August 2, 2022
Business and Community Updates
Upcoming Events


National Night Out Tonight!

National Night Out is designed to bring police together with their community members in a shared event filled with entertainment, information, and fun. Dayton's event takes place tonight at the City Park from 5 - 8 pm.

Click on the picture for event details.
Evening at the Depot August 6th

The Depot's annual benefit auction takes place this Saturday on the beautiful Depot courtyard. The event begins at 6 pm with a social hour, silent auction, live music, a small bites buffet, local beer and wine, and cold lemonade. The live auction begins at 7 pm and features several getaway packages, including a trip to Costa Rica, dinner for 8 on the Abraham Lincoln Pullman Railcar, and much more.

Ticket can be purchased online at the link below or at the Depot, and silent, live, and online auction items can be previewed here:

All proceeds help fund operation of the Depot museum, the oldest train depot in the state of Washington. Please purchase tickets by Wednesday if possible.
Grand Opening for Columbia River Detaling

The Port of Columbia is happy to announce a new business located in the Rock Hill Industrial Park. Columbia River Detailing will offer full detail work on trucks, autos, and even farm machinery.

The public is invited to a grand opening Friday, August 12th from 11 am - 3 pm with a ribbon cutting, free food and drawings during the event.

Columbia River Detailing is located at 521 Cameron Street.
Working WA 5.0 Grant Program
The State of Washington will open a new Working Washington Round 5 Grant Program on August 17th. This program is once again targeted to businesses and non-profits that have suffered financial hardship due to the COVID pandemic. Some businesses have recovered quickly from the shutdowns, while others have experienced lingering damage due to reduced tourism, unavailable workforce, supply chain issues, etc. Businesses will need to be able to show proof of financial harm through the submission of tax returns and other financial documents. Hardship can be shown through year-over-year numbers for 2019, 2020, and/or 2021.

The Department of Commerce has provided great information about the grant program at their website, and a page dedicated to the Working WA 5.0 Grant Program has detailed info on ellgilibity, needed documentation, FAQs, etc. There is a free webinar this Thursday on preparing to apply:

Title: Getting ready to apply
Thursday, August 4, 9-10:30 am
Presenting partner: OneEastside SPARK

Please call the Port office at 509-382-2577 or email tracy@portofcolumbia.org if you need assistance working through the grant guidelines and eligibility determination.

If you need any assistance pulling financial or other documents together for the grant, the Walla Walla Small Business Development Center is ready to provide help. Contact Paul Bowen at 509-992-2720 or paul.bowen@wsbdc.org.

Please note: Past grant programs have used the DUNS number for business identification. These are federal funds, so THIS HAS CHANGED. All applicants must have a Unified Entity Indentifier (UEI). Port staff can help with this if needed, and the webinar listed above on August 4th will walk you through it.
SBDC Webinar Series
The Port of Columbia contributes annually to the Walla Walla SBDC office, which means Columbia County businesses can receive direct, free assistance from the advisor, Paul Bowen.

In addition to Working WA 5.0 Grant webinars, the SBDC provides many types of business trainings through webinars listed monthly on their website. Check them out, and contact Paul at the info above for one-on-one business assistance.