Business facilitation group celebrates third anniversary

Published 12:01 am Saturday, March 27, 2004

ENTERPRISE – Just more than three years ago, Wallowa County Business Facilitation was formed to offer free and confidential business advice throughout the county.

The organization has invited the public to a third anniversary open house today to celebrate its successes. The event featured a mini-trade fair by about 12 businesses which have benefited from the program.

The grassroots effort, inspired by the international Sirolli Institute, promotes the building of local economies one job at a time. Business Facilitation has been funded by private and public grants, donations by supporters and contributions from the county and local cities.

“We like to think we’ve made a difference in the county’s economy,” said board chairman Catherine Matthias, owner of a gallery in Joseph. She said a business with five jobs in a community the size of Wallowa County, about 7,200 people, is equivalent to one with 200 jobs in the Portland area.

Since Business Facilitation began under the direction of facilitator Myron Kirkpatrick, 350 clients have been coached, with 32 new businesses opened, 15 acquisitions or expansions completed and another 28 existing business taking a new direction or revising operations.

Out of these, 79 jobs have been created and 366 jobs positively impacted.

Kirkpatrick also works with nonprofit organizations, because they also have an impact on the county’s economy.

“We can’t say that none of the new businesses would have opened anyway, but hopefully they opened on a sounder footing,” said Matthias. She said the theory behind the Sirolli model is that there are three aspects to a successful enterprise: the product or service, financial planning/management and marketing and no one person is passionate and successful at all three. The key is to develop a team that covers the three key aspects.

Critical to the success of Wallowa County Business Facilitation is the facilitator, and Matthias said the board of directors has confidence in Kirkpatrick, who moved from Washington state to take the position.

He has an extensive financial background, including the development of the CostCo discount chain when it was a single store. Kirkpatrick and his wife, Kendra, are owners of their own startup venture, Timber Bronze, which produces bronze household accessories.

Kirkpatrick is working with 41 active clients, and will continue working with them for as long as they seek his services.

Last year, Business Facilitation guru Ernesto Sirolli traveled from Kansas to be guest of honor at the program’s second-annual celebration, and he told the story of how he started developing his principles by accident in small town in Australia.