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WWU Small Business Development Center reports 2025 counseling and capital gains, highlights microloan pilot
Summary
Western Washington University's SBDC told the City committee it counseled 533 entrepreneurs in 2025, assisted 29 new business launches and supported nearly $50 million in five-year capital investment; it also described a microloan pilot and flood-recovery support.
Western Washington University's Small Business Development Center reported its 2025 outcomes and described programs to widen capital access for local entrepreneurs during a City of Bellingham committee meeting.
"Our story and our work is the success of this community full of inspiring entrepreneurs," CJ Sites, executive director of the WWU SBDC, told the Community and Economic Development Committee.
Sites said the SBDC provided one-on-one confidential counseling to 533 entrepreneurs in 2025, helped launch 29 new businesses (top industries: professional services and health care) and—looking over a five-year window—worked with about 1,800 unique clients, 125 business starts, nearly 1,000 jobs and over $50 million in capital investment. "For every local dollar that's invested in our program, we're returning that in over $17," Sites said.
The SBDC described system-level interventions: technical assistance for business transfers, work with the Washington Center for Employee Ownership, a microloan pilot with First Federal and the Whatcom Community Foundation (loans $2,500—650,000 aimed at non-bankable borrowers), and certified training in equity crowdfunding.
Sites also explained the SBDC's role in disaster response. After the 2021 and 2025 floods the SBDC led business-recovery efforts and served as a one-stop communication hub; Sites said the center's flood-recovery page logged over 2,000 unique visits since Dec. 11.
Council members asked about how the city and SBDC can coordinate on home-occupation rules and small-business incubation. Sites said wraparound services, clearer visibility of available resources and closer planner-SBDC collaboration would help home-based businesses move into formal storefronts.
Council members praised SBDC's client diversity and the microloan pilot; no formal action was taken. Committee members recommended continuing collaboration with city planning and economic development staff as the SBDC and partners scale pilot lending and recovery supports.
