Local Organizations
No matter what your business challenge, you can count on us to connect you to the right place. Below is a list of business development organizations in Tacoma-Pierce County.
SCORE
SCORE helps small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) supports their work and thanks to their network of volunteers, the following services are provided at no charge:Volunteer Mentors who share their expertise across 62 industries • Free, confidential business counseling in person or via email • Free business tools, templates and tips online at http://tacomascore.org http://buildingforamerica.org
Call now to schedule a one-hour appointment at one of the following locations:
• Tacoma – Toll Free 855-685-0166
• Lakewood – 253-582-9400
• Lacey – 360-754-6320
Process Registration Online with Visa or Mastercard
Economic Development Board of Tacoma-Pierce County (EDB)
The EDB is non-profit organization established to promote job creation and capital investment in Pierce County. The EDB works to bring the private and public sectors together to spur capital investment and grow the localeconomy. Each year, the EDB conducts outreach and support to hundreds of established businesses while also working to recruit new businesses to Pierce County.
Phone: 253.383.4726
Address: 950 Pacific Ave, Suite 410, Tacoma, WA 98402
Is your business located outside the City of Tacoma limits, but in Pierce County? Then the Pierce County Economic Development Department is here to help. Their services include: site selection and planning, financing, permit assistance and data analysis services for any business in Pierce County.
Contact: Kevin Clegg
Phone: 253.798.6639
Email: kclegg@co.pierce.wa.us
Address: 950 Pacific Ave, Suite 720, Tacoma, WA 98402
The SBA is a federal agency created to strengthen and support small businesses. It offers a number of loan programs designed for business owners who may have trouble qualifying for a traditional bank loan.
Contact: Sherry Mina
Phone: 206.553.7316
Email: sherry.mina@sba.gov
Address: 2410 Fourth Avenue, Suite 450, Seattle, WA 98121
Located at Bates Technical College, the SBDC offers no fee business advising on an appointment basis for existing businesses (one year or more). The SBDC prefers that your business have a past record of sales, financial statements and/or you are buying an existing business. For a list of services, visit www.wsbdc.org.
Contact: John Rodenberg, SBDC Business Advisor
Phone: 253.680.7768
E-mail: jrodenberg@bates.ctc.edu
Address: Bates Technical College, 1101 South Yakima Ave, M-123, Tacoma, WA 98402
The mission of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber is to create an environment of economic opportunity in the community. The Chamber brings small and large businesses together to advocate for economic development and a more livable community. The Chamber also provides monthly business classes open to non-members.
Contact: Lynnette Buffington at 253.627.2175 ext.126
Email: lynnetteb@tacomachamber.org
Located at Bates Technical College, the purpose of the PTAC is to assist small businesses in doing working with the federal, state, county and local governments. Established by the Department of Defense, the PTAC provides assistance with the necessary registrations required in order to do business with the federal government, interpretation of solicitations, conduct various types of training sessions, marketing assistance, and assignment of various types of codes used to identify the type of products/services provided by your company.
Contact: Tom Westerlund
Phone: 253.680.7054
Email: twesterlund@bates.ctc.edu
Address: Bates Technical College,1101 South Yakima Ave, M-123, Tacoma, WA 98405
The World Trade Center Tacoma
Contact: Louise Tieman
Phone: 253.396.1022
Email: ltieman@wtcta.org
Address: 950 Pacific Avenue, Suite 310 Tacoma, WA 98402
Invista Performance Solutions
Invista Performance Solutions’ mission is to provide customized solutions to meet the training and development needs of Washington State
organizations. We are a collaboration of four Pierce County Community and Technical Colleges. Our services help companies gain a competitive advantage in the global economy by increasing the skills of their workforce through education, in-person and web-based training, and consulting support for organizational change and growth.
Contact: Don Sosnowski, Executive Director
Phone: 253.583.8860
Email: dsosnowski@invistaperforms.org
Address: 4500 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Bldg. 19-205, Lakewood, WA 98499
