City of Richland Programs and Resources

https://www.ci.richland.wa.us/departments/finance/customer-service/business-licensing

The fee for your Richland license is $40, which includes the fee cost for two full-time equivalent workers (whether owners or employees), plus $12 for each additional full-time equivalent employee. You can find additional information in the requirements and fee calculation instructions.

The Business License Reserve fund was established by the Richland City Council to promote business activities for the purpose of core development, tourism, general economic development, and prevention of blight. Funding originates from a 18% reserve of the City's Business License Revenue. The program awards funding to eligible organizations annually for projects to be completed for or within Richland in the award year.

Eligible entities for funding include the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, Visit Tri-Cities, City Business Improvement Districts (Uptown BID and Downtown BID - The Parkway), Small Business Development Council of Washington and SCORE of the Mid-Columbia.

Visit the Business License Reserve page for more details.

Richland Energy Services offers commercial and industrial customers rebates for lighting and custom projects that reduce energy use. Get more information, Commercial & Industrial Programs | City of Richland, WA

The Richland Commercial Façade Improvement Program was created to help local businesses improve the appearance of their buildings. The program offers a $20,000 matching reimbursement to successful applicants to fund exterior improvements to their buildings.

Visit the Commercial Façade Improvement page for more details and application materials.

Ensure you have everything ready for opening day. Download and print one of these handy checklists for new businesses. 

General Business

Food & Beverage Businesses (including mobile food vendors)

The library has market research, free legal and business forms, and other helpful business resources. All resources require a library card to login. Get your library card here.

Primary business resources include:

• A to Z Databases: This is a database that focuses on local data – residents, businesses, people that have recently moved, new homeowners, etc.
• Gale: Gale is a collection of databases focusing on company data, business publications, entrepreneur (plan, fund, start, manage) resources, leadership and management resources.
• Morningstar: This is an investment research database.
• Value Line: This is also an investment research database.

You can find these on the Digital Resources page under Business and Finance. Other helpful resources include:

• LinkedIn Learning – general job skills classes, very comprehensive
• HelpNow – In addition to live tutoring, this has various adult competency classes
• Mango Languages – resource for learning languages
• Newsbank – Newspaper access from publications around the world
• Consumer Reports

Richland Public Library
955 Northgate Dr.
509-942-7454

WSU Tri-Cities has partnered with the City of Richland and Visit Tri-Cities to offer scholarships for workforce training and certificates to businesses and individuals located in Richland through WSU's Workforce Training Opportunities. To apply for a scholarship, please fill out the form located at https://www.visittri-cities.com/about/careers/wsu-workforce-training-opportunities/. Scholarship opportunities are granted to qualified candidates on a first come, first served basis, so apply early. 

See what makes Richland and the Tri-Cities a great place to live, work and play. Check out  and download the latest facts about our population,  labor force, health care, education and quality of life.

APEL is the regional launch site for innovative entrepreneurs, start-up businesses and companies developing leading edge technologies.

More information is available at apel.org , or contact Richard Shaff, Business Support Manager, at rashaff@energy-northwest.com or 509-372-5086

Better Business Bureau
1918 112th St. E, Ste 2
Tacoma, WA 98445
253-830-2924

The Better Business Bureau website includes helpful tips, and industry hub and offers accreditation for all businesses.

Business Impact Northwest
info@businessimpactnw.org
(206) 324-4330

Business Impact Northwest works with small business owners and provides business coaching, training, and access to funding needed to successfully launch and grow their businesses. 

Services Offered
Small Business Lending
Loan Reediness Center
Veterans Business Outreach
Washington Women's Business Center

Business.wa.gov
(800) 917-0043

Business.wa.gov provides free business resources including a Small Business Guide and Small Business Liaisons to help owners find services for starting and growing their business.

Department of Commerce 
(509) 720-9656

Find information and help on topics such as business development, export assistance, available loans, crisis planning and education & training for business.

The Department of Commerce is the one agency in state government that touches every aspect of community and economic development: planning, infrastructure, energy, public facilities, housing, public safety and crime victims, international trade, business services and more. We work with local governments, tribes, businesses and civic leaders throughout the state to strengthen communities so all residents may thrive and prosper.

https://lni.wa.gov/
(360) 902-5800

The Department of Labor and Industries website has information for employers and workers related to heath and safety, workers compensation and licensing & permit requirements. L&I also offers free workshops & training throughout the year. 

