CCD Christmas Party 2009

You are invited to a public Community Job Creation & Economic Growth Forum

Find information on this Snohomish County area event

Northwest Women’s Business Center is hosting a Community Forum on Job Creation and Economic Growth for the Snohomish County Region, in conjunction with the City of Mukilteo and Mayor Joe Marine. The Event will be hosted at Mukilteo City Hall offices, in the Council Chambers.


As a follow on to President Obama’s December 3rd discussion on job creation and economic growth, communities all across the nation are addressing the issue at the local level. The results of the forum’s efforts, including our identified needs and opportunities, as well as constructive feedback on obstacles to growth in our region will be relayed back to the White House for consideration.

Attendees are being invited from all industry sectors including, government, non-profit, small, medium and large companies, education faith-based agencies and local chambers of commerce. This event is open to the public and we look forward to a varied list of attendees representing all aspects of our community.

NWWBC client celebrates grand opening in Everett 12/16/09!

Janell Farnsworth has opened Janell's Gluten-Free Market at 7024 Evergreen Way in Everett.
Grand Opening info here

Reading labels becomes a way of life for people suffering from celiac disease.

The condition, caused by a reaction to gluten in wheat and other grains, renders them unable to absorb nutrients in many kinds of food. And so grocery shopping turns into a reading-glasses-required event that can end in expensive special orders — or a cart full of fruits and vegetables.

Janell Farnsworth thinks she found a way to make that grocery store experience easier for people with gluten intolerance.

She opened Janell's Gluten Free Market last week. The market lives in a small but welcoming storefront next to an insurance office on Evergreen Way in Everett.

Pita chips, candy, brownie mix and even bread fill the shelves. And every single package contains a gluten-free product.

That means there's no label-reading required.

Farnsworth just recently realized what that means to those with celiac disease. She was diagnosed with gluten-intolerance last year after becoming ill on a tour of duty with the National Gard.

Eating gluten-free was a daunting task, she said.

“I don't bake, I don't cook,” Farnsworth said. “Coming up with a regular recipe was hard enough for me, let alone a gluten-free recipe.”

She started drafting a business plan for the market earlier this year. It opened last Tuesday, amidst a flurry of deliveries, phone calls and drop-in browsers.

So far, the business has no employees beside Farnsworth. Her mother, stepfather and friends staff the store for now.

And her young son occasionally runs out from the back room for homework help. (“Grandma, what's four times seven? I hate these!”)

About one in 133 people suffer from some degree of gluten intolerance, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.

That's why just off to the side of the checkout desk, there's an area with chairs and tables — the reading room, Farnsworth said. She wants to create a gathering space where people can learn about living gluten-free.

Already, the bookshelves are filling up with gluten-free recipe books and support books.

A few days before the store opened, a man came to the door. Farnsworth recalled that he just stopped to chat for a while about his own struggle with celiac disease — and then he said something that struck her as poetic.

“I guess there's finally enough of us to have a store,” he said.

Read Amy Rolph's small-business blog at www.heraldnet.com/TheStorefront. Contact her at 425-339-3029 or arolph@heraldnet.com.

Aid available for small businesses in WA that depend on farms and ranches

Release Date: December 3, 2009
Media Contact: Richard Jenkins
Phone: (916) 735-1500
Release Number: WA 11957-01
Disaster Assistance Available for Small Businesses

Sacramento, CA – Small, non-farm businesses in 18 Washington counties are eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). “These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by a drought that occurred in the following primary Washington counties beginning January 1, 2009,” announced Alfred E. Judd, Director of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center West.

Small businesses in the following primary and neighboring counties may apply for working capital loans to offset economic losses that are attributable to the disasters.

Primary Washington counties: Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan

Neighboring Washington counties: Adams, Benton, Franklin, King, Kittitas, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Whatcom, Whitman and Yakima

“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster,” Judd said.

Small, non-farm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives and most private, non-profit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred.

“Eligibility for these working capital loans is based on the financial impact of the disaster only and not on any actual property damage. These loans have an interest rate of 4%, a maximum term of 30 years, and are restricted to small businesses without the financial ability to offset the adverse impact without hardship,” Judd added.

By law, SBA makes EIDLs available when the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. Secretary Tom Vilsack declared this disaster at the request of Governor Christine Gregoire.

Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency (FSA) about the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, in drought disasters nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance.

Information and application forms are available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659 2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance. Hearing impaired individuals may call (800) 877 8339.

Applicants may also apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

The deadline to apply for these loans is July 26, 2010.

For more information, visit SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.
SBA Field Operations Center - West, P.O. Box 419004, Sacramento, CA 95841

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