OEN NewsVancouver: Fostering an Environment for Small Businesses to Thrive

As I look back on my first six months in my role as Small Business & Entrepreneurship Program Manager with the City of Vancouver, I see an amazing community with many great opportunities. Vancouver is having its moment, one that we hope to sustain long-term. Historically seen as a bedroom community, Vancouver has emerged as the economic driver of the region. Since the pandemic, Vancouver and Clark County lead the metro region in both population and job growth. Key to Vancouver’s economic success is the strength of our small businesses and startups. We recognize that supporting our local entrepreneurs will provide us the best path toward creating more livable wage jobs, addressing long-standing economic disparities, and positioning Vancouver as a hub of innovation.

Anyone who knows me, understands that my strength and passion is as a community and small business connector. Prior to joining the City of Vancouver I spent three years at Business Impact Northwest supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses through technical assistance, establishing access to capital programs, and broader ecosystem building. What sets working in Vancouver apart from my previous experiences is the undeniable sense of community. Over the years, I’ve seen many cities attempt to dictate what is best for the community. I’ve had the pleasure of working with local economic development departments across four states. where I’ve witnessed the impact that thoughtfully designed programs and investments can have in fostering an environment for small businesses to thrive. What I haven’t seen, until my current role, is the level of commitment to community building that we have here in Vancouver.

What I love about Vancouver is the programs and initiatives are heavily influenced by our small business owners and led by our community-based partners. Within Vancouver’s economic development community, there are no individual egos or organizations jockeying for influence, power, or credit. Instead, there is a deep commitment to collaboration and teamwork; a community collectively focused on leveraging opportunities and tacking challenges. We have an amazing group of community partners – Fourth Plain Forward, North Bank Innovation, Vancouver’s Downtown Association, Columbia River Economic Development Council, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, NW Native Chamber, Microenterprise Services of Oregon, TiE Oregon, The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, The Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber, The Vancouver Farmers Market, Community Foundation of SW Washington, Worksource SW Washington, The Small Business Administration, Craft3, The Minority Business Development Agency, and Business Impact NW, etc, – working collaboratively to build an economy that prioritizes small business and startup success. I probably missed a few as well.

This past year, alongside our partners, we successfully launched some exciting initiatives that are positively impacting local small businesses:

The redesign of Main Street in downtown Vancouver that will transform this corridor into a premier small business destination.
Investments in Fourth Plain small businesses through the launch of a revolving loan fund, a commercial property down payment assistance program, access to legal services, and a property safety and revitalization grant.
Partnerships with OEN and TiE Oregon to bring pitch competitions, pub talks, and networking events to Vancouver.
Small Business Resource events like our small business month event as well as our Hispanic Heritage month resource event.

Our biggest challenge in Vancouver is to keep the momentum going, not only for the benefit of our community, but the broader region. To guide our work going forward, the city has embarked on a community-led effort to create its first ever Economic Development Strategy. While this Strategy won’t be officially adopted until Q1 2025 we do know that two key pillars of our work will focus on:

Creating opportunities for wealth creation, especially for historically marginalized communities, by strengthening support for small businesses.
Positioning Vancouver as an inclusive center of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Contact the Vancouver Small Business & Entrepreneurship Program

If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner looking to access resources in Vancouver, or curious about some of the new programs, investments, and strategies we intend to implement going forward, please don’t hesitate to reach out to

Victor Saldanha
victor.saldanha@cityofvancouver.us

Julie Arenz
julie.arenz@cityofvancouver.us