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Students present 'Salinas business success toolkit' and six‑phase branding plan
Summary
Five interns in the ICMA Bob Turner Scholars program presented a small-business toolkit and branding recommendations designed to help entrepreneurs navigate permits and licensing; councilmembers praised the toolkit and asked staff to publish it online and translate materials into Spanish.
Five interns who participated in the ICMA Bob Turner Scholars program presented a Salinas small-business toolkit and a six-phase branding proposal during the Aug. 4 meeting, recommending a centralized small-business web page, translated materials and a single point of contact for entrepreneurs.
Ximena Mesa introduced the interns and said the program aims to introduce young people to local government. “My name is Ximena Mesa, and I had the honor of serving as a mentor for our ICMA Bob Turner Scholars this summer,” she told the council before handing the presentation to student teams. Interns described a toolkit that includes a startup roadmap, permit and licensing overviews, FAQs, department contacts and a checklist for new businesses. One student said the toolkit is designed to be used from 'day 1' and should be translated into Spanish to better serve non‑English speakers.
Council members praised the interns and urged staff to implement the toolkit on the city website and incorporate branding recommendations into a broader communications strategy. City staff said the economic development team will post the toolkit and consider translating it as part of an implementation plan.
