Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub aims to help local entrepreneurs turn ideas into growing businesses
The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 25, 2026 — An entrepreneur with an idea for a new product may know exactly what they want to build but have no idea how to make a prototype. Another may have customers and a working business but be struggling to hire employees, buy equipment, or find enough capital to expand.
The Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub is trying to make sure those entrepreneurs don't have to figure out the next step alone.
Jakob Lillvik, venture catalyst project manager with the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, said the hub connects entrepreneurs and growing businesses in Wasco, Hood River and Sherman counties with technical expertise, financing and other resources intended to help them move from an idea to a scalable business.
"We want people to know if you are starting a small business in entrepreneurship, resources are available to you," Lillvik said during a recent CCCNews podcast interview. "It shouldn't be hard."
The Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub is part of a statewide Business Oregon initiative that established 10 regional innovation hubs under a 10-year innovation strategy.
But "innovation," Lillvik said, doesn't necessarily mean a Silicon Valley-style technology startup.
He uses a broad definition: a business doing something new, whether that means creating a new product, developing a different manufacturing process, or finding a new way to deliver an existing product or service.
The hub focuses particularly on what economic development organizations call "traded-sector" businesses — companies producing goods or services for customers beyond their immediate local market.
A coffee shop serving customers in The Dalles, for example, would generally be considered a Main Street business. A company roasting coffee in The Dalles and selling it throughout Oregon or across state lines moves into the traded sector.
"We want people who are wanting to grow to have a market that is much larger than just in The Dalles or just Hood River," Lillvik said.
That can include businesses ranging from food and beverage producers to manufacturers, agricultural technology companies and the unmanned aircraft industry that has developed around Hood River.
"We try to stay industry agnostic," Lillvik said.
The hub's role can begin before a company even exists.
Someone with an idea for a physical product, for example, may need help turning a concept into a prototype. Lillvik said the hub can connect that person with organizations such as Columbia Gorge Community College's advanced manufacturing program.
Once a prototype exists, the questions change: Does the entrepreneur have a business plan? What will it cost to manufacture the product? How will the company reach customers? Does it need employees, equipment or a larger facility?
Eventually, financing may become the central question.
"Let's talk about how much money you need," Lillvik said. "How fast?"
The answer doesn't always have to be a traditional bank loan.
MCEDD offers financing that includes microloans of less than $40,000, according to Lillvik. Other businesses may be candidates for larger financing or, in some cases, angel investment, where an investor provides capital in exchange for an ownership stake.
Lillvik said his job is not to steer entrepreneurs toward a particular financing product but to explain the alternatives and help them understand the advantages and risks.
"I can be kind of Switzerland for you," he said. "I'll just objectively talk through, like, what could be best for you."
That can be particularly important for young businesses that don't yet meet traditional bank lending requirements.
Lillvik said an entrepreneur may approach a bank, be denied because the business lacks a sufficient sales history and conclude that the idea has reached a dead end.
"There are a lot more options for you," he said.
MCEDD's revolving loan program is specifically structured so its lending doesn't compete with traditional banks, Lillvik said. Borrowers may be required to first demonstrate that conventional financing wasn't available.
As those loans are repaid, the money can be loaned again to other businesses in the region.
"We have a mandate to continue to reinvest into the community," Lillvik said.
Money isn't the only obstacle facing entrepreneurs.
A successful owner can also become the bottleneck in a growing company.
Small-business founders often begin by doing virtually everything themselves — producing the product, finding customers, handling paperwork and managing finances. Eventually, the business can reach a point where the owner needs employees, equipment or additional space but has little time to arrange any of them because keeping up with existing work consumes the entire day.
Lillvik described it as a "scaling chasm."
The hub tries to help entrepreneurs determine what resources could get them across it.
Part of that work involves building an entrepreneurial community where business owners can meet others facing similar problems.
The hub holds monthly "Hub Talks," generally on the second Thursday of the month in Hood River. The events combine networking with discussions involving entrepreneurs and business-support organizations.
The goal, Lillvik said, is to give founders an opportunity to escape the tunnel vision that can develop while concentrating entirely on their own businesses and meet people who may have faced similar problems.
The hub also partners with the Gorge Technology Alliance and participates in collaborative events with the region's technology sector.
Another major event is Gorge Pitch Fest, an annual competition showcasing growing regional businesses. The next competition, scheduled for May, will be the fifth, Lillvik said. Participating businesses can compete for prize money supplied by local sponsors while gaining exposure to the broader business community.
"It's not just out there," Lillvik said. "People here are building here."
The organization has also developed a "reverse pitch" event that turns the traditional startup competition around.
Instead of entrepreneurs pitching their companies to investors, organizations that provide financing, training and business assistance pitch their services to entrepreneurs.
The most recent event at Columbia Gorge Community College's Hood River campus drew about 20 organizations, Lillvik said.
The concept addresses a problem that can be almost as challenging as finding money: figuring out which organization to ask for help.
"There are so many support organizations across the state that it is nearly impossible for one entrepreneur to keep doing their business and to learn everything there is to learn about all of the organizations," Lillvik said.
Putting many of those organizations in one room allows entrepreneurs to quickly learn what assistance is available and determine which programs might fit their needs.
Ultimately, Lillvik said, the hub isn't promising that building a successful company will become easy.
The goal is to make the process easier to navigate.
Entrepreneurs can begin by contacting the Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub and having a conversation about what they are building, what they want the business to become and what obstacles stand in the way.
"I always just start out like, let's just talk for 30 minutes," Lillvik said. "Let me hear about you."
Sometimes the answer is a financing program. Sometimes it's an introduction to someone with specialized expertise. Other times, Lillvik said, a problem is unusual enough that he will reach into the statewide network to find someone who has encountered it before.
The diversity is part of what he enjoys about the work.
"I can talk with someone about dog gelato, and I could talk with someone about aerospace in the same day," Lillvik said.
And seeing products developed in the Gorge turn up elsewhere in Oregon has given him an appreciation for how much is already being created locally.
"We have really cool stuff that's happening," Lillvik said. "I feel just so much pride in what our community does."
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