While the recruitment of large companies to the region gets a lot of attention, it has become increasingly clear that small businesses are the larger driver of job growth not just in Grays Harbor, but across the nation.
Our approach to Business Retention + Expansion is to establish strong relationships with local firms and to cultivate the necessary conditions for business success and community prosperity in Grays Harbor. This is an ongoing, long-term effort to stay attuned to the needs of our local businesses while maintaining a comprehensive working knowledge of resources and programs that may benefit them. By doing so, we are positioned to connect them to local Business Resources, current grant opportunities, and best represent their needs to local legislators.
This program serves as the platform for our Entrepreneurial Development and Business Recruitment programs. By continually assessing the needs of local businesses, we are able to determine relevant programming for our Entrepreneurial Development program while helping our local businesses to feel appreciated and supported for the integral role they play in our region’s economy. This not only helps to retain existing firms, but creates a solid foundation for our Business Recruitment program.
As the regional combined Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, we are uniquely positioned to operate a high-impact Business Retention + Expansion program. By leveraging our wide professional network, our program goes beyond basic education and creates meaningful connections throughout the county and larger economic region.
“THANK YOU Greater Grays Harbor for going above and beyond to assist us in securing a Disaster Recovery Grant when one of our buildings unexpectedly sank in the Westport Marina. An additional thank you is in order for being selected for your Biz Boost Program, which assisted us with light book keeping and great marketing materials for our small family business.We just cannot thank you enough! If you are a small business owner and haven’t worked with Greater Grays Harbor, you are missing out.”
“Business Retention & Expansion is an economic development strategy of proactively connecting with existing businesses to understand and respond to their needs.”