ENTREPRENEURSHIP / STARTUP ASSISTANCE
Pierce County offers a variety of resources to entrepreneurs to assist in starting up a new business.
Small Business Development CenterThe Small Business Development Center promotes economic vitality by providing advice, training and research to entrepreneurs and existing businesses statewide. To learn more visit their website. Contact John Rodenberg at 253-680-7768 or jrodenberg@bates.ctc.edu.The Center for Business DevelopmentThe Center for Business Development at Clover Park Technical College is a one-stop shop for small business needs. They offer counseling, financing assistance, and training for small businesses. Carol Davis-Clark can be reached at carol.davis-clark@cptc.edu or 253-589-5515. For more information, visit their website.Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business EnterprisesOMWBE develops programs designed to improve the contributions of minority and women-owned small businesses to the Washington State economy. The OMWBE assists qualified minority and women businesses in the State OMWBE certification process for public contracting and procurement and access to financial opportunities. To learn more visit their website.South Sound Women’s Business CenterThe SSWBC assists all small businesses (primarily woman-owned start ups) on a variety of business subjects—start-up planning, business plans, financials and loan application packages. For more information, visit their website.Service Corps of Retired ExecutivesAny start-up or existing small business is eligible for counseling at no charge from the Service Corps of Retired Executives. Counseling is available in Tacoma and other South Sound locations. For more information call 253-680-7770 or visit their website.
Small Business AdministrationThe U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in association with our community partners, provides a one-stop location where current and future small business owners can utilize computing resources and receive business assistance and advice as described below. These services are provided free of charge. For more information visit their website. City of Tacoma Loan ProgramsThe City of Tacoma offers their own finance programs to assist business in accessing the capital for land/building, equipment, working capital, with loans ranging in size, rate and requirements. To learn more about their financing programs visit their website, or contact Genal Gavaldon, the City’s Business Loan Specialist if you have any further questions. Genal can be reached at 253-591-5213 or ggavaldo@ci.tacoma.wa.us. Pierce County Loan ProgramsPierce County oversees several loan programs that can offer competitive financing for the purposes of business retention and expansion (they are primarily in the form of gap financing). To learn more about these programs, visit their website and click on the brochure for Finance Programs. Businesses can also contact the county’s loan officer, Sheree Clark, with questions at 253-798-6916 or sclark1@co.pierce.wa.us.