Success Stories
CEDR/SBDC Small Business Development Center Assists Gallery with Relocation and Long-Term Goals
Lunar Boy Gallery has been a part of Astoria’s art scene for years. Owner Deborah Starr was seeking financing to further her long-term goals for the gallery when she was referred to Clatsop Economic Development Resources and the SBDC Small Business Development Center. She worked with the director of the center through a series of one-on-one consultation sessions.
“We started by talked about marketing, advertising and my product mix,” Starr said, “and the director agreed my plans were solid in all of those areas. Where he really helped me was organizing the financial side of the business. He asked what systems I already had in place, and created a step-by-step program to get my finances in order and make them usable from a lender’s perspective. That enabled me to take the next step toward my long-term goals,” she explained.
“It’s so easy to become mired in the day-to-day operations of a business and all the pieces of it that are competing for your attention. The CEDR/SBDC director was a qualified sounding board, and that helped me prioritize how I spend my time and energy,” Starr said. “The consultative process also helped identify how best to deploy my finances for long-term success.”
Starr recently relocated her gallery about a block away from its previous location, and is enjoying additional foot traffic from neighboring businesses that attract similar clientele. “The move has already impacted my bottom line in a positive way,” Starr said, “and that opportunity is one I would not have been able to take advantage of without CEDR/SBDC involvement.”
CEDR/SBDC Small Business Development Center Assists Brewery Expansion
“The president of Clatsop Community College came to the brewery for a tour,” said Fort George co-owner, Chris Nemlowill. “That’s what started the conversation with Clatsop Economic Development Resources and the CEDR/SBDC Small Business Development Center,” he said.
Nemlowill first met with the executive director of CEDR – which is part of the College organization – and then with the CEDR/SBDC business counselor. “We needed to know what it cost to make a keg of Vortex (the brewery’s signature beer) in order to justify our expansion,” Nemlowill said. “That doesn’t sound difficult, but it is when you consider expenses like gas and electricity that have to be split between beer production and kitchen operations,” he explained. “Our CEDR/SBDC business counselor looked at our financials, ran our books through analytical software, and was able to figure out what each keg costs to produce. He also got us started on a quarterly inventory schedule that we’ve since ramped up to a monthly routine,” Chris added.
The entire Fort George Brewery expansion involved several entities, including the City of Astoria, Enterprise Cascadia, Bank of Astoria, Business Oregon, CEDR/SBDC and others. “Everyone was willing, as long as they knew everyone else was in 100 percent,” Chris said. “And if there was ever a question, our business counselor was there for us.” As an example, the counselor worked with Pacific Power to reduce the cost of converting the expansion space from single-phase to three-phase power. “That would have been a $40,000 expense we’d not budgeted,” Nemlowill said. “Our business counselor showed Pacific Power the long-term value of our electrical consumption in the new facility, and worked with them to make the conversion happen without wrecking the budget,” he added.
The Fort George Brewery expansion included the purchase and remodel of an old 30,000-square foot Chevrolet dealership adjacent to the existing pub (est. 2007); construction of a new outdoor seating area; purchase and installation of a canning line; and purchase and installation of additional brewing equipment. The project was made possible by low-interest loans, a grant, and a loan that is forgivable dependent on the brewery adding 12 jobs over a specified period. The new canning line has been operational for just a few months, and employees are already being added to support the brewery’s increased production capacity.
The brewery held a public grand opening of its expanded facility and new canning operation on March 29, 2011.
