Aaron Palmquist

The city of Irrigon will be receiving federal funding amounting to $1 million, with an additional $250,000 from the Port of Morrow, for the city’s Business Incubator Opportunity project.

The city’s project is one of 145 that received federal funding and one of three in Morrow County.

The project, according to Irrigon City Manager Aaron Palmquist, is to encourage potential entrepreneurs and business owners to take a step forward and move into a space in the city. To give them a nudge, the project helps to relieve some of the financial stress that accompanies moving into a new space.

“They’re not going to have this big burden over their head, of building a new space and the things within it,” Palmquist said.

The goal of the incubator is to give entrepreneurial opportunities to minorities, according to Palmquist, to encourage businesses run by women, people of color and underprivileged people.

To alleviate financial stress for incoming entrepreneurs, the Business Incubator Opportunity not only will build a space for these businesses but include necessary amenities, such as kitchens or sinks.

“Putting in amenities like grill hoods and sinks aren’t cheap,” Palmquist said. “We’re going to look at what could go in these spaces and hopefully put those kinds of things in to lift some expense for the people moving in.”

Examples he provided were for restaurants, and the costs for certified kitchens, as well as expenses for hair-washing sinks, were a salon to move in.

Palmquist said by saving on these expenses, people hopefully will be encouraged to take a step toward starting up a business in the city.

In partnership with the Port of Morrow, the city will be developing what resembles a strip mall, a place where these aspirational businesses can take root.

“Partnering with the Port of Morrow will help in terms of design level and engineering, to help us see where we need to go,” Palmquist said.

Palmquist said it will be at 900 E. Highway 730, Irrigon.

While expenses will be greatly reduced for incoming businesses, they won’t disappear entirely. He said that in order to keep the space afloat, payments for the space will be necessary. These payments will help support staffing for a shared area, like bathroom maintenance.

Palmquist predicted funding for the project will be released in the summer, once an agency agreement is signed in late spring. He said he expects construction in 2024.

“This will be an opportunity for entrepreneurs to say, ‘I’ve always thought of starting a business, can I do it? What will it take?’” he said.