From books to business: StartUp Spokane getting new life under joint library management

Local libraries will partner in a bid to help Spokane-area startups grow into industry leaders.

Originally created by Greater Spokane Inc., StartUp Spokane will be operated by Spokane Public Library and Spokane County Library District.

The change in leadership comes after the program faced headwind recently, said Joey Gunning, Strategic Growth Manager of Greater Spokane Inc.

“We used to have a physical, co-working space downtown, but that closed during COVID,” he said. “It was during that time that we identified the opportunity to partner with the libraries because of the number of resources they already had available.”

The Spokane Public Library previously offered business consultations and digital resources that provided local businesses insight into industry trends, market research and customer demographics.

The Spokane Country Library District offered similar services, so by combining forces and earning funding from the Washington State Microenterprise Association and Numerica Credit Union, services to local business will be expanded under the StartUp Spokane name.

Gunning said the revamped program will largely be lead by Mark Pond, Spokane Public Library Business Research Librarian.

“Over time, we realized there’s an opportunity to kind of let (Pond) take this and do with it what he wants, and so we’re really excited to see what he can do,” Gunning said.

According to Pond, the new program will make Spokane-area libraries nationally competitive in their business services.

“Really, the only one that’s giving us a run for our money is New York Public Library,” Pond said. “And they have bags of money, but we’ve got bags of community, which I will take every single day.”

By crowdfunding from community organizations, many expensive resources that would otherwise be out of reach of fledgling businesses and entrepreneurs can be made affordable, Pond said.

For instance, the organization recently purchased a subscription to CoStar, a software that offers comprehensive commercial real estate data. A subscription to the database costs over $5,000, which is a tough sell, Pond said.

“The University District really wants it, the Northeast Public Development Authority really wants it and S3R3 wants it, but they don’t want to pay thousands for it,” Pond said. “They can give the libraries $1,000 to $1,200, then we put that money together and go get the subscription.

“They get access to it, you get access to it, everyone get access to it, all without spending any tax dollars. It’s a beautiful thing.”