Grants Pass hears updates from regional economic development partners on loans, entrepreneurship and downtown revival

Southern Oregon economic development partners — So Ready (Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development), the Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center and Main Street Grants Pass — gave the Grants Pass City Council a series of briefings on services, local impacts and funding needs during the council’s workshop session.

Casey Miller, vice president of the So Ready board, said So Ready acts as a regional connector for businesses and entrepreneurs and manages a small loan program for the Rogue Valley. “So Ready is designed to be that one Rogue Valley strategy,” Miller said, describing outreach to industry, connections to property owners and entrepreneurship support. James Tadlock, So Ready business development manager, told the council the organization currently has seven active loans in Grants Pass and Josephine County totaling about $925,000, from an origination amount of roughly $1.2 million.

The chamber’s president and CEO, Terry Hopkins, described visitor-center work the chamber performs under contract with the city and outlined broader chamber activities. “The chamber’s mission is to support and promote local commerce through communication, advocacy and partnerships,” Hopkins said, noting the chamber represents roughly 600 members in Grants Pass and Josephine County and that it runs the North Visitor Center and an event calendar used by the community.

Ruth Swain, director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), described no‑cost confidential advising and low‑cost training for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Swain said the SBDC served 366 clients with one‑on‑one advising last year, ran classes attended by about 412 people, documented seven new business starts and reported $1,360,000 in capital going to local small businesses in the prior year.

Michael Coyne, vice chair of Main Street Grants Pass, outlined the newly formed nonprofit’s downtown work and an initial request for operating support. Coyne said the Main Street district covers about 198 businesses (148 in the downtown core) and that the group has identified roughly 44–50 vacant downtown storefronts. Main Street is seeking city support of about $80,000 in year one (rising by $10,000 annually over the first three years), along with member dues, grants and fundraising. “Our vision is clear and ambitious: to transform downtown Grants Pass into a vibrant economic and community hub,” Coyne said.

Why it matters: the presentations showed how multiple partner organizations deliver business loans, retention and attraction programs, workforce outreach, visitor services and downtown revitalization — activities that local officials said feed into the city’s economic goals. Several council members asked for additional documentation or follow‑up: one requested attendance options and invitations to So Ready’s August board meeting; another asked the chamber to share the chamber’s relocation/market packets; and members of the council asked SBDC for more detail on the childcare-startup grants and on measured outcomes from their advising work.

What council asked staff to do: councilors asked staff to share contact information for So Ready and the SBDC, and to circulate Main Street’s budget request and projected deliverables to the council ahead of upcoming budget conversations. No formal council vote was taken during the presentations; council direction was limited to requests for follow‑up information and invitations for future engagement.

Context and background: So Ready described new long‑term growth and strategy work to identify traded‑sector, tech and manufacturing targets in the Rogue Valley. The chamber emphasized coordination with Visit Grants Pass and other partners to leverage tourism promotion funds. The SBDC noted partnership funding from Rogue Community College and other local sources, and the Main Street group noted prior technical assistance and grant applications to state programs.

Ending: Council members praised the partners’ work and asked staff to circulate additional details, including grant requests and performance metrics, before the city’s budget deliberations and upcoming downtown grant opportunities.