Two companies bloom in county commerce program

By the end of this month, two growing businesses will move into shared office space and accomplish what the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce hoped it could when it opened a downtown small- business incubator in summer 2006.

D.S. Capital Group and Apple Homes are the first two companies to grow out of their incubator space and achieve independence.

“We’ve stepped up from being a little home-based business,” said Paul Huff, one of the principals of home builder Apple Homes. “When we stepped into the incubator, suddenly the business took on a professional air.”

In its 18 months in the incubator, Apple expanded from three to six employees and outgrew its space.

D.S. Capital spent a year in the incubator and grew from two to five employees.

Adam Sullivan, a consultant with the business consulting service company, said that by sharing office space outside the incubator with Apple Homes, D.S. Capital thinks its transition to complete independence will be eased.

“It (office sharing) is a nice second step before going out into the world on your own,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan’s partner, Andy Donnelly, said one benefit of doing business in the incubator was that it allowed D.S. Capital access to other fledgling businesses in the same building at 809 Legion Way S.E.

“We have been able to do a lot of networking that would not as easily have been done if we were somewhere else,” Donnelly said.

Incubator clients pay a monthly service fee as part of a one-year renewable lease to hold down operating costs by sharing meeting rooms and office equipment. They also get access to legal advice and business seminars organized by the chamber.

Read full story [The Olympian]