Mid Columbia Economic Development District strives to promote the creation of family-wage jobs, the diversification of the economic base, and the growth, development and retention of business and industry in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat and Skamania Counties
MCEDD is organized as a government non-profit in Oregon as an ORS-190 and in Washington through RCW 39.34.010.
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March 14, 2014 – Kim Brigham Campbell and her family harvest and sell salmon, steelhead, and other fish from the Columbia River, just as they and many other local Native American families have for generations. Until recently, they operated the business from home, relying on word of mouth to sell to a variety of individual and food service buyers who know them as providers of a quality product. As much an entrepreneur at heart as a fisher, Kim decided to open Brigham Fish Market to increase their marketing potential. To identify and secure financing, Kim contacted MCEDD. In addition to providing technical assistance through partnership with the CGCC Small Business Development Center, MCEDD provided a loan utilizing Oregon Investment Board and USDA Intermediary Relending funds that supported expanding this business.
Loan funds helped finance the purchase of land, building the storefront and buying the needed equipment to dry, can, and freeze this local fish to sell in their market and provide quality product to restaurants around the region. For more information, visit their website or stop into the storefront in Cascade Locks on WaNaPa Ave.
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October 22, 2013 – In 2011, Zed and Miko Ruhlen purchased Hood River Hobbies with the intention of expanding its offerings and growing the business. Their goal was to create a hobby shop in the Gorge that met the needs of hobbyists of all ages. In addition to providing a more diverse offering of hobby products including games, rockets, models, radio-controlled (rc) vehicles, hobby tools and paint, kites, trains, arts and crafts, toys, and more, Zed and Miko have also expanded the space to include room for classes and events. Hood River Hobbies now offers classes in rocket and model building, rc instruction, birdwatching, gaming events and more. They sought a MCEDD loan to purchase their initial inventory and provide working capital. Since then, they have expanded their special events, increased and diversified their inventory to appeal to a broader customer base, and supplemented the previous focus of the shop with other areas of their own expertise. For more information, check out their website www.hoodriverhobbies.com.
As a service to the regional business community and as a strong part of our economic development strategy for the region, MCEDD manages several business loan programs that provide an accessible, affordable source of capital for projects that create and/or retain jobs.
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