Business Resources
Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce’s Entrepreneurial Business Development Center opens new doors for business development and expansion
A full scale Entrepreneurial Business Development Center is The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce’s newest entree in an already powerful line-up of services, programs and benefits being offered to its members and the communities it serves.
Dedicated to serving the needs of potential and established businesses throughout north Snohomish County, the Center offers free business counseling, classes/seminars and access to small business loans Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Chamber’s regional facility located on the northwest corner of I-5 and 88 th Street, Exit 200.
“This Center represents a partnership between federal, state and local organizations dedicated to providing emerging and established business owners with assistance enabling overall growth and increased profitability that contributes to the economic prosperity of our area,” explained chamber president/CEO Caldie Rogers. “Working together in a cooperative and collaborative manner through coordinated efforts of partners, volunteers, industry leaders and staff, we have pulled together a multitude of resources to use in an integrated fashion enabling us to access previously untapped community wealth in both talent and capital.”
Carolyn Eslick, Assistant Director, NW Washington Women’s Business Center will serve as the Center’s lead staff person. Carolyn’s talent is being provided through a new collaborative partnership with Community Capital Development (CCD) and the Small Business Administration (SBA). Both CCD and SBA are non-profit business lenders and providers of free and low-cost business counseling, through their NW Women’s Business Center program (NWWBC). Open to men and women alike, the NWWBC is Community Capital Development’s technical assistance unit that provides business counseling, training and access to capital to the counties east of the Cascade Mountains, including Snohomish.
"The NW Women's Business Center is extremely happy to be part of The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce. Their premier facility and its strategic location just off I-5 gives us a chance to add our services of training, coaching and access to capital to start up for tribal and non-tribal businesses as well as for already established businesses that are looking at expansion,” states Carolyn Eslick."
SCORE counselors and industry leaders will add to the scope of the services offered by the Center while a grant being developed by the Chamber and NWWBC will fund additional professional staff support.
The Center offers the following services:
For start-up businesses, assistance will be provided with:
- Starting a business
- Analyzing the feasibility of a new business idea
- Writing a business plan
- Preparing a loan application
- Contract procurement training
For mature and expanding businesses, services include:
- Writing a comprehensive marketing plan
- Making human resources and staffing decisions
- Designing new product introduction strategies
- Preparing to sell a business
Loans and Financial Assistance
- Through its affiliation with Community Capital Development, the NWWBC has access to several loan funds, including CCD’S in-house loan fund, the SBA 7(a) Loan Guaranty Program, SBA Microloan Program, and King County Loan Fund.
- We will also refer qualified applicants to local partner banks and other less traditional funding sources.
“Both the city of Marysville and The Tulalip Tribes have targeted the need for such a center for a number of years now, but tight budgets restricted the ability of either entity to move the concept forward,” sums up Rogers. “Inspired by their vision and a strong partner in both entities’ economic development efforts, the Chamber committed its resources and talent to turning their visions into today’s united reality … doing in the end what we do best, … capitalizing on opportunity and building innovative partnerships that move our communities forward.”
The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber’s mission statement is “to serve as the voice and resource for business.” The Entrepreneurial Business Development Center now puts a capital R in resource … for its members and the business communities it serves.
Follow these links for further business resources:
Northwest Washington Women's Business Center (NWWBC) ( www.nwwbc.org) helping business owners succeed in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, San Juan and Kitsap counties.
Small Business Development Center (SBDC) http://www.seattleccd.org/sbdc/index.htm
which primarily serves existing businesses seeking to improve profitability and growth.
Minority Business Development Center (MBDC), www.mbdcwa.com, which offers professional expertise in all enterprise disciplines for eligible minority businesses throughout the state of Washington;
Small Business Administration (SBA), www.sba.org, whose mission is to maint ain and strengthen the nation's economy by aiding, counseling, assisting and protecting the interests of small businesses and by helping families and businesses recover from national disasters.
| 
