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June 4, 2010 Hello,
Last month I sent our 25th Anniversary Newsletter to our regular newsletter recipients as well as current SBDC clients. Since so many clients opened the email, I decided to add those that did to our newsletter email list. If you choose to not receive the monthly NCSBDC newsletter, you may unsubscribe by clicking the link at the top of this email. We respect your privacy but I also want to provide our newsletter to those of you who are interested.
Now, on to the newsletter...
There are so many programs, grants, initiatives, projects, people, organizations, and events going on all the time in economic development!
It is truly amazing and an honor to see the endless hours and energy put into making the North Coast the wonderful place to live that it is.
People strive to provide opportunities where there are few, donate their time to assist a person or group in need, and provide valuable goods and services to North Coast residents that will improve the quality of life here.
Take a look around and you will also see that there is a community here that works so hard for the intangible, and tangible, benefits that make life on the North Coast so meaningful!
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| People | |
A quiet and serious woman on what we assume is a seriously noisy Harley trike |
Our deep thanks to Kim Windsor, who has stepped off of the North Coast Small Business Resource Center's Board of Directors. She served as Secretary/Treasurer and was on the board from 2004 to last month. Kim also anchored the Finance Committee since 2006 and provided extensive financial and accounting guidance to Michael and Colleen over the years.
Congratulations and best wishes to Tazsa Hartwell, who ties the knot later this month with Ryan Wells!
 Happy trails and our thanks to Chelsea Cough, AmeriCorps VISTA member and part of the SBDC staff for the past year.
Happy birthday this month to Gregg Foster, Suzanne Dockall and Tazsa Hartwell (nothing like a busy month)
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From the desk of the Executive Director
To steal a line from Craig Ferguson, around here damp is a bloody color. Old-timers, who remember the Redwood Coast as a rainier, foggier place, are complaining that we've been stuck in April for about 10 weeks now. Blame it on El Nino... Nina...whatever.
So it was inevitably a wet day as I toured the PG&E plant, along with Eureka Mayor Virginia Bass and Sid Berg of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 290, clad in PG&E's appreciated but shockingly orange rain coats. Expecting to be there perhaps an hour, it was three hours and very informative. New plant, old plant, shut down nuclear reactor, the PG&E folks were very generous with their time and showed it all to us. The several PG&E projects at King Salmon have been a true and rare bright spot in the local economy the last three years. Locally-hired workers have put in over 800,000 hours or around 400 work years on the projects so far. Some of my neighbors on Humboldt Hill are specialists from out of town renting here for a couple of years. Local businesses benefit from the recirculated money, such as Gils by the Bay and the restaurants on the south end of Eureka at lunchtime. The better news is that the projects will continue for some time. The new power plant with all those big Wartsila engines is scheduled to come on line at the end of this summer; testing begins soon. (Fun fact: if you know car engines, you'll immediately recognize the engine heads, huge valve covers, springs, etc.) Almost immediately, decommissioning of the existing conventional power plant will begin. Meanwhile, decommissioning of the nuclear plant is underway and will continue for several years. Finally, the whole deal gets landscaped. There will be scores of people working at King Salmon for quite a while. Our fond hope is that by the time the last project at the PG&E site is done, that we all--businesses, elected officials, labor and those of us in economic and business development--will have done our parts to built a more robust economy to take up the slack.
-Michael
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| News | If you have an interest in economic development, you might be interested to know:
- Michael Kraft is the Chair of the Decade of Difference Group on Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship, which is part of the Humboldt County Office of Education's 10-year initiative to develop Humboldt County's next generation workforce.
- The County of Humboldt Economic Development Division is currently
organizing specific Regional Innovation Cluster of Opportunity groups in
order to create workplans for each industry.
- Michael Kraft is co-facilitating the specialty agriculture, food, and beverage group with Humboldt County Community and Economic Development Specialist Angie Schwab.
- Janet DePace is co-facilitating the niche manufacturing group for the same Regional Innovation Cluster of Opportunity work with the County.
If you are still interested in economic development, Redwood Region Economic Development Corporation does a great job in their current newsletter on providing information on the following topics:
- Broadband update from Supervisor Lovelace
- Airline service to eastern destinations
- Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District is holding public meetings to address the need to find beneficial uses of permitted water. The next (and last) meeting is on June 15 at the Wharfinger Building.
We won't repeat their reports here, so go to their website at www.rredc.com to read more in their Newsletters (click for link).
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| Workshops |
It's back... QuickBooks Boot Camp for Beginners
Wednesday, July 21
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
CR Downtown
Due to the popularity and need, we're partnering with College of the Redwoods to offer this one-day workshop!
 Information and registration will be available at www.northcoastsbdc.org/events2within a few days. Interested persons may also call our office at 707-445-9720. |
Save the date...
Technology Boot Camp is scheduled for October 6.
The 2010 Technology Boot Camp is a full-day workshop for non-technical
small business entrepreneurs to learn about all aspects of using online
applications in their business.
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Grants & Programs |
Are you or someone you know an entrepreneur in digital media or film? Let me guess, you're great at producing your product, but not so great at selling, financial matters, or the legal side of things.
If so, you're in luck!
We're gearing up to offer a 7-month business training program for entrepreneurs in digital media. It will include:
- business and management assessments,
- workshops specific to the industry,
- business counseling,
- creation and completion of your business plan,
- creation of individual marketing materials, and
- a group show to celebrate your accomplishment and to promote your work!
 Information will be posted soon at www.northcoastsbdc.org/flights ( link is here) Stay tuned! |
| Events |
Did you go to the last Fire in the Belly? It was an entertaining look at how the guest speakers got their start, some of their woes, and some of the difficult and brilliant decisions that they made.
They're at it again. Whether it be bagels, lodging networks, marimbas, film, or green building, the featured storytellers have the entrepreneurial fire in the belly, and they want to share it with you!
For information and to RSVP, reply to margaret.gainer@gmail.com
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| Stat for this month. |
Over the past decade, average annual family health insurance premiums for workers at small firms increased by 123 percent, from $5,700 in 1999 to $12,700 in 2009, while the percentage of small firms offering coverage fell from 65 to 59 percent.From that statistic, it is clear that small business owners and
employees alike need help managing health care costs. Karen Mills, Director of the Small Business Administration, recently
issued a letter to small business owners that gave valuable information
on the Affordable Care Act, which is aimed at reducing the burden of
health care premiums for small business owners. The letter and more information about the Affordable Care Act, including tax credits, are available at http://www.sba.gov/acaletter/ ( link is here) |
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Wow, we have a busy summer. When are we not busy?!? Whatever keeps you busy, I invite you to keep the North Coast SBDC in mind as your first stop for business counseling, resources, and training. Tell your friends, when you're not too busy!  Sincerely,
Kathrine Bridgwater
Small Business Development Analyst
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