Hannah Curtis: Getting Inspired by San Jose’s Small Business Owners
The first time I met the Business Development Team of the San Jose Office of Economic Development, I was pleasantly surprised by the tight knit group. I participated in an office meeting and was a little nervous about meeting everyone. But once I introduced myself, colleagues kept talking to me about my rugby team, my study abroad experience, and my experience as a SCU student. I could feel my cheeks getting sore from smiling so much and nervousness quickly drifted away. I felt like I was already a part of the team.
One of my first assignments was the small business vacant and exterior storefront grants. These grants are available for small businesses to apply to if they are moving into a vacant storefront that has been vacant for at least two months or if they want to upgrade the exterior of their storefront. In the time of COVID-19, the exterior storefront grant became very important because it allows for businesses to get assistance to build parklets or outdoor seating areas to comply with social distancing regulations and to keep their staff safe. My supervisor started me into this project very quickly and had me directly talking to small business owners in a few days after learning the grant process. My favorite part of this project is getting to meet the small business owners, whether it’s a conversation over email or zoom. I admire these business owners; it’s not easy to run your own business. They all have a drive and passion for their businesses that I look up to.
As I become more familiar with the work that the business development team does for San Jose, I hope that I become more knowledgeable about the San Jose community and become more confident in taking the lead on projects. It can be intimidating at times, because the projects that I am working on have direct impacts on business owners and the residents of the community. One upcoming project that I am excited about is a reusable takeout container pilot program that will be tested on a few restaurants in San Jose. I am very passionate about sustainable consumption so I think this will be a great opportunity for me to learn the benefits and challenges of the allocation of reusable containers.