Small Business Vendor Opportunities in Kern County

Details on small business vendor opportunities with several active projects in Kern County are discussed when Richard Chapman, president & CEO of the Kern Economic Development Corporation joins SBDC director, Kelly Bearden on this week’s free webinar.

Kelly begins the webinar with a look at strategies to grow and expand an existing business including new locations, product lines, and acquisitions, along with small business economics and funding ideas.

This marks the 341st episode of the “Webinar Wednesday” business series that provides news and information helpful to employers and business owners.

The CSU Bakersfield SBDC provides free one-on-one help to small business owners. New and existing businesses can go to www.csubsbdc.com for more information or to sign up to meet with a business advisor at no cost.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:23 What’s up today April 2, 2025
02:35 Poll Question: “How much are tariffs expected to generate for the federal government?”
04:21 Increasing Business to Business Sales
06:22 Economic Corner
06:33 Small business size and average pay – Kern County vs. CA
https://www.bakersfield.com/news/loca...

07:40 Findings from the Federal Reserve’s 2023 Small Business Credit Survey – Age of Firm
08:23 Revenue expectations, next 12 months
09:00 Revenue change, prior 12 months
09:24 Capital Corridor – Funding Options When Generating Additional Sales
12:21 Capital Corridor – “Types” of Acquiring Businesses to Expand Your Base
12:28 Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/cli...
13:18 Kern County deadlines to apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/...
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/...

14:21 Free Human Resources Hotline for Employers in Central Valley of California
15:54 Community Calendar: Mojave Aerospace Accelerator (MAACC) Fund – Access up to $100,000 in funding
https://b3kprosperity.org/maacc/?utm_...

16:39 Community Calendar: Central California SBDC Regional Webinar Series: Mastering Digital Marketing https://ucmerced.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

17:01 Community Calendar: Kern County Economic Summit 2025 – May 1st
https://events.humanitix.com/2025-eco...

18:44 Kelly introduces Richard Chapman, President and CEO of Kern Economic Development Corporation https://kernedc.com/

19:39 Richard Chapman begins to speak
21:00 Richard begins his presentation
22:01 Kern County Business Advantage
23:46 Business Sectors KEDC focuses on – Aerospace & Defense, Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare Services, Transportation & Logistics, Value-Added Agriculture, Energy & Natural Resources
24:00 Kern County at a Glance
25:13 For every $100 spent – money circulating and leaving a community
26:13 U.S. Cities with the highest employment start-ups
27:29 Current Projects with Small Business Vendor and Employment Opportunities – Tejon Hard Rock Casino https://casino.hardrock.com/tejon/ven...

30:34 Pacific Steel Group – Vendor Opportunities https://pacificsteelgroup.com/vendors/
31:38 California Dairies, Inc. https://www.californiadairies.com/con...
32:47 HydroStor – Willow Rock Project https://hydrostor.ca/projects/willow-...

33:18 Stratolaunch https://careers.stratolaunch.com/
34:24 Lebec Net-Zero Project https://lebecnetzero.com/
35:39 Kelly rejoins Richard for Questions and Answers with webinar attendees