Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SBDC regional manager reports rising client hours; commissioners explore incubator space and small-business supports
Summary
Tessa Bodish, regional SBDC manager, reported more client assistance hours and business starts; commissioners and regional advisers discussed business incubator models, barriers moving from home-based to commercial space, and possible county property options including the former elementary school.
Skamania County’s certified business adviser and regional partners briefed commissioners on small-business support activity Tuesday and discussed incubator options, workforce barriers and potential county property uses for growing firms.
Tessa Bodish, regional manager and certified business adviser, told the board that year-to-date assistance hours through March totaled 84 and that new client activity is increasing. Bodish said the program had created or supported several jobs and reported $55,000 in capital infusion into the local economy during the reporting period.
“Total assistance hours, 84 since January in which 40 of which have been in this last quarter,” Bodish said, summarizing recent activity and outreach including a chamber presentation and an upcoming business resource fair.
Ron Nielsen, participating online, and Bodish discussed local barriers small businesses face when moving from home-based operations to commercial space. Nielsen gave a standard illustration of margin effects: if a business has a 40% gross margin, a $1,200 monthly rent would require roughly $3,000 in additional monthly sales to cover that rent because “for every $1 of sales, 60¢ goes away to cover the cost of the sale, leaving 40¢,” he said.
Commissioners asked whether incubator models or reduced-rent ramps would be available locally. Bodish and Nielsen said various models exist — including stepped rents and wraparound advising from SBDC and partners — and suggested the board examine a recently proposed regional “Trades District” pilot and engage with local port and education partners about space.
Participants noted existing county-owned properties and nearby options that could be repurposed. Bodish and commissioners specifically referenced an available former elementary school building near the county campus as a potential location for business space or incubator activities; no formal proposal was before the board.
The board also raised concerns about state-level policy proposals that could affect small businesses, including possible B&O tax changes and producer-responsibility packaging rules. Bodish and Nielsen agreed to compile comparative information about regional business-tax incidence and the potential impacts of producer-responsibility rules for a future briefing.
No formal action was taken; commissioners thanked the advisers and asked staff to follow up on potential incubator models and property options.
