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Committee previews business support: $7,500 technical grants, workshops and Blue Dot business directory
Summary
Staff outlined a technical-assistance grant program that reimburses up to $7,500 for four businesses per year, previewed workshops and business toolkits, and introduced a public-facing Blue Dot directory to improve discoverability and CRM outreach.
Pleasant Hill City staff told the Economic Development Committee on June 3 that the city will continue small-scale business support through technical-assistance grants, workshops and a public business directory called Blue Dot.
Mr. Greer said the technical-assistance program will serve four businesses in a fiscal cycle and reimburse up to $7,500 each for website or social-media work; three reimbursements have already been paid this year and one application remained in process. Committee members pressed staff for measurable impact data such as analytics, conversion rates and traffic before the program reopens, saying they want evidence of return on investment.
Staff previewed a set of business toolkits — step-by-step resources covering zoning, licensing and department contacts — and proposed workshops where planners, building and engineering staff would explain the permitting process. Staff also proposed broker breakfasts to build relationships with commercial brokers and better understand barriers to filling brick‑and‑mortar space.
The committee received a demo of Blue Dot, a public‑facing directory and CRM aimed at listing every business in Pleasant Hill, improving search visibility and enabling opt‑in newsletters. Staff said Blue Dot will provide data and SEO benefits and is planned to kick off in July; members asked for a short demo video and an agenda item on Blue Dot for the next meeting.
No new grant awards or budget changes were approved at the meeting; members requested a deeper metrics briefing and asked staff to circulate workshop dates and Blue Dot materials before the next meeting.
