"We don’t get stuck in debate mode but instead focus on what’s best for our business. "
Ken & Kyle Earlywine
RICHLAND, Wash.–Joselyne Hernandez and her father, Jorge Hernandez, started The Black Woodpecker construction company in 2018, a goal Jorge had been working toward for nearly a decade. In the late 1990s and 2000s, Jorge had been a foreman at one of the biggest construction companies in Arizona, but when the recession hit he was out … Read more
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
"He’s been a great resource every time there’s been an issue that we are dealing with. Business owners can benefit from SBDC advising at any stage. "
Matt Purcell
SPOKANE, Wash. – Family-owned Washington Equipment Manufacturing Company has grown steadily since its founding by John and Karma Rouse in 1989. Son Juston joined at age 20 in 2004, followed by his wife Lisa in 2016. WEMCO built a new facility eight years ago, averaged 84 employees throughout 2021, and, with recent hires, now employs … Read more
RENTON, Wash.—The irony is not lost on Gordon Alvord or his business partner Bradley Donaldson. They lost their jobs as pilots because of the recession but ended up founding a flight school that is thriving today. “People told us, ‘You guys are either insane or geniuses,’” Alvord said. “Who starts a flight school in a … Read more
PULLMAN, Wash.—When Adam Jones, founder and president of Pullman Marketing, enrolled in a Be the Entrepreneur Boot Camp course in 2017 hosted by the Palouse Knowledge Corridor, he was working 12 hours a day as a sole proprietor and had about six clients, nearly all of whom were from outside the state of Washington. Today … Read more
"He’s really helpful. You can talk to him like a regular person. He explains things to you in way that makes sense and doesn’t insult you because you didn’t already know. "
Julian Hedin
AENEAS VALLEY, Wash.— The Aeneas Valley Country Store near milepost 11 is the only business along a remote 18-mile country road just south of the Canadian border that connects Highway 20 to the north and Highway 21 to the south. “We want to make that 18 miles feel like one block,” said Doug Isler, who … Read more
MOUNT VERNON, Wash.—For a dozen years, chocolatier Karen Neugebauerhas been perfecting her craft while running her own small business, Forte Chocolates. “Chocolate doesn’t back down,” she said from her production kitchen on Riverside Drive in Mount Vernon. That means chocolate is a fantastic medium for a self-described “control freak” who loves both science and art. … Read more
EPHRATA, Wash.–When a healthcare provider in a small town retires, patients are often left scrambling for care, either doing without or traveling long distances to find new providers. Fortunately, when Dr. Bill Davis, one of three chiropractors in Ephrata, retired after 36 years in practice, Dr. Tashauna Devine was able to take over the practice … Read more
