For the very first time, the City of Turlock hosted its highly anticipated Business Summit, providing Turlock business owners and entrepreneurs an opportunity to network and expand their horizons. Tuesday’s event was a unique collaboration between the City of Turlock, the Small Business Administration, the Valley Sierra Small Business Development Center, Opportunity Stanislaus and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

Turlock Programs Specialist, Maisie Silva, helped coordinate the event and explained the goals of the summit.

“The event is filled with networking opportunities, workshops led by experts, and valuable information that local businesses need to grow and succeed,” Silva said.

One of the workshops held was centered around marketing, where multiple experts discussed the necessary balance between social media and traditional marketing. Attendees also received tips on how they can receive funding for their small businesses and entrepreneurial projects. The event concluded with a workshop regarding economic recovery in the post-Covid era.

Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak was one of the nearly 200 people in attendance and spoke about the importance of supporting local business, especially after the past two years of economic hardship.

“The livelihood of our city is predicated on small businesses and their successes,” Bublak said. “We’re open for business, we support small business, and if there is anything we can do for small businesses, let us know because we want to see everyone succeed.”

While there was a focus on existing businesses and current business owner, the summit was also an opportunity for future business owners to learn the learn the tools of the trade. Kou Tao is a local entrepreneur who is preparing to launch his own claw machine business in Turlock. He attended the event to get advice from those with more experience in the industry.

“I’m here for some extra knowledge and tips to kick off my business,” Tao said. “There’s a lot of like-minded people here and I’ve realized that there is more opportunity out there.”

Tao’s future claw machine business will offer prizes from Asian popular culture, such as anime novelties. He believes that the information at the Turlock Business Summit can really help his future business stand out.

Silva explained that the group of organizers and collaborators plan on holding the Turlock Business Summit as an annual event in upcoming years. This year’s attendees were able to provide feedback on what types of workshops they’d like to participate in next year.

“We hope we can continue to grow this event,” Silva said. “If all goes well and business owners find the summit to be beneficial, this can be a reoccurring thing for years to come.”