The business of helping businesses succeed
COCC s Small Business Development Center is a steady resource in a time of uncertainty
Geoff Frank, owner of Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe, a paddling outfitter and guiding company, makes his livelihood on the banks of the Deschutes River, where his Bend shop has been located for the past 20 years. Our whole mission is to create paddlers, he said of the busy company, which caters to all manner of boaters and floaters with gear, rentals and instruction, and typically employs some 60 staffers in the summer.But when COVID-19 swept in, troubled waters were unavoidable. Small businesses that have a season, like Tumalo Creek, were particularly vulnerable. We had to completely rethink every aspect of our operation and adapt, Frank said. We came up with a reservation system for our rentals, to manage how many people we allowed at one time. And we got creative on how we could still offer instruction with maintaining safety and physical