Advisor helps absentee-owned business, employees thrive
LONGVIEW, Wash. – When Tabitha Beneke’s father died in 2012 and she inherited his locksmith business, the three long-time employees of Keys Plus faced several possible scenarios, none of them pretty....
View ArticleGolf turf company grows, adjusts with free business advising
More than 500 new golf courses opened in the United States in 1999, the year agronomist/turf grass consultant Jim Connolly launched Planet Turf in Spokane, Wash. But seven years later, more than 500...
View ArticleAmerican dream in the making for Yakima couple
YAKIMA, Wash. Peek inside Auto Art and Collision Repair at closing time and it looks like the answer to a math problem: how many average-size automobiles can you fit into a 5,000-square-foot body shop?...
View ArticleAdvisor boosts business’ failing expansion to doubled revenue
TUKWILA, Wash. – If your furnace is working overtime and you still have a cold, drafty house, the usual suspects are old windows and poor insulation. Or maybe a worn out furnace. But what if you round...
View ArticleAdvising helps woodworker grow business, financial acumen
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Custom cabinetry shop Beech Tree Woodworks grew out of owner Nic James’ passion for wood and appreciation of quality craftsmanship. Then it grew out of its location in a...
View ArticleBellingham Wind Works growing into to its fullest potential
“People tend to have the passion but not the business knowledge.” That’s what the young owners of Bellingham Wind Works shared with us on Friday when asked about their journey. In 2001, Ed DeVaney was...
View ArticleSpa owners rely on SBDC advising to expand business
LYNWOOD, Wash. – As a manicurist working out of her home, Trieva Katsandres walked her clients to the car so she could fasten their seat belts, thus protecting their still-fragile nail polish. “It...
View ArticleBusiness advising equips autism practice for rapid growth
TUKWILA, Wash. – Takanori Koyama’s clinical practice for children with autism spectrum disorder was growing so quickly that in two years his one-person staff burgeoned to 24 and he needed more space....
View ArticleYoga business grows, flexes to deliver corporate classes
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – When successful small business Three Trees Yoga determined to offer classes in the workplace, it needed to learn how to attract companies, rather than individuals, as clients. An...
View ArticleSecret ingredient to catering business – a good lease agreement
RENTON, Wash.— You might think delicious and beautifully prepared food is key to a successful catering company, and you would be right. But Kenneth Rogers, co-owner and general manager of Rain City...
View ArticleQuarterly checkups, SBDC partnership, pave growth for turf company
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Like many small business owners, Jim Connolly is setting goals for the coming year. Their company, Planet Turf, was expected to reach $3.5 million in sales in 2017, mostly from...
View ArticleDan The Sausage Man is the SBA Washington State Small Business Person of the...
BURIEN, Wash.—Dan House has always been able to connect with people, but that skill became a huge asset about 30 years ago when he started selling sausage and jerky door-to-door. “The route was so...
View ArticleBig Growth Big Vision for South Sound Pest Control
OLYMPIA, Wash.–Father-son business partnerships are fairly common, father-daughter partnerships less so. If online reviews are any indication, it seems to be working out well for Matt Purcell, owner of...
View ArticleEncore entrepreneurs cabinet design company wins award
LACEY, Wash.–Cabinets by Trivonna, was the winner of the Washington State SBA Encore Entrepreneur Award. Trivonna Irwin and her husband, Ross Irwin, opened their doors to the public in January 2007,...
View ArticleCowlitz Container and Diecutting navigates from tenuous times to peak production
KELSO, Wash. – Ralph Clark in 2011 was feeling like it was déjà vu all over again. Ten years earlier he and his wife, Gwen, had closed their manufacturing company after being in business for more than...
View ArticleManhattan jewelry business moves to Spokane and flourishes
SPOKANE, Wash. – “I love coming to my office every day,” says Arianna Brooke, co-founder of MILLIANNA. Her office in downtown Spokane is just blocks from Riverfront Park with views of the roiling...
View ArticleSBDC advising helps Auburn therapy business quickly expand
AUBURN, Wash.—When the lease came up on the 900-square-foot office that housed Circle Creek Therapy, owner Courtni Doherty’s speech therapy practice, she had a decision to make—baby steps or a huge...
View ArticleEntrepreneur bakes up million dollar enterprise with help of Washington SBDC
BELLINGHAM, Wash.—As she was growing up, Andrea Vann loved the hours she spent with her mother in the kitchen. She was drawn to baking while her mother cooked meals, she said, and it was where she...
View ArticleAuburn entrepreneur returns to his roots to build successful landscape business
Kent, Wash. – If a serial entrepreneur is someone who hops from business to business, what do you call someone who lands on an idea while still in middle school, keeps it going through high school and...
View ArticleSBDC advising helps Olympia entrepreneur access capital for growth
OLYMPIA, Wash.—If only owning a day spa were as restful as being a patron at one. When clients walk into Ballaura Wellness Spa in Olympia, they are greeted by the warm, modern farmhouse look of...
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