"“People starting a business don’t always know all that they will need,” said Michael Dechand, founder of True Blue Roofing & Siding in May 2020. Washington SBDC business advisor Taryn Hornby “was so helpful to start. You need to get licenses, be registered with certain agencies, get certifications. More information is always good, and talking with someone like Taryn helps you know what you need and how to achieve it.”"
Michael Dechand
SPOKANE, Wash.—Single Handed Consulting, a disability management service that helps injured workers get back to work, has been named the Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Star Client of the Year. Owned by siblings Katie Leneker-Hynes and Kevin Leneker, the business employs nearly 40 vocational rehabilitation counselors across the state. Kevin Leneker accepted the award … Read more
NEWCASTLE, Wash. – As sole proprietors of their own businesses in 2016, Kristina and Michael Orille had saved their money for … something. To buy a house? To buy a house that included a spa business where they both could practice their vocations – hers as massage therapist and his as personal trainer? Or perhaps … Read more
TACOMA, Wash.—The Great Recession may have knocked the construction industry on its heels, but architectural firms didn’t escape unscathed either. Architect Jennifer Weddermann left one firm in 2008 in search of more professional challenges just before the recession hit, and then was laid off from two different firms over the next 12 months. That’s when … Read more
"“We have been quick to work on our plans and start our business. (SBDC advisor) Sherri Daymon’s counsel has cautioned us to be sure we create policies as we grow, to have them in place before we get there. She reminds us to be intentional.” "
Saul Whitworth, Kenny Nichol and Elke Stevens
PULLMAN, Wash. – DJ Goldfinger and Molly Golden have a heart for large-scale hospitality whose innovation and service attract first-time customers and then convert them into lifelong fans. The partners – in marriage and business – had worked 15 years at the popular college dance bar Stubblefields when it was forced to close in August … Read more
SPOKANE, Wash. – Marquez Henderson’s interest in printing began in the mid-1990s when he used desktop publishing and graphic design to help produce his school newspaper. Employed later by a Business Cards Tomorrow printing franchise in Florida, he especially enjoyed the computer technology aspects and completed a software development degree while working. He also enjoyed … Read more
WASHOUGAL, Wash. – Family-owned Green Flush Restrooms builds flush restrooms in efficient, environmentally sound, accessible modules. Over 10 years, father and son Ken and Kyle Earlywine likewise have fashioned the components of good business practice into a company that continued to provide work for its three employees and associated supplier businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic … Read more
"(Our SBDC advisor's) advice and guidance gave our business the boost it needed to start off the year strong. The tips he gave me on what I could use the funds for made a big difference. "
Joselyne & Jorge Hernandez
ELLENSBURG, Wash.—Wheel Line Cider, an Ellensburg-based cidery, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Seattle District Rural Small Business of the Year. The public got its first taste of Wheel Line Cider at the Windfall Ciderfest in Ellensburg in 2018, but owner Susie Jensen has been planting rootstock, tending her expanding orchard on … Read more
Grandview—David Ruelas was working in agricultural fields near his home in Sunnyside, following in the footsteps of his parents and older brother, when a door opened and he became an apprentice to a diesel mechanic in Yakima. Within a year, at age 21, he was a lead mechanic at the shop. The 45-minute drive along … Read more
OLYMPIA, Wash.—PCI Pest Control in Olympia has been named the 2020 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Seattle District Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year. Owner Matthew Purcell Sr. started the business in 2007 after retiring from the military, where he spent 20 years in the Active Guard Reserve Program supporting National Guard units in Alaska, … Read more
