It seems there is a lot of buzz lately about small business. The government wants to support small business growth with tax breaks and other incentives; individuals are leaving corporate America in steadily increasing numbers to work for themselves; and at home, the Kitsap Regional Economic Development Council (KREDC) has accepted the challenge to create one thousand new jobs per year for the next five years. This is just a sampling of the energy that is building behind the entrepreneurial spirit both here and across the country.

Small businesses in the Kitsap region have been served by a variety of sources over the past several years including the KREDC, the Electronic Commerce Resource Center (ECRC) and the Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE).

For a number of years, a business assistance center in Bremerton operated as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) under the management of Olympic College. The Kitsap SBDC ceased operations in June of 2002 as funding was no longer available.

Note: SBDCs are funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The lead agency in Washington State is the Washington State Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of Washington State University (WSU).

Because of the revitalization of downtown Bremerton and growth throughout Kitsap County in both population and business starts the demand for this type of service is once again at the forefront.

The Kitsap Business Assistance Center (KBAC) has been formed to provide business assistance to start-up and existing small businesses in the Kitsap County Region.

The purpose of the KBAC is to provide no fee business consulting and fee and non-fee based continuing education opportunities to Kitsap County’s entrepreneurs. KBAC’s business development specialist assists business clients with a variety of challenges, including, but not limited to, how to start a business, write a business plan, apply for a loan or seek out other financial resources, market products and services, and plan for overall success of the business. The Center provides a wide range of business references and referrals in addition to electronic and print resource material.

By supporting and mentoring businesses through the critical stages of growth, we can assure a stable and prosperous economy that benefits us all. Many in our own community have caught the vision about how powerful these services can be, and their financial and intellectual contributions are making it possible for the KBAC to provide high level counseling, training and other services to our local businesses.

Our current partners include: City of Bremerton, Kitsap Bank, Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, Kitsap County, KREDC, Olympic College, Port of Bremerton, SCORE and WSBDC.

Furthering this impact on our economy is our network of community champions who provide additional resources and support in perfect complement to our own efforts. These include the chambers of commerce in Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Kingston, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Silverdale; the Kitsap Regional Library; WSU Extension and the Electronic Commerce Technical Assistance Group.
Over the coming months we will begin to paint a landscape where small businesses thrive in Kitsap County. Stay tuned.

(Editor’s Note: This is the beginning of a series of articles on the KBAC and its efforts to help local businesses grow. It will discuss a wide range of topics from finance to employee issues and everything in between, as well as present some local success stories, For information on the KBAC, contact Wendy Miles, executive director, at (360) 475-7786 or wmiles@oc.ctc.edu.).