DINUBA – One of the Valley’s most active community development organizations is expanding its reach, and the city of Dinuba is one of the first to get in on the action.
On Dec. 12, Fresno Pacific University’s Center for Community Transformation (CCT), in partnership with the Dinuba Chamber of Commerce, held a community roundtable discussion. Local business owners, leaders and subject matter experts gathered to discuss areas of opportunity for local businesses, and to brainstorm methods to support them.
“Our mission is to empower and transform communities from within, and that’s what we want to do,” said Gladys Martínez, entrepreneurship program coordinator for CCT. “We feel that by doing these listening sessions and connecting with the community, we’re really able to understand and identify their needs.”
The roundtable was held in The Rose Event Venue, and after grabbing complimentary drinks from Arcadia Coffee Company, attendees began to network with one another. Following introductions, attendees were split into two groups to answer a series of guiding questions meant to reveal the wants and needs for local business owners.
Though many topics were mentioned in the lengthy discussions, two big takeaways that community members expressed were that there needs to be more education on business laws and permits, and that the local economic sphere needs to be more inclusive to those not already established.
“We have people with good experience and good success in the business, and we also have new people that want or need a little more support, but I think what we need more is education,” said Victor Romo, owner of The Rose Event Venue.
Romo specifically mentioned legal requirements and the proper permits needed to start a business as key topics that should be better shared with aspiring entrepreneurs.
With regards to the local economy, some expressed feelings that it has not always been supportive of all of the city’s demographics, whether that be the Hispanic and Latino communities, business owners struggling to gain exposure or young adults who haven’t been shown the possibility of starting their own venture.
With these opportunities identified, the group closed out the session by brainstorming proactive changes that could be explored moving forward. Ideas included business workshops in Spanish to serve more of the community, creating more mentorship opportunities for students and working more closely with business owners to ensure students get the most value out of internships.
Once the session came to an end, some still lingered to continue talking with one another, and to follow up on the many ideas brought forward. The general atmosphere was filled with a sense of optimism and excitement for what’s to come.
“We don’t have a choice but to grow, and I do feel hopeful about the partners that we have at the table and the people that we have ready to show up for us,” said Heathe Jones, president of the Dinuba Chamber of Commerce.
Martínez shared that the roundtable in Dinuba is the first in CCT’s recent expansion. In November, the organization announced a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will allow for outreach in more communities, with events in Cutler-Orosi and Kerman in the months to come.
CCT has also been able to create the upcoming Rural Ignite Business Accelerator program, which will offer five tracks centered around building upon business fundamentals. One of the program’s instructors, Tim Lambert, attended the Dinuba workshop and participated in the discussion.
Looking to the future of CCT’s involvement in Dinuba, community members can look forward to a workshop on modern business marketing, a topic that was narrowed down during the roundtable. Planned for sometime within the next few weeks, an exact date is in the works with consideration of the holiday season.
