Smaller Businesses Now Have Enhanced Local Help

The Washington headquarters of the Small Business Development Center relocated to Spokane from Pullman Thursday.

Director Carolyn Clark, who called the existing Spokane office one of the city’s best-kept secrets, said the transplantation will heighten the program’s profile and allow officials to build more partnerships.

“Through such collaboration, we can surely deliver services far beyond our normal capacity,” she said.

Bob Meredith, district director for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Seattle, said the move would strengthen coordination across the Cascade Mountains between the two agencies.

“Our jobs are getting more challenging as our resources get smaller,” he said.

SBA staff in Washington has been reduced to 32 from 54 during the past four years, but demands are increasing, Meredith said.

The 24 small-business centers in the state, which receive half their $3.1 million budget from SBA, help the agency reach more people at less cost, he said.

SBA guaranteed $270 million in loans to 1,300 Washington businesses last year.

Bob Hemphill, owner of the Chicken N’ More restaurant in downtown Spokane, testified to the support the program gave him over the years.

Hemphill has been in the cab, used car and home renovation businesses before venturing into food service.

Former Spokane center director Katie Reifkoski helped him prepare a business plan, he said. Last year, Chicken N’ More doubled in size.

“It’s been one of the greatest experiences I did in my whole life,” Hemphill said.

Last year, the Small Business Development Center counseled 299 Spokane clients and trained another 397.

Clients provided 136 jobs and received $10.4 million in financing.

Besides SBA, the program is supported by Washington State University and the Community Colleges of Spokane.