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Yakima County Development Association says Sunnyside business outreach introduced local firms to no-cost resources
Summary
A YCDA outreach event in Sunnyside connected about 11 local businesses with county and nonprofit resources, officials told the council. Partners included the Small Business Development Center, WorkSource and Visions CDFI.
Jonathan Smith of the Yakima County Development Association (YCDA) presented a summary of a recent business outreach event organized in coordination with Sunnyside staff.
Smith said about 20 businesses initially signed up and 11 attended the event. The outreach connected entrepreneurs at different growth stages with free technical assistance and financing resources. Partners included the Small Business Development Center, South Central Workforce Council, Visions (a community development finance institution) and the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments. Smith said attendees were able to meet one-on-one with partners to learn about permitting, hiring training funds, micro-lending requirements and certification opportunities to serve unmet local demand.
City officials thanked the YCDA for organizing the event. Council members and the city manager noted plans to track whether participating firms receive loans, add employees or expand operations; the manager also noted YCDA assistance in preparing a seed-grant application for the Munson property that could help future development.
Smith said the city’s message — that the city wants local businesses to succeed and to meet with permitting staff early — resonated with attendees. He said the city will track outcomes from the event and report back when businesses begin to show measurable results (hiring, loans, expansions).
