A feature of Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. (GGHI) is to provide business assistance and resource referral. This monthly Business Assistance Briefing is to share relevant and timely resources to support your business, regardless of size.

In today’s world it can be hard to navigate the waters when it comes to running your business, gaining access to capital, marketing woes, workforce needs, or just getting started – GGHI is here to assist. This month we are sharing some employee training information, an advanced technologies networking event for entrepreneurs and an entrepreneur start-up training.

If you are also in the seafood processing industry, do not forget about the grant that is still open via the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

America’s Seed Fund Week

America’s Seed Fund Week is an online event held over four days from May 15th to May 18th, 2023, to connect entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies and the organizations that support them to America’s Seed Fund, the country’s largest source of early-stage funding!

Kicking off America’s Seed Fund Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will host its 2nd annual Startup Expo – showcasing innovative ventures that define the cutting edge of technologies critical for our nation’s economic prosperity, global competitiveness, and national security! This video also looks back at 2022.

Click here to find out more and register for the event.

Entrepreneur Academy

If you’re thinking about starting a business in Washington State, you’re in the right place. Experts from around the state have created an academy where you can master the skills needed to be a successful business owner, from coming up with the initial idea to avoiding those pesky beginner’s mistakes.

Best of all, there’s no cost to you. So, what are you waiting for? A lifetime of learning is waiting for you in the Academy. The Entrepreneur Academy was created by the Washington State Department of Commerce to teach the skills needed to be a successful business owner. Starting and running your own business can be one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. Believing that every resident has the right to a living wage job and equal access to education, training and support, Commerce created the Academy.

Click here to learn more about the Academy

Supervision Certificate at Evergreen State College

Are you looking to invest in your employees and upskill them into a management role?

Evergreen State College is offering a Supervision Certificate that employers can send employees to. Designed for people who are planning to or who have recently transitioned into supervisory or management roles, this course covers the essential skills every supervisor needs. Effective decision-making, professional communication, managing people, organizational skills and record keeping are among the topics covered.

Learn the skills needed to successfully transition from a high performer to an effective supervisor or manager.

Courses will cover topics such as: 

  • Decision making and delegation.
  • Human resource management
  • Professional and interpersonal communication
  • Diversity and inclusion in the workplace
  • Conflict management
  • Coaching and mentoring
  • Building a positive work culture

Click here to find out more about this certification. 

Washington Seafood Processers Pandemic Response and Safety Grant

This is the last reminder as the grant closes May 25th.

Overview: Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, $50 million was provided to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS) for the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety (SPRS) Block Grant Program. Washington was allocated $2,426,509 using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 2019 landings data for eligible states. Payments will be made directly to applicants for eligible costs incurred between January 27, 2020, and December 30, 2021.

Grant Amount: Direct payments will be made to qualifying seafood processing businesses for eligible expenses incurred between January 27, 2020, and December 30, 2021. If the total of all claims exceeds funds available, then disbursements will be scaled relative to the funds available compared to the total claims. A maximum claim allowance may be imposed to help level disbursements if total claims exceed available funds. If total claims are less than available funds, a second round of applications may be solicited.

Click here for detailed information.

Greater Grays Harbor hosts a Business Assistance page on our website that provides a lengthy list of resources related to business support. We are happy to conduct a meeting with you to discuss business needs and how to navigate the vast resource network.

Please reach out to Loretta Thomas, Program Manager for Business Development at GGHI if you have questions or need some guidance along your business journey.