
CDRPA to Begin Accepting Applications for Trades District
Starting Friday, the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority (CDRPA) will be accepting applications for the much-publicized Trades District.
According to Brooke Lammert, head of economic development for the Port Authority, this project aims to foment innovation, dynamism and ultimately growth in the Wenatchee Valley.
These "cutting-edge" facilities, located in East Wenatchee's Pangborn Airport Business Park, range in size from 1,590 to 2,304 square feet. They offer production space not just for fledgling tradesmen, but also manufacturing and technology practitioners.

"This would include start-up businesses and existing small businesses needing to expand," explains the Port Authority. "Target tenants would include: workshop spaces (metal shop/woodworking/cabinet shops etc.); specialty trade spaces (HVAC/electrical/plumbing/contractor shops); production shops (bakery/microbrew/wineries); and limited retail (coffee shop/art studio/food trucks)."
Click here for a list of eligibility requirements.
Approved tenants have to abide by the strictures of a five-year incubator program. Managed by the Port Authority in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center, the program promises "business plan assessment and assistance, accounting assistance, marketing plan review and assistance and management training."
Initial rents will be modest - below market rate. They'll increase incrementally over time.
Upon "graduating" the program, tenants will be faced with a choice. Should they choose to remain onsite after year five, tenants will have to contend with annual rent increases of 3.5%.
Above all, Lammert says, the Trades District provides a nurturing and resource-intensive environment for those getting their wet feet in the entrepreneurial sector. Lammert goes as far as to call it a "catalyst for bold ideas."
Click here to access the prospective tenant application. Once completed, applications should sent to brooke@cdrpa.org.
LOOK: Washington Small Businesses Thrive in These Counties
Gallery Credit: Stacker
More From NewsRadio 560 KPQ








