Our Story
While The Center for Economic Vitality started out as an outreach program at Western Washington University's College of Business & Economics, today we serve as an important partner with local governments, other economic development service providers and clients in driving economic growth across the Pacific Northwest.
We began nearly a quarter of a century ago integrating customized business research with our business counseling services as a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Western Washington University in Whatcom County, in Washington state.
We found businesses could best stabilize and grow when they had the right information and support to make the necessary strategic decisions. By augmenting owner's skills and knowledge, we have been able to save jobs at risk and support the creation of new jobs and attract new investments to our clients.
In January 2009, we changed our name to the Center for Economic Vitality (CEV) because being a SBDC just didn't fit the business model we were actively creating.
The Center for Economic Vitality provides three core services.