Business startups offered assistance in Angels Camp

Angels Camp and its public-private partnership is taking a new tack on encouraging business expansion and business creation in their community.

Rather than the traditional formulas of tax incentives or special lending programs, existing area businesses will offer discounts on a wide range of products and services that support business startups or expansions.

With each participating business offering a 25 percent discount on the first $1,000 of goods and services provided through the service, the total savings can amount to thousands of dollars, said Anne Forrest, president and chief executive of Destination Angels Camp.

“There are more than 30 businesses that have agreed to be a part of this program, and they are spread across the spectrum of things that people starting a business will need,” she said.

Those include computer service and repair, security, electrical, HVAC, metal work, furniture and appliances, graphic design, printing and signage, plumbing, marketing and more.

The business incentive program is part of a multipronged approach to rebuilding a rural economy hard hit by the Great Recession and the collapse of the housing industry.

Destination Angels Camp hopes to reshape the town as a center for mountain sports, with a location convenient both to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. That means encouraging retailers, restaurants and hospitality businesses to serve visitors year-round.

Forrest said it also hopes to help all other types of small businesses – professional and medical services, light industry and back office operations – to locate in the community.

DAC is overseen by an all-volunteer board drawn from all sectors of the community, including business owners, residents and city officials.

For more information about its incentive program, visit destinationangelscamp.com or telephone (209) 736-0088.