County cities reaching out to small businesses

Several cities in Ventura County are reaching out to small-business owners feeling the pinch of tough economic times.

Simi Valley got the ball rolling in October with a forum featuring speakers who outlined services available to help local businesses survive and grow.

Thousand Oaks is following suit with a similar forum Feb. 17 on the help available in financing, marketing, hiring and other key areas.

Camarillo is looking to host its own forum in March or April, officials say. And Ventura also has an event in the works.

“It’s really in response to the fact that the economy throughout the nation has slowed down to the point where a number of small businesses, in particular, may need some extra professional assistance in order to continue in operation,” said Gary Wartik, Thousand Oaks’ economic development director.

The city is co-sponsoring the forum with the Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce.

It will feature speakers from the Small Business Administration, the Ventura County Workforce Investment Board, the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County and SCORE, a nonprofit association that provides free consulting for small businesses.

A representative from the city’s Grant R. Brimhall Library will also be on hand to discuss business materials and how to use them.

The city has sent out notices about the forum to all business-license holders in Thousand Oaks with the exception of home-based businesses, Wartik said.

The idea for the forums was born in Simi Valley and nurtured by members of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, whose members include private businesses and representatives from the county and each of the 10 cities in the county.

Members of Simi Valley’s Small Business Advisory Committee began looking at ways to bring all of the services available to business owners in the fall.

More than 100 business owners attended the October forum. Brian Gabler, the city’s economic development director, said many of the audience members were from businesses that are not part of the traditional business network.

“It was a great sharing of information,” Gabler said. “We plan on doing it again later in the year.”

Two themes of particular interest for the attendees were business plans and the availability of financing.

Gabler said it became clear that a number of owners in the audience didn’t have current or effective business plans or lacked any business plan. The issue will become the first in a new series of talks the city plans to host.

Christine Kitchenmaster, who recently completed her bachelor’s degree in recreation and tourism management, said the forum in Simi Valley was valuable.

Kitchenmaster said the statements of one presenter struck her with an understanding that qualifying for a business loan goes beyond a business plan and good credit.

“They find that the intangible element of passion oftentimes carries loan approval or consideration further,” she said. “I think that was my biggest ‘aha’ moment.”

John Fraser, a senior management analyst with the city of Camarillo, plans to attend the Thousand Oaks forum.

“I think we are looking to do something similar,” Fraser said. “We plan on targeting it sometime in April.”

Fraser said outreach to businesses is a continuous, important process and it can help dispel a reticence some people have about dealing with government.

“We’re trying to do whatever we can,” Fraser said.

The Thousand Oaks Business Outreach Program will take place Feb. 17 in the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. Light refreshments will be served from 7:30 to 8 a.m. and the program will take place from 8 to 9:45 a.m.

Reservations are not required but participants are encouraged to e-mail gwartik@toaks.org or mhernandez@toaks.org to ensure enough materials are prepared for attendees.

For more information about Simi Valley’s upcoming issue series and outreach program, contact Brian Gabler at 583-6701.

For information about Camarillo’s upcoming business outreach forum, contact John Fraser at 388-5349 or by email at jfraser@ci.camarillo.ca.us.

For information on Ventura’s outreach program, contact the city’s Economic Development Department at 677-3935.

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