Business center opens in San Luis
Multiple agencies offer their resources and services
When San Luis Mayor Gerardo “Jerry” Sanchez first started serving with the local government in 2008, the city had 14,000 residents. Now it has almost 38,000.
“The secret is out. San Luis, Arizona, is a booming town,” Sanchez said. “We are one of the fastest growing communities in the state of Arizona.”
Because of the rapid growth, the mayor believes the opening of the South County Business Resource Center in San Luis couldn’t come at a better time. It
“made perfect sense,” he said. “We are ready for business. We are a community that is growing.”
He spoke these words during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Friday to celebrate the official opening of the South County Business Resource Center. In a partnership with various organizations, the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce established the new office in the Aztec Plaza, 1453 N. Main St., Suite 5.
The office will be manned by chamber staff and several partners that also want to deliver programs, servic
es and assistance to businesses in South County. Those partners include the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation, Arizona Western College Small Business Development Corp., Arizona@ Work and Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
The idea is the brainchild of John Courtis, the chamber’s executive director. He explained that at the inception of the idea, both Hector Tapia, the economic development director of Somerton, and Jenny Torres, the economic development director of San Luis, agreed that the office could be in either San Luis or Somerton, as long as South County had representation.
“They both said we don’t care if it’s Somerton or San Luis, just plant the flag in South County and the rest will take care of itself,” Courtis said.
He noted that this “business incubator” idea is a work in progress. “We’re going to fly the plane while we’re building it. We have no idea what to expect, but know we’re going to be at the table helping businesses.”
If someone asks what they do, “the answer is what do you need? We don’t want to be a solution in search of a problem. We want to talk to business folks and say, how can we help you be more successful? How can we help you grow the business? How can we help eliminate some of the barriers? That’s what we do at the Chamber of Commerce. GYEDC is here to really attract business. AWC, Arizona@Work will elevate what’s going on in San Luis,” Courtis added.
Julie Engel, GYEDC president and CEO, praised Courtis for coming up with the “brilliant idea” of having an office manned by multiple agencies. “We have wanted a presence here for over a decade and couldn’t afford it alone,” she said, noting that many business owners don’t know what resources are available to them or those who want to expand or start a business.
She pointed out that the location on the border is ideal for business persons or organizations entering the country.
Before finding out about Courtis’ idea, Nidia Herrera, executive director of Arizona@Work said that her organization had been thinking it needed to expand services to South County. “It had a real need,” Herrera said.
With the shared office, Arizona@Work can offer its services to South County without having to look for office space, she added. The agency offers services to both employers and job seekers, however, in this office, Arizona@Work will focus on employers by connecting them with job seekers, but it is also looking into offering services to job seekers at the local library.
Arizona@Work trains job seekers and hopes businesses either hire them or take them on as interns so they can gain skills and experience. It also offers on-the-job training, and the agency splits the salary with the employer.
The AWC Small Business Development Center provides free, one-on-one counseling, resource assistance and training to small businesses, both in English and Spanish.
“The SBDC is always striving to reach the community to let them know the resources that we offer. With an actual location, we’re able to collaborate and have a stronger presence here,” said Vanessa Castillo, a SBDC business analyst.
Cassandra Martinez, also a SBDC business analyst, said her organization is “really excited to help entrepreneurs and small businesses in the community grow.” In particular, her past experience in government contracts places her in a good position to help businesses on the border. And with the announcement that the federal government has budgeted $152 million to modernize the San Luis Port of Entry, many government contracts potentially will be up for grabs.
Castillo also noted that they are currently learning more about exporting and importing so they can help those types of businesses in South County.
Matias Rosales, a San Luis councilman who also represents the Greater Yuma Port Authority, noted, “We know it’s a big need. I, myself, being a business owner, get a lot of people asking me how do we do this, where do we get resources, so this is something that’s been needed for a couple of years already.”
Councilman Jose Ponce called the chamber’s presence in San Luis a “great step for us. We are growing. We’re making history. It’s putting us on the map.”
Councilwoman Gloria Torres, a resident of 40 years, has seen the city transformed from a onestreet town to the growing community it is now. Like many, she thought she would be staying only for a bit and then she would go back to Mexico. She ended up staying here.
Ponce joked that all it takes is a sip of the Colorado River and people fall in love with San Luis.
Isauro “Izzy’ Gonzalez, senior director of business development with the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said his agency is happy to partner with Yuma and South County “to help Hispanic small businesses with anything they need to make their businesses grow, from how to form an LLC to financials.”
He also praised the concept of the resource center, noting that it’s a good idea. “People need to feel confident coming in. If someone doesn’t speak English, they need to be spoken to in their own language,” he said, offering his services. He can be reached at 602294-6089 (office) or 623-2978457 (cell).
For more information on the resource center, call the chamber at 928-782-2567.