The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety, health, and security of Washington's 3.3 million workers. L&I helps employers meet safety and health standards, and inspects workplaces when alerted to hazards. Contact them directly with questions.

dor.wa.gov
Live Chat
(360) 705-6741

The Department of Revenue is Washington state’s primary tax agency, nationally recognized for innovation and quality customer service. Revenue administers about 60 categories of taxes that help fund education, social services, health care, corrections, public safety, natural resource conservation, and other important services counted on by Washington residents. 

Business owners can find information about business licensing, register their business, file taxes and find tax incentives and credits on the website.

Department of Veterans Affairs
ask.va.gov
(800) 698-2411

The Department of Veterans Affairs connects veteran entrepreneurs to federal services. Veteran entrepreneurs can find marketing and networking opportunities, contacting support and other valuable resources.

omwbe.wa.gov
(866) 208-1064

The Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises leads the Statewide M/WBE program as the sole agency that certifies minority- and women-owned business enterprises to participate in public contracting and procurement. Business owners can find information on certification, M/WBE loans and small business training 

SCORE website
score590office@gmail.com
(509) 735-1000

SCORE is comprised of small business experts that volunteer their time to support your entrepreneurial success through free personal counseling and training opportunities.

Services Offered
Business Mentoring
Online Resources
Training & Webinars
Local Workshops 

(360) 725-0377

Business Services
Corporate Registration & Filing
Trademark Registration
Consumer Protection
Business Search

Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
wsbdc.org
(509) 353-2800

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) services are free and confidential to business owners and managers in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas. The SBDC can help you develop solutions to your business problems. The Certified Business Advisors at the SBDC have experience with small businesses and the issues they may face.

Services Offered
Business Planning/ Funding
Federal Contracting
Disaster Recovery
Training & Webinars

StartUp Washington

Partners of the Small Business Resiliency Network (SBRN) provide culturally and linguistically relevant assistance and other business support services at no cost to entrepreneurs, small businesses and nonprofits – with an emphasis on those owned by historically marginalized and underserved persons – throughout Washington.

Technical Assistance Offered
Finding and applying for resources
Technical assistance
Accessing translation assistance
Navigating local, state and federal resources

Tricities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
(509) 542-0933

Connecting, Empowering, and Celebrating the Latino Community to the Tri-Cities and beyond. The Tricities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce provides business resources and business support.

info@tricityregionalchamber.com
(509) 736-0510

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business. They promote regional prosperity and strengthen member businesses through advocacy, leadership, networking, and innovative business programs. The Chamber is a catalyst for business growth, the convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion for a strong community. Programs include:

• Small Business Incentive Fund
• Workforce Education
• Business Advocacy

Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) 

TRIDEC's mission is to improve the economic health of the Tri-Cities area. To achieve this mission, TRIDEC promotes economic diversification, facilitates job creation and retention, pursues new federal missions to support stability in federally funded operations and advocates and leads the Tri-Cities community on issues of economic importance.

Women's Business Center
info@wcwb.org
(888) 821-6652

Washington Center for Women in Business is a program at the Center for Business and Innovation (CB&I), designed to provide women the coaching, training, and technical assistance to navigate the modern business world, in an open and supportive context. Programs available include business counseling, technical assistance and training.

Washington Procurement Technical Assistance Center
info@washingtonptac.org
(360) 464-6041

A Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), also known as APEX Accelerator, advises businesses on how to win government contracts and subcontracts. The one-on-one technical assistance includes bid reviews, marketing assistance, contract performance, small business certifications, and more. PTAC and APEX Accelerators also hosts procurement training classes and seminars, and helps businesses register with the correct databases in order to compete for government contracts.

westrichlandchamber.org
(509) 967-0521 

The West Richland Chamber provides local businesses with support and advocacy.

Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council 
815 N. Kellogg St, Suite C, Kennewick
509-734-5980

Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council helps businesses find qualified workers. They are dedicated to the development of a strong workforce.

worksourcewa.com
(800) 318-6022

WorkSource is a statewide partnership of state, local and nonprofit agencies that provides an array of employment and training services to job seekers and employers in Washington. Services include unemployment benefits, worker training and labor market information.