The Tri-Cities area of Washington State is the newest community to adopt the U.S.SourceLink® model for linking entrepreneurs and small business owners to the resources they need to start and grow successful businesses.
The Tri-Cities Business Builder (tri-citiesbusinessbuilder.com) will bring together all the resources to support startup and business growth throughout region, and make those assets easily accessible through a web portal and a hotline, using the U.S.SourceLink model and The Resource Navigator® technology.
“A strong business environment is vital to a healthy community,” said Trisha Herron, project coordinator. “The Tri-Cities Business Builder provides one location for businesses at all maturity levels to find pertinent information to help their business grow and succeed.”
The program is funded by the cities of Richland and Kinnewick, the Tri-Cities Research District and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Other supporters include the cities of Pasco and West Richland, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and WSU-Tri-Cities.
Discussions of the project began in 2008. Organizers chose U.S.SourceLink because, according to Herron, “the U.S.SourceLink staff understand business development. Our community could have chosen any technical support team, but U.S.SourceLink was the only provider that understood the dynamics of the business community.”
The website launched earlier this fall. Small business owners and entrepreneurs seeking assistance can visit the website at www.tri-citiesbusinessbuilder.com or call the hotline at 509-942-7725.
“The Tri-Cities business assistance community is speaking with one voice for the betterment of all businesses in our region, regardless of where they are physically located. By working together, we will be able to better serve our businesses in a more timely and efficient manner,” Herron said.
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About U.S.SourceLink
U.S.SourceLink is America’s largest resource network for entrepreneurs. The mission of U.S.SourceLink is to match aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to the resources they need to grow by uniting existing business development programs into collaborative networks, providing a highly reliable and visible source of business startup and growth information. There are about 20 of these networks across the country and that number continues to grow. U.S.SourceLink founders include the Kauffman Foundation, University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Small Business Administration. To learn more about U.S.SourceLink visit our website at www.ussourcelink.com.