coalition-anchored outreach across San Bernardino County
A coalition of San Bernardino County non-profits engaged RFC to coordinate a Highland-anchored precision mail programs push. Rather than running parallel programs, we mapped the existing civic infrastructure, brokered shared messaging, and produced a single in-language mail and field deployment that the coalition members executed in concert. Cost per qualified contact dropped materially; partner satisfaction stayed high through the engagement.
Working with RFC in Highland
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Working in Highland?
RFC Communications brings unmatched local expertise to every Highland engagement — from non-profit outreach to corporate community programs.
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