There’s a shrinking void within the Salmon Creek business community – one that the folks behind the Salmon Creek Business Group (SCBG) hope to see disappear completely as their organization moves forward.
That void, according to Tamara Ferguson, SCBG president and manager of First Independent’s Salmon Creek branch, represents a lack of business-to-business relationships within the Salmon Creek business community. It’s also what led to the creation of the SCBG early last year.
“We used to be a small networking group of people in the [Salmon Creek] area and then we revised the vision of what we wanted to see happen,” said Ferguson. “What we were looking for here, since it’s more of a new business community in the Salmon Creek area, is really finding a way to support each other’s growth and expansion of businesses.”
Currently, the SCBG has roughly 75 participating businesses, including Washington State University Vancouver. The organization hopes to increase that number after hosting its 2nd Annual Meet & Greet on December 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Billygan’s Roadhouse.
“The Meet and Greet is to build relationships with our local business partners,” explained Ferguson. “This is an opportunity to come and have quality time to visit with other business owners and find out who they are and what they do in order to promote each other’s businesses.”
Ferguson said a growing number of new businesses have come into the area of late, and it’s important they know about the support that’s locally available.
“We want to tell new businesses, ‘This is a great group for you to get the word out to your local business community about who you are, what you’re about and who you’re tailoring to. Then, network with other business owners to find the support you need to be successful,’” she said.
In the coming months, Ferguson said she expects the SCBG to continue to expand its membership pool, though the group’s vision will stay the same. Demographic-wise, she said things are more likely to change.
“Once business starts thriving off of Interstate 5 – north going toward Ridgefield – that would probably be where we would look at extending our demographic line,” said Ferguson. “That may be a whole business segment coming in that will need support and partnerships that may not necessarily be reached by the Ridgefield Business Association. So we’ll look at that as that starts to develop.”
For more information about the Salmon Creek Business Group and how to get involved, visit their website www.salmon-creek.biz.
