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Kenmore staff report sharp rise in business registrations; FindKenmore site drives local traffic
Summary
City staff reported a large increase in business registrations—about 2,500 entries—and said the FindKenmore directory has generated 27,000 page views and over 10,000 visitors since its April launch.
City staff provided the council with an update on the city’s business registration program and the FindKenmore business directory, reporting a marked increase in registrations and new outreach work with the Kenmore Business Alliance.
Business and Community Engagement Specialist Nicole Suarez and Administrative Specialist Teresa McAllister told the council the city now lists roughly 2,500 registered businesses. Staff attributed the recent increase to a change in program implementation and outreach: the city now requires registration for all businesses, including nonprofits, home-based businesses and nonresident businesses that earn income in Kenmore. The registration fee structure was described as: businesses anticipating or reporting gross income above $12,000 in a 12-month period pay a $10 registration fee; businesses with $12,000 or less in gross income pay no fee.
Suarez described the Kenmore Business Alliance (KBA), an active committee of local business leaders that meets monthly and recently formed a five-person executive committee to help guide initiatives. The KBA used business registration revenues to fund projects such as the FindKenmore.org directory and a kiosk at the Hangar, and it plans local promotions including support for an Oktoberfest event in September and regional advertising in state visitor guides.
City staff presented early analytics for FindKenmore: 27,000 page views and over 10,000 visitors since April (bots were filtered out, staff said), with a sizable share of traffic coming from event-driven pages such as Oktoberfest. Staff said only about 16% of Kenmore businesses currently have listings on FindKenmore and set a goal to raise that to 50% in the current year.
Staff also noted that about 43% of registered businesses report more than $12,000 in gross income (and therefore pay the $10 fee); about 57% report $12,000 or less, with over 600 businesses reporting $0 income. The city plans research this year to understand nonreporting and to better connect with home-based and very small businesses.
Council members thanked staff for outreach and the FindKenmore analytics; no formal action was requested.
