Departments

The Quechan Indian Tribe Economic Development Administration (EDA) offers an online application for the Quechan Business Development Center (QBDC), a business incubator in the former Pipa Market building in Winterhaven, California. This program is open to vendors, merchants, and entrepreneurs (VMEs) who are enrolled members of the Quechan Tribe and are looking for assistance with launching or growing their businesses. Priority will be given to VMEs who live on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation and want to start or grow their business there.

The Participant Application includes important questions about your business vision and description. These questions are essential for us to consider your application. Applications submitted without answers to the questions will be considered incomplete and will be returned to the applicant.

The Arizona Western College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the Imperial Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offer free and confidential business startup assistance. You can reach the Arizona Western College SBDC at (928) 317-6151 and the Imperial Valley SBDC at (442) 265-4951.

The deadline to apply is Friday, September 27, 2024.

Quechan EDA will review the applications and recommend them to the Quechan Tribal Council for approval.

For more information, please get in touch with Quechan EDA at (760) 572-5270.

APPLICATION (click here)

Kiva.org Offers Small Business Microloans with 0% Interest and No Fees

“The Quechan Indian Tribe is not recommending or endorsing any specific service provider, lender, or loan product by providing this information. The Tribe encourages its Tribal member Vendors, Merchants, and Entrepreneurs (VMEs) to inquire and seek guidance before borrowing money. Before borrowing money for your business, conduct research and make informed decisions by contacting the experienced business counselors at the Arizona Western College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at (928-317-6151) or the Arizona Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center at (602-294-6087) for free and confidential small business advisory services.”

Crowdsourced microloans, or peer-to-peer lending or crowdfunding, are loans funded by many individuals who each contribute a small amount of money. This alternative financing model can help Tribal Vendors, Merchants, and Entrepreneurs (VMEs) who may have difficulty obtaining loans from traditional financial institutions. Family, friends, and the Reservation community can help VME small business owners fund their small business startup or existing venture for as little as $25 from each lender.

Borrowers submit loan applications through a crowdfunding platform like Kiva.org, and lenders review the loan listings to choose which loans to support. Once a loan is fully funded, the borrower receives the loan proceeds and is responsible for repayment. Approved and funded Kiva loans have 0% interest and no fees for the borrower. Please review the entire Kiva.org borrower page to understand their small business loan process and how to apply for a crowdsourced microloan.

Crowdsourced microloans offer several advantages, including:

Increased access to financing
Diversified funding sources
Lower transaction costs
Reservation community support

Overall, crowdsourced microloans provide an innovative way to connect VME borrowers and lenders, enabling financial support and access to capital and support for Native-owned small businesses.

Start or Grow Your Business with Accessity this Summer

“The Quechan Indian Tribe is not recommending or endorsing any specific service provider, lender, or loan product by providing this information. The Tribe encourages its Tribal member Vendors, Merchants, and Entrepreneurs (VMEs) to inquire and seek guidance before borrowing money. Before borrowing money for your business, conduct research and make informed decisions by contacting the experienced business counselors at the Arizona Western College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at (928-317-6151) or the Arizona Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center at (602-294-6087) for free and confidential small business advisory services.”

As summer approaches, it's the perfect time to harness the energy and momentum to propel your business forward in 2023. Don't let this season slip away without taking advantage of our small business loan offerings up to $100,000!

Are you ready to start or expand your business, purchase equipment, relocate to a larger space, buy a company vehicle, restock inventory, or secure working capital? Accessity is here to help you achieve your goals.

With streamlined processes and fewer documentation requirements, accessing funds has never been easier:

Loans $25,000 and under are more accessible due to less documentation requirements.
No hard credit pulls: a credit check won’t affect your score.
Say goodbye to upfront, out-of-pocket costs. Closing costs are financed into the loan.

Seize the opportunity to make 2023 the year your business truly thrives. Let Accessity be your partner in success! Click on the apply today button or call 619-795-7250 today to learn more and kickstart your application.

Embrace the season and fuel your growth with Accessity!

APPLY TODAY

Have questions or want to discuss your options? Please fill out this form to request a call from our local representative.

Accessity is a mission-based lender offering personally guaranteed business loans up to $100,000 at competitive rates to start-up and growing businesses in Southern California.

