Pasadena Economic Development Division & Community Partners Host Free 1:1 Advising Events to Support Small Business Recovery

PASADENA, Calif.- In response to the significant challenges posed by the Eaton disaster, the City of Pasadena's Economic Development Division is continuing its efforts to support local businesses through free advising events, aimed at helping businesses stabilize, recover, and thrive. These efforts follow the release of a citywide business impact survey in January 2025, which gathered feedback from 557 local businesses to better understand the disaster's impact and inform tailored support strategies. The results underscored the urgent need for accessible, expert guidance for business owners across Pasadena.

Building on this initiative, the City of Pasadena, with community partners, Pasadena Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Pasadena Women's Business Center (WBC), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and Foothill Workforce Development Board (FWDB), hosted the Small Business Fire Recovery Pop-Up on Wednesday, March 19, at the Dena Heals space at The Paseo. Over 25 businesses scheduled one-on-one advising sessions with business experts, with over a dozen additional walk-ins taking advantage of on-the-spot consultations with City staff. The event received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with attendees expressing the value in connecting directly with experts, accessing SBA resources, and gaining personalized support.

Another free business advising event, the Pasadena Restaurant Resilience Pop-Up, focused specifically on the restaurant sector, will take place on Tuesday, April 8, at Cafe Santorini in Old Pasadena. This event will offer restaurant owners and operators the opportunity to schedule one-on-one advising appointments as well as participate in facilitated networking. The goal is to provide essential support to help the restaurant community recover from the challenges brought on as a result of the recent fires.

"Pasadena has over 700 restaurants and their contributions to the local economy are essential" said David Klug, Pasadena's Economic Development Director. "We are proud to work with our partner organizations to offer this support to this important sector of our business community."

Donald Loewel, Director of the Pasadena SBDC, added, "Through our 1:1 advising sessions, we aim to empower local restaurant owners with the tools and strategies they need to stabilize and expand their businesses. The restaurant industry faces unique challenges, and we are here to provide personalized, actionable guidance."

"We're excited to support Pasadena's restaurant community," said Lizzy Okoro, Director of the Women's Business Center. "This event will not only provide expert advising but also help strengthen the local restaurant network by encouraging collaboration and sharing of insights among business owners."

Pasadena Restaurant Resilience Pop-Up

Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Location: Cafe Santorini, 64 W. Union Street, Pasadena, CA

Time: 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Pasadena restaurant owners and operators can schedule advising appointments at bit.ly/PasadenaRestaurants. Availability is limited.

The City of Pasadena Economic Development Division encourages business investment opportunities and supports business retention and attraction activities in Pasadena. For more information visit: CityOfPasadena.net/EconomicDevelopment/ or contact EconomicDevelopment@CityOfPasadena.net.

The Pasadena SBDC and WBC help small business owners succeed with no-cost one-on-one consulting from experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts. Resources include support with human resources, legal, finance, marketing, business planning, web, government contracting and more. Support is offered in English, Spanish and Mandarin if needed. Visit them at: pccsbdc.org, or call (626) 585-3105.

Stay connected with the City of Pasadena! Visit us online at CityOfPasadena.net follow us on Twitter at @PasadenaGov, and Instagram and Facebook at @CityOfPasadena; or call the City Service Center Monday through Friday during business hours at (626) 744-7311.