Applegate Valley Business Network news

One of the core missions of A Greater Applegate is to support local businesses and contribute to the prosperity of Applegate Valley residents. This year, we are in the process of creating an Economic Vitality Plan for the Applegate. An EVP can be a key part of grant applications or proposals to secure funds and resources to support local businesses. We are currently meeting with working groups defined by industry and have already completed meetings with groups representing the Applegate Valley vintners, the food and farm businesses, tourism-related businesses, and artists and craftspeople. The meetings are lively group discussions—how are things going for businesses in the Applegate? What are the opportunities, and what are the challenges? What can we do locally to help one another, and what resources do we need to bring in from elsewhere?

The next round of meetings will focus on businesses that have stores, offices, or brick-and-mortar locations in the five “village hubs”: Ruch, Applegate, Williams, Murphy, and Wilderville. We are holding meetings in each of the village hubs in June and inviting business owners and managers to discuss the realities, joys, and challenges of running a business in an Applegate setting. And, most importantly, what types of support or assistance are needed to make their businesses more successful? Invitations were sent out by email in mid-May. If you fit the description and didn’t receive an invitation, contact Business Network Manager Jeff Haas at jeff@agreaterapplegate.org. Here’s a list of the dates. Locations and times were detailed in the invitations:

• Wilderville—Monday, June 1

• Ruch—Tuesday, June 2

• Murphy—Monday, June 8

• Williams—Tuesday, June 9

• Applegate—Wednesday, June 10

The synergy that exists between different industries has been a recurring theme in the focus-group meetings we have already conducted. Discussions have explored how Applegate-based businesses can work together to create win/win results. Applegate wineries often invite local artists to display and sell their work, and many use locally grown produce in the food they serve at tasting rooms. Many participants of the vintners group mentioned the importance of events that they hold at their wineries, and there was a group realization that confirming reservations for events or tastings gives the wineries opportunities to let their visitors know about other attractions of the Applegate. Owners of vacation rentals have that same opportunity, and AGA supplies them with maps, brochures, and information to share with their guests.

Another common theme is working together to reach goals. The vintners do this with their joint marketing efforts through the Applegate Valley Vintners Association. The artists’ group bands together for events that bring art into the larger community and support local artists as well. The food and farm community comes together around the Applegate Evening Market, and farmers are finding new ways to work together to distribute and sell Applegate produce.

There’s another win/win we can all participate in—choosing goods and services provided by businesses in the Applegate. If you want to continue to have a local coffee shop, grocery store, contractor, etc., then choose to patronize those businesses. Money spent locally can continue to circulate in the Valley and support local businesses and residents alike. When a gift is needed, there are a lot of great choices right in our community, including gift certificates from local businesses.

The Applegate Valley Business Network is the AGA’s ongoing vehicle for this work. Members of the Network are featured in the online Business Directory at applegateconnect.org/directory and can use the Applegate Valley logo to let residents know that they are a member and that they serve the Applegate. We are currently working to make the Directory a more comprehensive guide that both residents and visitors can use to find goods and services. We need some help in getting local trade professionals and service providers into the Directory. If you have a local builder, plumber, handyman, landscaper, or electrician that you rely on, or a cleaning service, bookkeeper, tax pro—anyone who provides a service for your home or business—please send us their name, business name, and contact information, and we will follow up to get them into the Directory. Send this information to jeff@agreaterapplegate.org, drop by the AGA office in Ruch, or write us at PO Box 335, Jacksonville, OR 97530.

Jeff Haas

jeff@agreaterapplegate.org

Photo 1: A recent EVP Gathering. Photo: Greg Askins, ADV Media.