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The Arizona MBDA Business Center is funded by the US Department of Commerce and locally operated by the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The Center serves all minority entrepreneurs pursuing size, scale, and capacity growth, including any Native American-owned business enterprise. The MBDA services are free to Tribal VME business owners, and a local MBDA Business Counselor (Ms. Vanessa Castillo Bell) is available for consultations in the Yuma area. Contact Vanessa today for your free business consultation!

https://arizonambdacenter.com/contact

Link to Food Handler Training: https://www.ihs.gov/foodhandler

Why Economic Development on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation?

Streamlined Tribal business permit process
Commercial lease space available – on and off the Reservation
Daily Space Rental for commercial use (Pop-Up business opportunities)
Great highway transportation system including interstate freeway to and from major metro areas
Indian reserved senior water rights on the Colorado River
Workforce diversity (i.e., women-owned, veteran-owned, and Native-owned business enterprises)
Effective tribal transit system connecting destinations within the Reservation, Yuma, and El Centro
On-reservation water and sewer, fiber-enhanced telecom and broadband, and power grid infrastructure
Joint venture possibilities (Indian and non-Indian owned enterprises)
State (CA) sales tax exemptions
Federal tax credits
SBA HUBZone designation (for US Government procurement opportunities)
International supply chain access (via Andrade CA Port-of-Entry)
1.6 million potential customers live within 60 miles of the Reservation

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SBDC) @ ARIZONA WESTERN COLLEGE & IMPERIAL VALLEY SBDC NETWORK

SBDCs are funded partly by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and other state and federal resources and are committed to your business success!

They specialize in Native-owned, minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned small businesses. Make that call to set an appointment today!

Their business counseling services are:

Practical - They have over three decades of experience helping Yuma-area and Imperial County small businesses succeed

Confidential - All SBDC clients – including Tribal VMEs – businesses and related information are kept strictly confidential - the SBDC will not sell or provide your information to anyone without your permission.

No-Cost - SBDC business counseling services are no-cost to businesses and entrepreneurs, including all Tribal VMEs, regardless of business size or stage.

AWC SBDC

Please use this link to register for online (virtual), telephone, or in-person small business counseling services at the AWC SBDC: or visit the SBDC in person at the Arizona Western College Downtown Center (1351 S. Redondo Dr, Ste 101 – next to the Yuma Radisson Hotel )

Or call #TeamSBDC to schedule an appointment that fits your schedule!

Please reach out to:

Crystal Mendoza, Director of the AWC Small Business Development Center

Office: (928) 317-6151

1351 S Redondo Center Dr, Yuma, AZ 85365 (Map link)

Visit the Arizona Western College SBDC website!

IMPERIAL VALLEY SBDC

The Imperial Valley SBDC offers many ongoing free business webinars and other training calendar events to help start and grow your small business here on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation. Most webinar training is available remotely (live and on-demand video.)

Please reach out to:

Viridiana Rosales-Trujillo
Interim-Manager & Business Project Advisor
https://calendly.com/viridianarosales

Office: (760) 312-9800
2799 S 4^th St El Centro, CA 92243 (Map link)

Please use this link to register for online (virtual), telephone, or in-person small business counseling services with Imperial Valley SBDC.

Visit the Imperial Valley SBDC website!

Vendor's Square Information -

Please visit the EDA office to reserve a Vendor's Square space (at 475 Quechan Drive) for Daily Use.

All vendors must have a current Tribal Business Permit on file.

All Food Vendors must also have a current Food Handler Card or equivalent certificate.

For additional Vendor's Square details, please contact: edaasstplanner@quechantribe.com

Leasing Opportunities (click on property name to see information):

No opportunities at this time. Please check back occasionally for updates.

For additional details or to submit a proposal to lease, please contact Brian Golding, Sr., at b.golding@quechantribe.com

SERVICES ON THE RESERVATION

The price of gasoline locally is quickly approaching $5 per gallon!

EDA encourages all Reservation residents, Tribal members, casino employees, and Tribal employees to consider using affordable transit services provided by the Yuma County Area Transit (YCAT) system.

You can connect to the Yuma County Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (YCIPTA) website for the latest YCAT news and updates by clicking on the link below:

www.ycipta.org

You will have access to YCAT schedules, fares, bus passes, system maps, rider guides, news & updates, a calendar of events, and Rider Alerts.

Turquoise Route 10 (Interstate 8/El Centro/Yuma) and Blue Route 5 (Quechan Shuttle) are partly funded by the Quechan Indian Tribe and Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC), which are operated by the Yuma County Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (YCIPTA).

Business Permit Application Now Available to Complete Online

UArizona program to help Fort Yuma coffee roastergrow his business on reservation (azfamily.com)

Participant Application for Quechan Business Development Center