News

63.7 million – that’s the Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2022, making it the nation’s largest racial or ethnic minority at 19.1% of the total population. Washington state has more than 1 million Hispanic residents or about 13% of the state’s population. Drilling down even further, Skagit County’s Hispanic and Latino population is 19.9%.Here’s another fact: Washington state has more than 36,000 Hispanic-owned businesses.Multiply that entrepreneurial drive across the country and there’s great potential. According to a national McKinsey & Co. study from 2022: “If Latino businesses’ access to capital were improved, and their representation...

It’s Small Business Week, and EDASC is featuring one of the small businesses benefitting from the EDASC Equitable Economic Development program.  Ernesto Mendoza is one of the clients served by EDASC’s Bilingual Business Advisor Jorge Estefan. April was a big month for Mendoza who is one of Skagit Valley’s tulip growers. His small farm in Mount Vernon, Garden Rosalyn, marked its third year participating in the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Mendoza started in the fields, working for one of the established tulip farms. He said he was taken by the vibrant colors of the tulips and had his own...