Every October, AEDC holds a meeting for our Board of Directors after the approval of our annual Audit. In board meetings, we often focus on the project in front of us, so it's great to bring everyone together at least once a year to celebrate where we've been and where we're going. If you couldn’t make this year’s meeting, please enjoy the highlights we have included below.

Are you happy I didn't start off talking about the power shut off (PSPS)? It's been a relentless topic of conversation, for good reason. For some within our region the threat of fire, or even the immediate danger of existing fires, the PSPS is a signal that their homes and businesses are at extreme risk. For those of us in Humboldt County, the risks come from the shut offs themselves. Many of our businesses have been affected and it looks like this will become a regular occurrence, I've heard stories that local businesses have responded by taking immediate measures to mitigate risks by doing things like buying generators. Have you thought, yet, about the long term business plan and policies for future outages? It's not a bad idea. When the rain finally does come, the threat will drop for these shut offs, but we could still lose power due to storms. We have some suggestions below.

If your disaster plan includes upgrades to your facility, new equipment or any other expenses, remember that AEDC has a number of loan opportunities to make sure that your business can operate as effectively as possible, with loans as small as $5,000.

-- Ross