Tulare Chamber reports T‑Biz six‑month results; maker space, accelerator next

Donette, speaking for the Tulare Chamber of Commerce, told the council the Tulare Business Innovation Zone (T‑Biz) has been operational for about six months and has hosted 26 training workshops, multiple cohorts and a high level of interest from emerging entrepreneurs.

"We have been fairly operational for about six months now," Donette said, adding that the SBDC counselors assisting T‑Biz clients are bilingual and that the chamber recorded 103 SBDC-assisted businesses. The chamber said it has offered workshops on marketing fundamentals, Google My Business, business taxes, e‑commerce and an AI/business boot camp, and has run trade shows and networking mixers with CDFIs to aid access to capital.

Donette also highlighted partnerships and equity goals: the TBIZ’s EDA grant target was 25% immigrant/Latino participation and, she said, the program has reached approximately 75% participation among the communities targeted for outreach. Donette said the chamber is launching a formal accelerator program built from the pre‑acceleration workshops and will coordinate with the city on opening and operating a maker space.

Council members praised the chamber’s work and encouraged momentum on the maker space. Donette noted Deanna Salana as the T‑Biz facility manager and said maker-space equipment installations are planned as a next step toward a public opening.

Next steps: Donette and staff said they will continue marketing outreach, multilanguage cohorts, and an official accelerator roll‑out. The chamber will also coordinate with the city on maker‑space construction and programming.