Business Resources
City of Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg is a small town with a strong sense of community that seeks to preserve its natural beauty while providing exceptional public facilities and infrastructure, safe streets, and a well-planned framework for sustainable development and prosperity. A major center for logging and fishing operations until the late 1990s, it is now a tourist destination with attractions ranging from Glass Beach to the Skunk Train.
A five-member City Council provides governance over the City of Fort Bragg’s services to a population of approximately 7,250 residents. Fort Bragg has a proactive climate for business development and an active and involved community characterized by small-town friendliness with great business involvement and networking.
Contact Info:
Kevin Locke, Assistant Planner
707-961-2827 ext 114
klocke@fortbragg.com
City of Point Arena
The City of Point Arena is a vibrant coastal community on the North Coast of California known for its beauty and small town charm. Point Arena’s Main Street Historic District hosts restaurants, delis, bars, and cafes. A restored 1928 theater features films and live music and nearby galleries feature local artists. A cooperative grocery, local library, community garden and city park (with EV charging).
Point Arena has a Council-Manager form of government with five council members elected at large to serve four year terms. The smallest city in Mendocino County, Point Arena has a pro-business climate that is looking to expand opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Contact Info:
Scott Perkins, City Planner
707-354-0145
planning@pointarena.ca.gov
City of Ukiah
Ukiah is located along the busy Hwy 101 corridor, just two hours north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Also near the east-west Highway 20, Ukiah is the perfectly convenient mid-point between the Bay Area, the Sacramento Valley, the north coast, and the Oregon border.
The population of Ukiah is 16,075 within the city limits but, as the Mendocino County seat and business/education/ shopping center for much of Mendocino, Lake, and even Sonoma Counties, it serves an estimated population of 180,000.
Ukiah’s comprehensive workforce development network includes education, training, support services, and the facilitation of business development, job retention and expansion.
City of Willits
Arched across its main street, Willits declares that it is the “Heart of Mendocino County and the Gateway to the Redwoods.” Willits is the eastern terminus of the California Western Railroad (otherwise known as the “Skunk Train”), that formerly ran to Fort Bragg on the coast.
Willits sits on Highway 101, the major highway that connects San Francisco to the south and Eureka to the north. In 2016, the Willits Bypass project opened diverting traffic from the city streets around the town to the east. The city has a varied business community that includes restaurants, lodging, retail outlets, a movie theater, a health food market, hardware stores & lumber yards, automotive repair & supply shops, yoga studios, and more. There is also a wide array of professional services available to the public and the business community.
The five-member city council actively supports business and economic development within the city limits.
Contact Info:
Dusty Duley, Community Development Director
707-459-7124
dduley@cityofwillits.org
County of Mendocino
Mendocino County is located between San Francisco and the Oregon border. With an area of nearly 4,000 square miles and a population of 91,061, the county is sparsely populated in areas with concentrations of residents in the four cities.
The county is governed by a five-member board of supervisors, each representing a district of approximately the same number of eligible voters. Due to the nature of the county’s geography, districts are either very small or sprawl over wide distances of unincorporated areas.
City of Clearlake
The City of Clearlake sits on the southern edge of Clear Lake and has a population of 16,685. The economy of Clearlake employs approximately 4,750 people. The largest industries are health care and social assistance, retail, and administrative and support, and waste management services. Five directly elected officials comprise the city council whose terms of office are staggered.
City of Lakeport
Lakeport is the county seat of Lake County, California. The city is located 125 miles northwest of Sacramento and sits on the western shore of the county namesake, Clear Lake. The city actively promotes business and economic development. Its government consists of a five-member city council.
The economy of Lakeport employs 2,200 people and the largest industries are health care and social assistance, public administration, and educational services.
County of Lake
Lake County borders Mendocino County to the east. Its population of 68,183 is spread throughout the county’s 1,329 square miles. The county takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographical feature of the area and the largest natural lake wholly within California. The county is governed by a five-member board of supervisors and the county seat is Lakeport.
Primary occupations in the county are in services and government jobs, dominated by social services, education and health care. Agriculture, particularly grapes, and construction and manufacturing are also growing industries. Lake County is part of California’s Wine Country, which also includes Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. It includes five American Viticultural Areas and over 35 wineries.
State of California: Office of the Small Business Advocate
The California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) supports economic growth and innovation and ensures that ALL California small businesses and innovative startups have the information and direct support they need to better navigate resources, programs and regulations.
CalOSBA serves as the voice of small business, representing their views and interests across the state and advocating for equitable access to capital, markets, and networks so that all California small businesses successfully start, manage, grow and become more resilient.
U.S. Small Business Administration
Created in 1953, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continues to help small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American dream. SBA is the only cabinet-level federal agency fully dedicated to small business and provides counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small businesses.
