KEDC Executive Director David Porter addresses participants at the recent 2006 Kitsap Small Business Conference

The Kitsap County Community Development Corporation (KCCDC) held a Small Business Conference on April 8th to offer workshops designed to help small business owners and to let them know about resources available to them in Kitsap County.   

KEDC Executive Director David Porter confers with County Commissioner Patty Lent

Commissioner Patty Lent attended and stated that Kitsap County wants to encourage small businesses to grow.  She also said that trainings such as this are important to build entrepreneurial skills for successful businesses. 

Owner of Super WebGirl business, Jane Lindley, called it “a jewel of a conference.”. . . “The conference really pulled together many of the tools a small business owner needs to continue to grow their business from business plans to QuickBooks to financing and pricing products and services.  And I learned a lot.”

Tuana Jones, Area Director of USDA Rural Development, addressing the conference

Kitsap County Community Development Corporation will do this type of conference again and elicit more active involvement from other economic development agencies.  

Our thanks to those providing resource tables:  Toro Insurance, Waddell & Reed, Washington CASH, Lunch N Leads networking group, USDA Rural Development, Kitsap Economic Development Council, Costco, Community Capital Development, Evergreen Certified Development Corporation, Hurley White & Huish, US Navy, and Office of Women and Minorities Business Enterprises. 

Other sponsors and speakers contributed to its success:  Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce, Olympic College, and Speakers Tuana Jones from USDA, Kurt Strep of Town & Country Delis, Roland Chaiton from Community Capital Development, Joan Broughton from Evergreen CDC, Robert Watson from Washington Mutual, Brad Rucker of Essential Surveys, Deborah Housen of Silverdale Antiques, Megumi Ueda from Hurley White & Huish, Carolyn Crowson from OWMBE, and Rand Riedrich from Kitsap Business Assistance Center.